Category: Social Science

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Sports International

Beyond the Olympic Games the practice of sport has been widely spread across cultures. The meeting of cultures through athletes is also a worldwide phenomenon. The “Musée du Quai Branly” offers an opportunity to delve into the different cultures of the world. With abundant water resources Oceania has developed boats that ensured survival, work, art and leisure. The image below is a fine piece of art which is exposed in the permanent exhibition of Oceania. Even a turtle appears to be rowing next to the others. Most other depictions or objects with reference to sports have fighting as a feature or refer to it. The Olympic games have similar historical depictions. Martial practices, sometimes also called martial arts, have been the source of decorations and special designs in all cultures. The ethnographic collections of this museum offer a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of all continents. We have so much in common across continents that it is still hard to see mankind captured in many wars across the world. Paris 2024 Games with the “Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac” give hope that sustainable development (70% of the museum is green space!) and peaceful living together is feasible with a focus on joint cultural heritage with enriching diversity.

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Olympics Together

The extended version of the official Olympic principles now includes in addition to faster, higher, stronger- together. Together stands for all nations competing together in the Games. Additionally, together is a key concept of team work. Athletes in many of the Olympic disciplines need to have a competency to perform in teams. Sport is therefore a great exercise to enhance team spirit and take responsibility of own performance in a team. Job markets value this competence as it is a skill that is hard to measure in a reliable way. Even various forms of assessment centers have a hard time to test ability to work in various forms of teams. Asking for sports practiced in leisure time maybe faked easily but participants in high level sport competitions can reply to o questions with details that are rather unique. Even many individual sports have doubles, relays or larger team competitions. Olympic Games Paris 2024 made this particularly clear again. (Image Raoul Dufy, Les Régates 1908, MAM Paris)

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Olympic Virus

We tend to believe or want to believe that the horrible SARS Covid-19 crisis is completely behind us. However, science signals that we need to stay alert with respect to the mutations of the virus. International events like the Paris 2024 Olympics bring together athletes and spectators from all continents and some of them still seem to carry the virus with or without symptoms. A report in the LANCET Respiratory Health mentioned that dozens of athletes were tested positive for the virus and a largely unaccounted number of spectators had carried the virus FLiRT variants. As tracking is difficult with more or less absent testing strategies the tests rely on waste water analyses and reports from health care institutions. The Olympic Games are over but the virus still lives on and variants keep popping up. Games during the summer months should be much saver than winter games as the time spent outside is much longer. Traveling in crowded transport, however, remains a potential health hazard. Huge crowds at Olympics are inevitable. After all, birds of the same feather flock together.

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Olympic Competences

The athletes who managed to participate in the Olympic Games dispose of a specific skill set beyond their more narrow sports discipline. The general competence is long-term planning and sticking to training schedules. These schedules involve multiple deadlines with well-defined training goals. Coaches accompany the athletes in this endeavor. The competence to listen to advice from one or more persons to achieve personal goals is an important factor of success as well. Rather than being a personality trait this can be acquired through learning experiences. Coaching helps to achieve targets short and long term. Endurance in mental and physical form are trainable and most Olympic athletes have spent many years to prepare for the singularity of the Olympics like in Paris 2024. The same holds true for the participants of the Paralympic games. Maybe the most important competence of high level athletes is to keep exercising, training and trying despite many backlashes and missing of goals. (Image: Extract from Gustave Caillebotte Le Plongeon, 1878, Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris).

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Olympic Shopping

After the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have closed officially it is high time, not only for the international tourists, to do some shopping of souvenirs from Paris. Some of the flagship stores like Le Printemps Haussmann renovated a 100 years old splendid staircase (image below) for this centennial occasion of Olympics in Paris. You may test your performance there and check which grades you will receive from passers by. The first numbers of the increase in tourists in Paris show significant increases from across the world including many countries from which previously few tourists arrived. Many will want to return to the marvelous sports sites and the great shopping experiences Paris has to offer.

The Galerie Lafayette, which recently closed a shop in Berlin, is a major attraction for international tourists. It offers unique instagramable images to visitors on the platform outlook into the world of luxury. Very difficult to not be seduced after so many exciting Olympic contests.

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Sports Beauty

Since the days of ancient Greece the combination of sports and the ideals of beauty has been praised. The many representations of mainly sportsmen at the time were copied by many artists to represent ideal forms of bodies and beauty. Only more than 2000 years later the female sportspersons find equal admiration in sports and the imagery of beauty. The Académie des beaux-arts in Paris 2024 has chosen this as a topic to guide visitors of the Olympic Games through the vast collections at the Musée Orsay (imaga below). The depiction of Hercules, for example, has idealized the strength of men. The beauty of sports movements reaches levels of dance or ballet. The precision of performances highlights the not only the physical qualities, but also the beauty of the body in motion. The popular appeal of performance and perfection contribute to the admiration of ideals. Reaching these ideals is a completely different story. The training and preparation may take years mostly invisible to the one time spectators. However, the glory stays for decades or until a closer match to the ideal is achieved by another athlete or another person. Even ideals are time dependent and rarely eternal.

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Green Olympics

Paris 2024 has won a medal for the Green Olympics. Sustainable building of Olympic sites is a crucial element in this struggle for saving resources. Just as important is the CO2 footprint of the transport within the city if you cannot prevent thousands of people from flying to the venues. Public transport in Paris used the occasion to improve its services considerably. The restrictions to cars driving around in the inner city also for security reasons made the Olympic experience for Paris a healthy walking experience for all. The view from the “Arc de Triomphe” during the Olympics in Paris is even more pleasant and relaxed as the noisy and polluting traffic is reduced to minimal levels. You were able to grasp the feeling what inner cities could be like if people were the overriding concern of cities rather than circulation of automotive vehicles. Redressing this balance in favor of people living, working and visiting is overdue and we all know this. The city of Paris used the occasion to demonstrate that another way or compromise is possible. This is also a way to write history and create unforgettable moments. Paris discusses already what to keep from the Olympics for longer. Maybe the vasque, maybe the cleaning crews. New Metro lines, of course. Why not the different traffic and mobility patterns? It’s well worth a lasting Green Olympic medal.

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Olympic Prevention

In the streets near the Stade de France at Seine Saint Denis the team of street workers addressed spectators with little presents. Each of these little items served the purpose to remind people of the prevention of disease or later consequences of the Olympic atmospheres in PARIS 2024. Sex, booze and drugs, but also noise were the topics of the prevention patrol around popular venues. Great way to bring home a message for visitors and the local population as well. Health and Olympic Games is a huge topic with many facets to it. Not only athletes are concerned, but also spectators. The team agreed to pose for media coverage as this is their reason of existence. Reaching big crowds is essential especially if big sugar is among the big sponsors of the games. It is another kind of competition with rather unequal starting conditions. You might loose some fights against yourself, but trying to overcome alcohol addiction or sugar overdose is worth a repeated game. Prevention is key.

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Olympic Democracy

It is interesting to follow how the Olympic Games follow a moderate version of how to run a democracy. Paris 2024 takes pride in making this a little bit more visible. It is the people in democracies who decide whether to host Olympic games in their country and the many executive branches of governments have to coordinate their actions, budgets and planning accordingly. The National Assembly in Paris 2024 is showing its commitment to the Games in front of the building as well. Beyond the ancient discipline of archery, new disciplines like surfing is turned into a piece of art like a statue honoring the athletes. The IOC follows the division of powers with an assembly of states, an executive and the judiciary. In each discipline it is evident that without a well established and accepted independent judges the Games would become a farce and would no longer attract such huge crowds. It is a steep challenge to ensure that doping and other illegal activities do not destroy the peaceful spirit of the Olympic Games. Science has a role to play in advancing and controlling the athletes and their teams acting under cover. All in all, we find democracy in a nutshell including the necessary trust in institutions to ensure a fair running of the Games in Paris 2024.

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Olympic culture

The Paris 2024 Olympics make a great effort to attract athletes, their families and spectators to the many splendid museums of the city. It is an exceptional offer in the multiplicity of museum experiences the city of Paris and its surroundings have to offer.
The Trocadero near the Eiffel tower, is the place of the Musée d’art moderne de Paris (MAM). For the Olympic Games in Paris the Museum selected works that demonstrate the early impact of sports in the painting of modern times.  (See the small extract below on rowing).
A dedicated visit of the permanent exhibition with art works that portray sports is on display during the Olympic season in Paris. The exhibition is a perfect example that you can visit a permanent exhibition with a special interest in mind. In this example it refers to the link of Olympic sport disciplines, their setting in time, space, society and environment). Alternative perspectives on the same collection of art works might deal with the depiction of sports in society or the life course or social status of athletes.
Choose your favourite sports and artists and you will probably find an example that would fit such an exhibition. People looking for depictions of rowing might like the painting by Raoul Dufy, Bord de Marne, Les canotiers painted in 1925.
Almost 100 years later La Marne hosts the rowing competitions of the Olympics. Raoul Dufy shows us that there is much more to rowing than just the sport or exercise. It is a social event not only for the rowers and the onlookers who watch the passing-by of boats and waves.

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Olympic salary

According to an information in the Wall street journal 2024-8-6, the self-reported annual income of top athletes who participate in the Olympic games Paris 2024 for example has a large distribution from those who go into debt to finance their personal or national dream and those who have already a comfortable income due to their sports commitment. 26% of athletes are reported to live with less than $ 15.000 per year only. However, at the other end of the distribution of income we have 23% of athletes earning more than $ 100.000 per year. A lot depends on the kind of sport you practice and the earnings of sponsors and “maezene” or professional attachments to professions that rely on physical strength as well. The average or median of the distribution is at a decent level albeit far from spectacular for the amount of effort a d time the athletes devote to their activities. Many other professions earn much more accompanying the athletes and those professions are also a likely later steo in a sportsperson’s career. Life course analysis remains an important field of study which informs the chances of winning medals in Olympic competitions.

Paris 2024
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Park Le Nôtre

Landscapes and gardens maybe occasions of splendid design. Paper and pencil designs or oil on canvas have left us with great imaginations of gardens as well as parks. The garden designer Le Nôtre in France has left us unforgettable, fantastic landscapes that have been originally realized 300 years ago, but has still many people you are impressed when looking or walking in them. One of the earliest projects is to be admired in Meaux just next to the cathedral. The design of the “jardin Bossuet” is attributed to Le Nôtre who later designed the park in the “Chateaux Vaux-le-Vicomte”. These accomplishments earn him the invitation also to design the gardens of Versailles. As part of the Paris 2024 Olympics the whole world was able to watch some of the horse mounted competitions there. Architecture leaves us impressions over centuries. Gardens are the most natural part of this cultural heritage.

Meaux France
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UNESCO Art

The UNESCO building hosts fine examples of modern art. For example “L’homme qui marche” by Giacometti (Image 1 below, focus on shadow of the figure) is one of the treasures exposed next to the conference center. The statue is very fitting as introduction to the exhibition “Fit for Life” during the Olympics, although it has been there for many decades. Taken on a photograph from a specific angle, the marching man appears like a crucified person without the crucifix. Each athlete has a long march behind him or behind her to reach the landmark of participation in the Olympic games. The media attention puts the spotlight on the winning persons albeit the many splendid performances of all other athletes. The cultures of the games is to be found in the millions of people who are inspired by these outstanding performances to also try their best in whatever conditions are encountered locally.

The strive by each athlete to achieve the highest goals, possible or even impossible, is reflected in the big wall painting by Picasso, 1958,  which was especially commissioned by UNESCO as the new building was inaugurated in Paris. The title of Picasso’s painting is “The fall of Icarus”, an ancient narrative of mankind reaching for the sun, but ultimately failing. Let’s keep waling despite the risk of falling short of ideals. A reasonable vision for diplomacy as well.

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Olympic UNESCO

The headquarters of UNESCO are in Paris. Therefore, it is no surprise that UNESCO joins the Olympic drive to bring home the message of the importance of sports for international understanding and the spreading of the message to advance human rights. The exhibition in summer 2024 honors the role of sport to overcome stereotypes and advances inclusiveness through joint practice of sports. Respect of ethnic and cultural diversity is a fundamental principle of sports and especially during the Olympic Games. The benefits of sports go beyond the physical competition between athletes. Team spirit is another necessary condition to excel in sports. The message of the Olympics goes beyond the tough competition and raises issues of solidarity within and between teams. The large number of countries that participate demonstrates that we all live on one planet and we have to take care of it. Many of the policies in the fields of education, science and culture can be easily explained through reference to sports. The exhibition “Fit for Life” at the headquarters manages to get this simple message across. Rather than endless documentation the exhibition makes a choice of the most relevant and accessible topics in each of the domains of competence of UNESCO. (Image UNESCO 2024, Paris)

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Olympic Equality

Of course, first of all the Olympic Games are about making a difference with respect to your opponent. However, there has been a thrive to achieve an equality of genders for more than 100 years as well. Women had to battle such a long time to achieve the right to participate in the Games in the same disciplines as men. For the first time in Paris2024 men and women are represented with the same amounts of athletes. Each gender is participating with 5.250 athletes and astonishing progress has been made to ensure that male and female athletes perform in the same or similar disciplines. Even if it took decades for women to run a marathon at the Olympics, the inclusion of a triathlon for women was already much more rapid.
This constitutes a real milestone in the progress towards equality in Olympics. Equal numbers of athletes is a quantitative form of inclusion, the qualitative level of inclusion remains to be accomplished. The qualitative dimension consists in the inclusion of women at equal footing in media reporting and sponsoring. On the organizational level of the IOC the organizing committee is still dominated by men and statistics on the accompanying teams of coaches, therapists and representatives a lot of progress still needs to be accomplished. Paris made already a huge difference and several exhibitions of the “cultural games” around the city during the Olympics 2024 make this point quite forcefully.
The sociology of the Olympic Games has a lot of topics. It is great to see the progress made in Paris on Olympic Equality, after all “égalité” figures prominently in the definition of modern France.
(Image: BNF 2024 exhibition “A History of Women in Sport” own translation)

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Olympic Village

The newly built Olympic Village in Seine Saint Denis consists of 82 buildings and offers 3000 appartements. With up-to-date cooling and heating technology from a nearby geothermal source the eco friendliness is assured as well. Inclusive accessibility allows for games for all and the needs of an aging society. The price level of renting apartments remains a difficult to solve issue as demand will exceed supply for years to come. Universal accessibility is a necessary precondition to host the Paralympic games also in 2024. Historic sites are notoriously difficult to adapt to aging societies and inclusive approaches. However, the adaptation takes a large step towards the realization of inclusiveness of extraordinary people. The care for environmental sustainability has been honored as well. The exhibition in the Museum of the city of Saint Denis at the outskirts of Paris demonstrates the significant size of the urban renewal project. The socioeconomic and environmental benefits are evident and will give a push towards this previously deprived suburb. A lot remains to be done but the new trajectory for urban development is already put on track. The oblivious factories and enterprises give way for urban renewal of housing for people with easy access to the Paris city centers as well. (Source of Image)

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Knowledge Work

In the social sciences the term knowledge work defines the group of professions that deal with and deal in knowledge. Most of them are in academia, but there are many other professions like ICT professionals or lawyers that used to shuffle paper who now work all digital. Hence the relatively new addition to the sociological vocabulary is “mobile knowledge work”. We, and yes I am part of this group, can do our job from almost any place with a stable internet connection. Breda Gray et al. (2020, Made to work: Mobilising contemporary worklives.) highlight the importance of gender considerations when we study these new forms of work. Similarly, social class and cultures of more or less trust are thriving for independence. This will play a role in who choses these new forms of work. The digital technology enterprises, media and social media workers are and will be the forerunners of this change. The education sector and academics in general have followed suit.

The issue of autonomy has also received some attention by the authors and this is likely to be a big challenge to standard work relationships as we knew them before the digital turn and the Covid-19 pandemic. The mobile knowledge workers were the first to insist on change of work practices, there will be other professions that will strive for greater autonomy of various kinds.

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Generational differences

The study of generational differences has a long tradition in sociology. A recent study by Wysmulek et al. (Acta Sociologica 2024, 131pp). highlights changes in how youth values education, abilities and hard work. The study carried out with Polish data shows that it is not the straightforward historical grouping of birth cohorts that matters most, but the experience of living through a period of crisis or stability during the formation of so-called meritocratic beliefs. Once formed, these beliefs tend to persist for prolonged periods of time well into middle and late adulthood.

Many judgements about young people might suffer a substantial generational bias when viewed from another generation’s vantage point. Cross-generational differences in beliefs and behavior are dependent on homogeneous or heterogeneous experiences of the respective generations. Disrespect of such generational differences is bound to yield severe misunderstandings. Who told you that social life was easy anyway? (Image decorated piano in shopping mall, Berlin 2024)

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Social Science Experiments

In the social sciences experiments are harder to do as there are ethical concerns to offer with random assignments only some access to a treatment or a (supposedly) preferential treatment. Combet (ESR, 2024) conducted an experiment about school major choices in order to learn about gendered school subjects choices. The findings that female students tend to stay away from STEM subjects is reiterated. The question remains why the gender stereotypes are still as strong after the schooling in co-educative settings. The old question whether separate schooling might encourage female students to study more analytical rather than creative disciplines remains an issue. Boys tend to frighten away girls from science related subjects at an early age, maybe just due to excessive affinity to competition. The skill gaps in society later on are to the disadvantage of all. Additionally, lost innovation is the consequence. We know that international competition relies on those persons who combine the analytical as well as creative abilities to come up with new solutions. We dearly need to encourage all talents in society to persist in their occupational choices. (Image Painted ceiling Paris Opera Garnier by Chagall)

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Artists Robots

We know that the scientific and artistic dealings with robots have a long tradition. Whereas art of impressionism took up the challenge to paint the world outside the studio and embellished technological achievements like bridges and trains post hoc, modern extensions of science fiction to the world of robotics has extrapolated from the present. Artists became forerunners of technical evolution and thereby contributed to the acceptance of artificial intelligence to broader audiences. In 2018 The “Grand Palais” in Paris hosted an exhibition on “Artists & Robots” (Pdf booklet). Jérôme Neuters contributed an essay to the catalog of the exhibition on “L’imagination artificielle” which identified a additional role for artists in combination with AI. Some of the early adopters of the new possibilities of robots assisting artists, Nicolas Schoeffer is quoted to state: “l’artiste ne crée plus une oeuvre, il crée la création”. Like an invention of painting techniques or light or perspective in painting, robots allow a new way of representation of emotions or space. (Image Manfred Mohr, 1974 video Cubic Limit, Artists & Robots p.92-93)

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Segregated Estonia

In cities of Estonia the segregation between the majority of Estonian speaking persons and Russian speaking persons has a long tradition. The Russians built new housing as part of their occupation of Estonia and housed their own persons there and sent their children to Russian speaking schools in these neighborhoods. The paper by Kadi Kalm et al. (ESR, 2024, 208ff) demonstrates the persistence of this “colonial” segregation over generations. However the authors show that desegregation of schools is a remedy to such previous housing and education policies. Learning the majority language is a definite step towards later integration into society just as (marital or household) union formation or labor market success do. The Baltic states have managed to escape from the Russian occupation but the Russian neo-imperialism is not entirely tamed. This explains a great deal of the anxiety of Estonia and other previously Russian occupied Eastern European states of a Russian backlash. Military commitment and a strengthening of the European Defence Union is a consequence. (Image Medieval Town Hall Tallinn Estonia 2024)

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Paris calm

As Paris is just 3 days before hosting the Olympic games 2024 the preparation of the spectacular opening ceremony along the river Seine is calming down the whole city. In the vicinity of the Quai Bercy the usually very busy road is already reserved for the arrival of athletes, artists and spectators. Security levels are exceptionally high at all corners to reassure people and to be able to intervene early if need be. Air pollution is rather low even near the busy roads. Buildings and public transport have been polished for the event and the excitement is building up. An expected 1 billion of television viewers of the opening ceremony will hit new records for such events. The population around Paris might have difficulties to get tickets to some of the popular events as official prices for the opening that rest cost 900€ per person. Locals are not amused and the critical voices denounce such an event as exclusion of most ordinary citizens through ticket prices. There are however places free of charge as well if you know where to catch a glance of the ceremony from the distance. Some bridges seem to be favorite places to catch a glimpse of glamour for free.

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Olympic Flame

The Olympic Games 2024 have started to attract attention long before the actual games. The arrival of the flame on the many stops on the way to Paris is each time an event of its own. The choice of persons who carry the flame and the parcour are carefully chosen and sponsors contribute to finance the ceremonies. With the tradition of the “Tour de France” which started in 1905 in Montgeron, the city in the vicinity of Paris knows how to organize popular events. Like for a marathon large crowds are waiting and watching along the track. Police and life guards watch over participants and spectators. Many volunteers participate to make the event an enjoyable experience for all. The sports competitions of the very specialized athletes make much more sense if many people are encouraged to exercise as well. It is fun and the spirit of the Olympic Games should encourage more people to stay fit. Just a little bit at times helps to improve your health. Daily exercise is a challenge but even more beneficial. The idea of a relay is also stimulating continuity.

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Chapelles Sportifs

In Paris the “Chapelle Notre Dame des Sportifs” was benedicted in 2023 in view of the Olympic Games 2024 in France. The catholic church is following the popular Olympics to call for “Holy Games” with subtitle “L’évangile c’est sport”. The chapel can be visited in the splendid church “La Madeleine” in the middle of Paris. You can buy candles with inscriptions like “the last ones, will come first (Mt 20,16)” or other citations from the bible. On Friday 2024-7-19 a special ceremony was held where you could jointly pray to win in your discipline or, of course, for other noble causes. The whole service was recorded with multiple cameras from a professional television team for a worldwide dissemination. It remains an open question, whether the church sponsors athletes as well or whether the athletes sponsor the church through their followers on social media. in any case it is a bigger media event accompanying the Olympic games in Paris.

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Impressionism 150

How many impressions made impressionism? Too many to be expressed in a single number. 150 years after the movement started with a spectacular exhibition in Paris the admiration of the paintings still attracts huge crowds. As a kind of revolutionary movement the artists mounted their own exhibition as they were not allowed to expose their paintings in the official exhibition of the Academy of arts in 1874. They accumulated a sufficiently large group of artists to form their own distinctive style of paintings. Painting outside in the countryside was a joint predilection. The regions, nowadays in the suburbs of Paris where many people daily commute to Paris has discovered the attraction to review the original scenario of the paintings as well as their living environments. Yerres, for example, hosts in 2024 an exhibition to show paintings from Claude Monet and Gustave Caillebotte which highlights the inspiration both painters took from the surroundings. Nowadays it is also interesting to see that the agglomeration makes efforts to make more people aware of the treasures to see in their own surroundings. Even if conservation of nature is hard to achieve the parks of yesterday have remained visible today. For us to transmit the cultural heritage and landscape to future generations as well. An affordable booklet that documents the cultural heritage allows people to dig deeper into the subject also for those who live in the region only because of a job nearby in Paris or Orly airport.

Park surrounding Maison Caillebotte, Yerres
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Paris Parks

There are many splendid parks in Paris. They all have an important function to cool the city in summer. Good for exercise and walking all year round as well. The latest addition is the “parc suspendu” between Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord (Jardin Marielle-Franco).
Many travellers pass there from one station to the next. The creation of this space is rather tricky and avoids the building of yet another shopping mall for tourists. The cleaning of the park and the growing of the grapes are a challenge for those in charge.
This park is an interesting melting pot of very diverse social groups. The sportspersons and walkers confront “la misère du monde” of people entering to sleep rough in the park or attempt to do or deal drugs there. Paris is fighting back for its public spaces and devotes resources to these purposes.
The “Cru bourgeois” is also challenged in this area. Living together accepting the unresolved social problems and to confront them rather than to ignore them, this creates the “metropolitan experience”. Parks in and around Paris build on a great historic tradition. “Le Nôtre” stands for the creation of Parks that were copied across the world.
The cleaning up of Paris for the Olympic games 2024 is a tremendous effort. The swimming in the Seine (rather than singing in the rain) is probably the steepest challenge of all efforts, even if in retrospect the opening ceremony happened during heavy rain.
Parks need water, rainwater is best. Hence, the alimentation of parks from sources far away from them is part of urban and landscape planning.

(Image: Jardin Marielle-Franco in Paris between Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord)

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Animal Victims

Animals, like birds, dogs and horses are more than just good pets for people. In previous wars like WW1 and WW2 they have served the armies as messengers, logistical support and detectives. This is yet another tragedy of war times that is rarely told. Dictators, just like Hitler, like to show off in the company of animals, although the record to be responsible for millions of killed persons and animals is rather striking. The disrespect of life, be they humans or animals, is an underlying theme. Beware of persons in power who try to soften their public image with the presence of animals at political events. A faked show of care for subordinates and a romantic relationship with animals can be used as an “image-washing” of a cruel personality. A pet-loving image attracts views and attention, sometimes for the wrong purposes. The commemoration of animals that served the French army and people is an important lesson about the extended horrors of war of the past and present. (Image Parc Caillebotte, Yerres France)

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Planned Inspiration

There many ways to search for inspiration. “Moi aussi, comme les peintres, j’ai mes modèles” wrote Jacques Prévert a famous French poet years ago. Scientists find inspiration in data or theories, or in the combination of both. The planning of inspiration is, however, an other issue. You plan for something you don’t know what it is going to be. This makes the endeavor more risky and at the same time me exciting. As a social scientist going out into the “real” life is a sort of inspiration as multiple challenges await an explanation or deconstruction. The overview of current exhibitions through the scanning of catalogues from ongoing exhibitions is a welcome source to organize inspiration for the months to come. A glance through the catalogues gives a fairly good impression of what will be on display. The ideas can fly to distant locations and bring back more food for thought. It is a great service from the Munt library in Brussels. The combination of work and travel for inspiration is an interesting field of study in itself.

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Narrative Object

Objects tell stories. Stories get condensed into narratives. Narratives become objects. Yes, we are going round in circles here. Artists have transformed an old splendid atelier and factory building into a new gallery space for “Objects with narratives” in Brussels. We construct, reconstruct and deconstruct narratives almost continuously. However, if narratives are transformed into an object or objects they will become something tangible or a fixed expression of the moment or process. The concept of art objects with narratives invites us to look for the narrative linked to the object. Just like in other disciplines like economics we have ample dominant and heterodox narratives. It is important to reflect on narratives and empirical evidence in their support. When we look at the mountains of plastics and garbage on our planet we see how an economic narrative has been turned into nasty objects. Objects with narratives is also how future generations will confront us with the pollution and waste objects we left and still leave behind us. (Image Bussels Gallery Objects with narratives 2024-7-13 Exhibition Marius Ritiu.)

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Sport Fashion

Sport is fashion and fashion is sport. Not only in the Euro 2024 the teams make a big fuzz about the design of their sportswear, but certainly the Olympic games in Paris 2024 will demonstrate the close links between the 2 worlds. We might say playing football is a bit like a fashion catwalk. Keep going right on target, despite obstacles, when thousands of people are watching your performance and potential failures very closely. Making a “bella figura” is a must in both spheres. There is also a strong tendency for “the winner takes all”, that s/he takes the trophy and the jackpot.
Both worlds are also big business in their own right. It is at least 100 years old that sport and fashion got married. The “Musée des arts décoratifs” in Paris had an excellent exhibition on the combination of sport and fashion (booklet link). According to the curators both spheres have always been interlaced. High-level performance and specialized fashion just made for a splendid combination. As the rich and wealthy had more than a penny or two to spend on their leisure activities the combination of sport and fashion soon became itself a big business, beside the visible beauty of the bodies, movements and dresses. Just watch the breakdance fashion as the latest addition to the repertoire of olympic disciplines. In a recent article in “Le Monde” (2024-7-11) the value of the market of sports including its fashionable merchandising is estimated to reach a turnover of € 500 billion in 2022.
The competition of sports has been turned into a competition of the best images and videos. Fashionable as well as functional clothing can assist in climbing the podium. In the Euro 2024 Football Final the teams equipped with Adidas (Spain) and with Nike (England) compete for the trophy. Changing equipment sponsorship from one to the other can raise substantial amounts for a team (€ 100 million/year for the German national team). Big business seems to take over sports and fashion after the century-old marriage of sport and fashion. Since then, they have jointly been on an extended honeymoon. (Image from www.emptyspacetm.com 2024-7)