September 12, 2007

Contemporary art

Olivier made the remark concerning my yesterday’s post that some sculptures and other pieces of art should be found along the new tramway line. He’s right. I heard about it, but did not pay attention during my trip this weekend. So yesterday (Monday) I took a new ride to check out.

First I found this info on Internet:
“The design of the tramway line was incorporated into an overall artistic dimension…. creating a special place for contemporary art along the route… (it) was a joint decision made by the City of Paris and the Ile-de-France Region and backed up … by the Ministry of Culture and Communication… major, internationally acclaimed contemporary artists were invited…”

Nine works have been placed along the line in time for the opening in December last year. Here they are: So, what’s your opinion? I have mine. I would say that the “Skate Park” is OK - especially as it actually seems to be used for skating - and possibly also the “Telephone Booth”. I’m rather a friend of modern (and ancient) art and I’m happy that some opportunities are given to contemporary artists, but… I had a feeling that I lost my time (and some tax money)… and now you are losing yours!

(But I still like the tramway!)

25 comments:

Olivier said...

merci de me faire decouvrir ces oeuvres (tres art moderne ;o) ) que je ne connaissais pas. Preference pour 'Skate Park' et le 'Water Mirror'.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I think I agree with you. Some work artistically like the phone booth (NOt just because it's by F Gehry!). Others work like te skate park becasue they are multifucntional. The palm trees? A gimmick I would say. Also, artworks have to survive the city environment, so the technical ones are probably doomed. Reminds me a little of the Brussels metro, where the stations and lines are enhamced by some interesting art and sculpture - or were, the last time I was there.

Keshi said...

wow I love the colors in the 2nd pic!

And I agree with ya Peter...art is imp and it saves a city from being dull and uninteresting.

Keshi.

Azer Mantessa said...

the telephone booth, the skate park ... are cool.

hpy said...

We never loose our time with you! The sculptures don't seem very interesting though, except maybe the skate park. Will it resist?

Peter said...

olivier:
Tout ça pour te faire plaisir! Quand est-ce que tu penses faire un tour avec le tram?

richard:
Yes, I beleive also that these "technical" works have a very limited chance to survive in a city environment. I have seen other examples here in Paris.

keshi:
Yes, art is important and should be encouraged. Then we must accept that tastes are often different. But here I have the feeling that considerable amounts of money have been spent and then nobody cares. The technical gadgets are not any more working, nobody pays attention, neither the public, nor the municipal services, nor...

azer:
We seem to have the same opinion!

hpy:
Thanks! Yes, I have also a doubt about the resistance of what was painted on the Skate Park. It already looked a bit tired, already after some nine months. In the meantime, at least the skaters seem to have some fun with it.

Ash said...

How wonderful. Especially the skate park and the phone booth. Wish we had these in India too!

Peter said...

ash:
You have such a lot of other marveleous things! Just looking on your blog!

di.di said...

I'm not much of a skater, and by that I mean that I don't and can't skate. but that one is a cool skate park...

Anonymous said...

Bonjour Peter, il n'y a pas grand-monde qui parle français aujourd'hui. est-ce que je dois aussi parler anglais? :-)
Je n'ai pas trop le temps de m'arrêter sur votre message d'aujourd'hui. Mais je voulais vous souhaiter une belle journée. J'espère qu'à Paris le soleil brille aussi généreusement qu'ici. je vous embrasse

Shammickite said...

I was immediately impressed by the global skate park, but the rest leave me pretty cold. I like to see city sculptures that mean something and have a use. What is the use of plastic palm trees?
Urban Folly is a very apt name for all this.
A new wing at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto has been designed by Frank Gehry, very avant garde, very futuristic.

Kate said...

I appreciate all kinds of art and love many different genres. My grandson would love the skatepark, and, oh, how I wish I were younger! But...!! Because I am a huge fan of Frank Gehry, his piece immediately caught my eye. Some contemporary art amuses me, but I'll take it all in!! PS. Many thanks for the birthday greeting!

alice said...

J'aime bien le skate park mais il est tout petit! Et je m'étonne de voir que plusieurs "oeuvres" sont déjà hors service...Ca me fait penser au Musée des Arts premiers dont les parois de cuir sont déjà couvertes d'inscriptions (quelle idée saugrenue aussi d'avoir choisi un tel matériau dans un lieu public!). Ca m'agace, ça m'agace, et j'entends déjà beaucoup qui disent "c'est la France..."

isa said...

I agree with Alice - less than a year after their installation, most of the artwork is "hors service". It's a shame...

Tramways, streetcars, trolleys - those are all my favorite means of transportation! Quiet, clean, energy efficient...and cheap, too ;-)

Ming the Merciless said...

I love the Telephone Booth. It's absolutely beautiful. I love the color and the shape.

krystyna said...

Hi Peter!
I still like the tramvay too... .
"Message of Love" - I give my voice. ...

Thanks for this oportunity to see more kind of artworks.

Anonymous said...

These are all beautiful pieces. Lucky you!

joy
Your Love Coach

Peter said...

drama div@:
Not everybody can skate! I tried, but gave up.

delphinium:
merci pour la visite! Oui, le soleil est bien sur place! A demain, j'espère!

Peter said...

ex-shammickite:
Yes Frank Gehry is certainly a famous architect - the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao is perhaps the best reference. I know more particuuarly some rather fantastic, twisted, buildings he has created in Düssledorf (where I spent a lot of time). And his telephone box is rather typical for him.
I agree with you. Are these plastic palm trees that are supposed to be raised every hour, really ART?

Peter said...

kate:
I feel that we have a common understanding and appreciation for Frank Gehry. My little doubt is how it has been placed here; it does not really fit to the surrounding and you cannot easily see it from all angles.

alice:
Je suis d'accord. Il ne faudrait pas compter sur la discipline des gens, malheureusement. Il faut des oeuvres solides - non mécaniques, si on les place dehors et en public.

Peter said...

isabella:
I believe we all agree on a wish for clean transport, even more so within the cities.

ming:
Good, we have another fan of Frank Gehry!

krystyna:
Message of Love! Of course! That's nice. Unfortunatley the sound was not there.

joy:
Happy to see you comment on my blog!

Keshi said...

thats cos there seem to be a lack of interest...mebbe someone should initiate it?

Keshi.

Kunterbunt said...

To see your discoveries and to read your information is never a waste of time. I only wish I had more. But time will come.

It always comes to the point: What is art? I think it means different things to different persons. But for me there is a line somewhere and everything beyond is NOT art: Beuys' grease spot, for example. I've got a photo of the original one (I'll upload later) with a little story to tell.

Btw: I didn't know that Gehry has made kind of installations ...

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Wow peter ,
I saw this post later and was really looking with growing interest, Its not worth to make a piece of art which looks like a 'playgarden around a tram ???,

Because " nobody is gonna wait for a palmtree to rise' or the other works which aren't working"...

Because I've seen Paris, I thnk that colours would be nice to use, such as the pink coloured phone box, that will impress THE MOST, I quess?


JoAnn :)

Peter said...

keshi:
Yes, what I noted during my "tour" was that hardly anybody realised that these peices of art were there. The only one that were noted by some people was the Frank Ghery Telephone Both - also because it's very visible in the middle of a bridge. The Skate Board was of course also visited, but I believe that the young guys who were there when I passed by did not really consider it as art; it was there for their fun!

joann:
I believe we are of more or less the same opinion! Let's save two or three of the nine!