Graffiti in Paris

Overview of the 100-meter wall along Rue Ordener

"Paris is not a dream"

Closeup showing spray-paint techniques

"Too many women in too many countries
speak the same language: silence"

Layers of work

Painting depicting cracks

Although much graffiti is as welcomed by citizens as dog poo, over the centuries there have been some amazing graffiti artists at work, whether in ancient Rome, prehistoric caves, or on modern vacant walls and abandoned buildings. In Paris, at least some graffiti has attained the status of Art. There are occasionally exhibitions devoted to graffiti, books recording some of the finest examples of this kind of painting, websites featuring graffiti (http://www.lapanse.com/pages/graffitis/menu_graffitis_pochoirs.html), and some photographers who are always on the lookout for outstanding examples of this impermanent form of art. Usually done on the sly, under the cover of darkness and without permission, this spray-can art can be ironic, aggressive, playful, majestic or just plain repetitive.

Rue Ordener is in the 18e arrondissement of Paris, somewhat to the north, near the metro Marcadet Poissonniers. Just before this street crosses the SNCF railway tracks, there is an uninterrupted wall of more than 100 meters that has officially been set aside by the city and SNCF for graffiti. These photographs attempt to show some of the work that existed here on 11 April 2009. Other artists will surely come along and add new work, covering these displays. Some tell me there is new graffiti daily. I wish someone could explain to me the symbolism, abbreviations and allusions in this art because without this information, I am missing much of the message.

Charenton Market Day, Paris

Dressed rabbits

Fresh dandelion greens

Steaming sauerkraut with bacon

Horse meat vendor

The small suburb of Charenton is just two metro stops outside Paris and within walking distance of the Mennonite Centre in St Maurice. Carenton's excellent covered market is open Wednesday and Saturday mornings. I took these with the small G9 so that I could be somewhat unobtrusive while shopping. The sauerkraut is terrific, almost sweet. I will most likely not get around to trying the horse meat, although friends tell me Quebec supplies it to France.

Main Street and Broadway, Vancouver

Our photography class recently had a three-hour shoot in the general area of Main Street and Broadway (9th Avenue) on a sunny but cold afternoon. The first photo shows our excellent teacher, Ian, patiently explaining the afternoon's assignment. He is now shooting mostly with a 50m lens for the more natural perspective. I used primarily my 70-200m zoom because I hesitate to get close to my subjects and I am thinking in the telephoto mode these days.

Truck hood (nobody in class could guess what it was)

Looking through a telephone booth

Thorns on Thorns: Lent 2009

Reflections, looking to the north on Main Street

Although the following shot doesn't work (I was too far from the people), I include it because of the juxtaposition of clutter and austerity. Two friends were just settling down on the sunny porch for coffee, having a great time together. I was struck by their joy, in the midst of all the junk (shoes dangling from telephone wires, garbage cans, cold parking lot, window bars). By contrast, I get to sit in a beautiful garden for my coffee, surrounded by flowers and birds. I was impressed that these gals were having just as much fun as if they were in southern France.

Garage door

People

This was take an hour later, much farther west on Broadway. I was trying out a teleconverter for my 70-200m, here shooting at 400m from inside the store, looking at Ten Thousand Villages, one of my favourite Third World shops.

Galiano Island, British Columbia in March

Views from Mount Galiano on Galiano Island




Views from Bogeda Ridge






In late February, we visited beautiful Galiano Island which is situated between the mainland and Vancouver Island. These photos were taken primarily from Bogeda Ridge, which has several view points, and the much higher Mount Galiano which required a steady energetic hike of about an hour. The beautiful views encouraged us to linger longer than was wise but I wanted to observe the clouds change colours while the sun set. Darkness fell precipitously during our hurried descent, but we made it safely, in spite of losing sight of the path several times.

Snow in Vancouver, March 9, 2009

Vancouverites greeted the morning's snow with resignation and a shake of the head. Freezing temperatures are nearly 10 degrees C lower than normal for this time of year. Crocuses which had already delayed appearing as long as possible are still forced to cope with the snow.

Vancouver Sunsets over Galiano Island

Once again, my good friend Peter invited me to photograph sunsets from his 17th floor condo. The evening of February 28, 2009 featured soft clouds in the southwest and the sun set over Galiano Island. Hues differ because the camera was oriented either as directly to the sun as possible (without getting lens flare) or was situated to catch the sky's colours without aiming at the sun itself. This sampling of pictures takes us sequentially through the span of a single hour.

17.01hr

17.13hr

17.23hr (pointing almost directly at the sun)

17.30hr

17.38hr

17.45 hr

17.56 hr (looking a bit more eastward)

18.03hr