Tag: Paris

Posted on

Queue to learn

The protests of students in France has been biased by reports on the violence by people who looted shops. The broadly unmatched learning ambitions of students has entered little into the reporting. In the 2 weeks after the protest students flocked to public libraries to learn in decent conditions. Nowadays, this includes access to fast internet and other sources of inspiration depending on interests. Researchers who were the primary users of the BNF have been outnumbered by advanced pupils and students ready to queue for 1 hour to catch a place even sitting on floors. This brings back the time of the baby boomers who entered with large birth cohorts into high schools and universities later on. Such social trends are predictable and adequate policy responses not even extremely expensive. Until education institutions are expanded there will be queues to learn. 

BNF queues to learn 2026-10-26
BNF queues to learn 2026-10-26
Posted on

Systems of thinking

The translation of the title of the “chair” created for Michel Foucault at the “College de France” sounds rather all encompassing. He worked during the years 1970-1984 at the institute, which were particularly innovative in terms of new concepts to look at society. With the massive protests of students in the streets of Paris in 2026-10, the exhibition of Foucault’s life course, his major contributions, legacy and audio-visual material are presented in a small exhibition. Foucault was one of the social scientists who had a research interest in the student protests of 1968 already.
In the exhibition it is possible to inspect central pages of the hand-written originals of some of his lectures. In the late 60s and 70s tape recording became feasible and such recordings helped to spread his ideas quickly. As Foucault was a master of contextualisation of societal procedures, like for example imprisonment, the curators of the exhibition present a few samples of Foucault’s own library (image below) and examples of correspondence with his network of social scientists, like Roland Barthes or Raymond Aron. In 2026 the thoughts on “gouvernementalité” (own translation “governability”) still speak to current politics. That is a great half-life-value of social thought.

Examples of Foucault book collection at his home College de France 2026
Examples of Foucault book collection at his home College de France 2026
Posted on

Oh happy days

The original English title of Samuel Beckett’s theatre play is “Happy Days”. In the French translation he changed this title himself to “Oh les beaux jours”, which sounds a bit more melancholic, which prepares better to the plot of the piece. There is no action in this piece, it is all words and not even real conversation between the 2 actors. The absurdity of our human existence despite ample references to famous literature across centuries is happily exposed. Let us continue to talk even if it doesn’t make sense anymore as we continue to repeat ourselves without any real changes in sight. How much of Winnie do we all have in ourselves? Indulging in souvenirs, rituals and abandoned trajectories of happiness is a danger of advanced age. Cathrine Frot and  Pierre Banderet are convincing in the roles to remind us to go beyond the absurdity of our ways to go about our lives. (Image: “Oh les beaux jours” at Theatre Les bouffes parisiens Paris 2026-10)

Theatre Les bouffes parisiens Paris 2026-10

Posted on

Game of letters

For most children reading and writing are too serious to be considered a game. And yet, learning is so much more fun if such competencies are acquired or at least accompanied through a game-like approach. School grades and PISA tests have taken out the fun part of learning of the most basic competencies. The fun in learning and experimenting is likely to increase the time spent learning, its efficiency and the return to learning. Georges Perec explored so many different ways to play around with words and letters to find his own most suitable style how letters assembled into words may serve his evolving purposes. The exhibition and accompanying material at the BNF on Georges Perec could spur a renewed interest in such games of letters and with letters for the young and old. (Image: BNF exhibition on Georges Perec, Words ending with letter d 2026-10).

Posted on

Alphabet as Mythos

The exhibition ”Georges Perec, Modes d’emploi“ at the BNF “site François Mitterrand” in Paris gives a fascinating insight into the complex life and work of the author of “La Disparition” (1968), “Les Revenantes” (1972), ”La Clôture”, “Alphabets” and “La vie mode d’emploi” (1978). In remembrance of his parents (eux) he wrote a whole book using only words without the first letter of “eux” which expressed how much he missed his parents. His mother was deported to and died in Auschwitz before he was 7 years old and his father had died in combat 3 years before. For the book “Les Revenentes“ (the returnees) he made use only of words containing the vowel “e” to somehow fill the previous gaps of words without the letter e. The preparatory work to collect those words (image below) filled pages as well. His poems explored combinations of letters, maybe even as a precursor of how AI is constructing words from small units (tokens) today. His quasi-experimental approach to literature goes deep into locations and emphasises the importance to remember at great length. So many lessons for us, which are simply built from the foundation of the alphabet to construct a mythical world of his own. (Image: Georges Perec, preparation for “Les Revenantes”, BNF Manuscript)

Georges-Perec-preparation-for-Les-Revenantes-BNF-Manuscript

Georges-Perec-preparation-for-Les-Revenantes-BNF-Manuscript
Posted on

Mitterrand literary

François Mitterrand is well remembered for his polititical leadership and of 14 years at the Presidency of France. He left behind a legacy of architectural highlights of which the 4 open books as the modern world idea about a cathedral size public library. The prolongation of the “Axe historique” to “La Défense” originated also in Mitterrand’s first term in office. However, only few would know about the literary ambitions and accomplishments of François Mitterrand. The Institut François Mitterrand organized a conference on the literary achievements of Mitterrand an his eloquent style and careful editing of speeches, his letters and journal writing (2026-10-16). The expert panel highlighted the literary sources of Mitterrand’s own reading and references to authors like Zola, Camus, Proust, Stendhal, Blum, Jaurès, Chateaubriand or also the letters of Simone de Beauvoir, to name but a few. The appreciation of the politician François Mitterrand by a German language author (Kimmel 2022) allows to get more familiar with an “external view” of a great politician, who ensured that also the enlarged Europe would still have a solid French foundation. Merci. Maybe Mitterrand has been the founder of a “literary leadership style”. Possibly in close resemblance to the antique or Roman vision to have philosophers as states(wo)man.

Institut François Mitterrand colloque 2026-10-16 Paris BNF
Institut François Mitterrand colloque 2026-10-16 Paris BNF
Posted on

Notre-Dame Organ

Paris, particularly Notre-Dame de Paris, is a great place to listen to pipe organs. It just needs a little preparation to find out time and place of a concerts. There are actually surprisingly many. At times of official services you might also get an impression of the capacity of organs and organists knowing how to make the pipes sound from soft, melodic to broad, majestic, even overwhelming. In Notre-Dame de Paris the original organ was built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and accomplished in 1868. An “electric blower” (1924) certainly enhanced and prolonged the sound capacities of the already rich orchestration features. Despite the electric enhancement the mechanics remain the primary features of the sound of pipe organs. Olivier Latry at Notre-Dame manages to the audiences into the 21st century’s sound spectrum based on traditional, but adapted variations of classical compositions. Bringing in new talent, like at the “Konzerthaus“, will guarantee that future generations can still enjoy the many worlds of sound that organs open up for us. Short sound impression Notre-Dame de Paris organ play 2026-8.

Posted on

Notre-Dame de Paris Visit

We are used to pay for visits of historic monuments. For a family with 2 children 15+ years old, 40 € is to be expected. Historic Places of Worship which still serve as such, mostly refrain from such commercialization. Notre-Dame de Paris is proud to state that they have been doing so for 860 years. After the fire, the reconstruction was expensive and it could be considered a fair deal if tourists pay for visits. The visit by Pope Leo 14 in 2026-9 and television coverage could also contribute quite significantly to the maintenance of the cathedral. The orchestration of such a visit as if a pop-star was staying in Paris in a splendid location attracts huge crowds, most of them with a certain willingness to pay for participation (maybe as donation, tax refundable). The choice to keep the place accessible to all underscores the prominent place the cathedral can play as a meeting point of many visitors with different or no religious beliefs. The role to unite various Christian beliefs and practices was remarkable in 2026-8 and a message to the upcoming visit by Pope Leo XIV who shares this vision and efforts. 

Notre-Dame de Paris Visit 2026-8

Posted on

Gothic Paris

At the “Conciergerie” in Paris you can really and virtually dive into the early medieval period. The royal meeting room and the huge kitchen with 4 impressive stoves brings to life what a royal feast had been like. A guide with virtual reality adds to the lively experience of history of French royalty. Some might like the later functions of some rooms in the annex, where prisoners of the “Palais de justice” where held. During the French Revolution even a Member of the Royal family was imprisoned and later executed there. A long evolution of historical facts is captured in a relatively small space. The weight and violence of history is an almost overwhelming experience there. The modern lighting is definitely more healthy and the smell of cooking next door is also just happening in our imagination or the animation on the tablet.

Conciergerie Paris 2026-8

Posted on

Swimming Paris

Swimmingpools are rarely on the to-do-list of tourists in Paris. This is good news for all those who go to a Swimmingpool for real exercise. In Paris you can enjoy the almost a century old public pool for swimming exercises with 50m lengths. In the entry hall you have literally a hundred doors where you change and, previously, you kept your clothes while swimming. Light by design welcomes you to do something good for you, physically and mentally. The “Piscine Blomet” (Paris 15th arrondisement) preserves a bit of the charm of the early 1930s Art-deco style in Paris. Sports deserved to be performed and exercised in fine architecture not just functional concrete. It is quite a challenge to preserve such architectural treasures including their original function. It is not all just business and tourism in Paris.

Blomet piscine Paris 2026-8