kk, tired of public transportation, testing a Harley Davidson....
Getting ready for the "BIG" 100 year celebration in Milwaukee???
Stopped in Paris on my way to take down the Frank Gehry exhibition at arc en rev in Bordeaux ........
You can finally visit the Beaubourg again and it is great fun. Masses of people up and down the escalators with great views over the roof-tops of Paris. Wonderful galleries and super exhibitions and to topit all, "George", the latest "IN" restaurant by the famous Coste Brothers. Visit the Beaubourg site for a lot more information.
Just missed the Renzo Piano exhibition, will catch a smaller version later this year at the Louisiana Museum in Denmark.
There is a new exhibition (March 29 - July 17) with all the entries to the International competition for the MAC, Museum for Art and Civilization, on the Quai Branly; the last grand site in the heart of Paris bordering on the river Seine.
The winning design, among 14 entries, by French architect Jean Nouvel is scheduled for completion in 2004.
Photo:Kirsten Kiser
The Jean Nouvel MAC (25.000m2) design addresses Presence - Absence or selective dematerialization. "Most architects want to make something exist....my problem, my headache, is to eliminate all I can.....make things none existent...." The main building in fact, rather than revealing itself, seeks cover behind a glass wall and a garden designed by Gilles ClŽment. "A sacred forest" of creepers and grand oak and maple trees with clematis and wisteria linking the trees together. Another exhibition is their own large collection of architectural models. Among the models were Frank Gehry's American Center, Richard Rogers Lloyds of London, Aldo Rossi's Venice Theatre, Herzog and De Meuron's Basel Cube and the latest; Christian de Portzamparc's new LYMH Tower for Mo‘t Hennessy Louis Vuitton in New York.
Photo:Kirsten Kiser
Being only in transit I made a short visit to Richard Meier's Canal Plus building...I just love it.
If you don't know it check back shortly for a Feature.
Photo:Kirsten Kiser
Drove by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France on my way to visit Dominique Perrault's office in the "Hotel Berlier" building. More about both buildings next week.
Photo courtesy Dominique Perrault
Photo:Kirsten Kiser
The in-house exhibition had some of his greatest models home. Instead of sending the models or other exhibition material to storage Dominique Perrault keeps it all at one end of the large office. The constantly changing exhibition sitting on traveling crates is always fun to see.
Photo:Kirsten Kiser
Took the fast TGV train to Bordeaux to pack Frank Gehry. arc en rev is now getting ready for their next exhibitions, "Lost & Found" (British Design in the 90's) and "FAT FOa muf" (A new generation of British architects). The exhibitions, coproductions with the British Council, run from May 25th to September 3rd.
I had to make a day trip to Dordogne to visit Michel Senaud at his beautiful estate, surrounded by 30 hectars of meadows with grazing sheep, in the small village of Montagnac La-Crempse. Michel Senaud has won every possible prize for the restoration of historical houses in France. He has passionately worked on his own 18th Century estate, La Grange, for over 30 years and it is one of the "purest" examples of 18th Century architecture in the South West of France.
Michel Senaud taught me all I know about "seeing" the purity and simplicity in French stone houses and, to my surprise, he has decided to pass on his knowledge and conduct a workshop twice a year. Starting this coming September 12 people will stay in the two guest houses at La Grange, eat at La Grange and, besides the daily workshops, work on an actual project with Michel Senaud. Imagine staying in the most beautiful place only 5 hours from Bilbao, one hour from Bordeaux, 30 minutes from Saint Emilion and learning to "see" part of the history of France at the same time! I will be there myself this Fall. My last stop before boarding the TGV for the Charles de Gaulle Airport was the finished Bordeaux Law Courts designed by Richard Rogers and Partners.
Photo:Kirsten Kiser
One thing is sure, it is both the first and last time I take the TGV from Bordeaux to the Roissy - Charles de Gaulle Airport. Four hours in the train - 1/2 hour to find out where you go once at the airport (I am fluent in French!) 45 minutes in an airport Navette (bus) cramped with luggage and people pushing to get in and out (a ride from the train to the "Camembert" , nickname for terminal 1, is too short a distance forany French taxi driver!).
At the end a long, long walk in Europe's biggest airport to get on your "foreign" airline ...... Over six hours of Sheer Hell! One wonders what the architect Paul Andrey was thinking 30 years ago?? Never again.......
Back on the road....
Kirsten Kiser
Editor-in-Chief
