Photo of the Week
Another view of the Centre Pompidou. Photo © Darren Palmer of Paris by Photo.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update What's New in Paris
RESTAURANT/CLUB/CAFE
Wanderlust: Finally, part of Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et Design will open to the public on June 6. Brunch on the terrace, take a yoga class, take in a concert or dance all night. 34, quai d'Austerlitz, 75013 Paris.
SHOPS
Stella Cadente: The designer of very feminine clothing and accessories has a new Paris store that's like a gold-lined tunnel. 102 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75011 Paris.
Ecolo-Chic: Pop-up store in the Marais selling ethically resourced products, from toys and design to organic wine. 90, rue des Archives, 75003 Paris.
SMOKING
A new organization, L'Union pour les Droits des Fumeurs Adultes, has been formed to lobby for the rights of French smokers
JUSTIN ON THE ROOFTOPS
Keep your eyes peeled: Justin Bieber will be filming for the Web TV program live@home in an undisclosed location on the rooftops of Paris on the evening of May 31. Click here to win a pass to the taping.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update Flash News
CAKE THE WAY WE LIKE IT
Goodies on display at Merce and the Muse.
Nowadays, American expatriates in Paris can easily satisfy almost all their nostalgic food cravings, from hamburgers to Reese’s peanut-butter cups or Oreo cookies. Until Merce and the Muse opened in the Upper Marais, however, it wasn’t easy to find good homemade, American-style cakes. The desserts at this homey, flea-market-furnished café are not just good, they are scrumptious and original, made from owner Merce Muse’s own recipes. The other day I shared a slice of chocolate layer cake with vanilla icing and another of pistachio cake with rose icing with a friend, but in truth I wanted to eat all of both of them. 1 bis, rue Dupuis, 75003 Paris. Tel.: 09 53 14 53 04. Open Tues.-Sun. for breakfast, lunch and coffee; brunch on Sunday. Heidi Ellison
Paris Update This Week's Events
For full details about an event, click on its name to visit the official Web site (in English when available).
 Art Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Left Bank gallery walk. Collective opening, May 31, 6pm. May 31-June 3.
Carré Rive Gauche
>Another Left Bank gallery walk, with 120 participating galleries. June 1-June 3.
Champs-Elysées Film Festival
>A new Franco-American film festival, presided over by Lambert Wilson and Michael Madsen. Various locations, Paris, June 6-12.
Chartre en Lumières
> The town of Chartres illuminates its monuments and the cathedral with colorful light installations. Through Sept. 15.
Designer's Days
>Design shops, galleries, schools and more participate in a city-wide design event. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 4.
Festival de l'Imaginaire
> Performances by troupes from around the world, Maison des Cultures du Monde, Paris, through June 17.
Festival de Saint Denis
> Music festival featuring both stars like Sir Colin Davis and young talents; ends with a dawn performance by horse whisperer Bartabas and oud player Mehdi Haddab, Cathedral and Legion of Honor, Saint Denis, through June 30.
Festival Extensions
> Concerts, dance, films and more, various locations, Paris and Val de Marne, through May 31.
Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire
>"Gardens of delights, gardens of delirium" is the theme of this year's garden festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire, through Oct. 21.
Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Jazz acts ranging from amateur to big names like Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef (together). Various locations, Paris, Through June 3.
Le Court en Dit Long
>Festival of short films. Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris, June 4-9.
Nomades
>Cultural festival in the third arrondissement; art, poetry, concerts and more. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 3.
Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
>The features and short subjects entered in this category at the Cannes Film Festival shown in Paris, Forum des Images, Paris, May 31-June 10
Salon du Vin de La Revue du Vin de France
>Annual wine fair. Palais Brongniart, Paris, June 2-3
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Bureaucracy wins out over anarchy
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Hot Topics
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/ Flash News
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Created on Tuesday, 29 March 2005 23:00
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Published on Tuesday, 03 July 2007 23:00
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Written by Heidi Ellison
Squart Goes Legit
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| Art for sale amid the chain stores on the Rue de Rivoli. |
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March 30, 2005: Paris doesn’t have a lot of empty buildings, but when certain activists spot one, they quickly find a way to enter it and move right in, often staying for long periods before being evicted by the police. Many of these squats are turned into artists’ studios (becoming “squarts”) or venues for cultural events. One of them, on the Rue de Rivoli, a busy, chain-store-lined artery in the heart of Paris, was taken over in 1999 by a group of artists calling themselves“Chez Robert, Electron Libre,” who have opened up their studios to the public every weekend since then. In 2000, the city began proceedings to evict them, but the ensuing sympathetic media coverage led to a very different outcome: the city (which has an employee whose job consists of dealing with squats) ended up buying the building for 9 million euros, with the intention of turning it into a “collective space for artistic creation” after it was pointed out that the squart was the third most-visited contemporary art space in Paris. Then the city decided that the building’s doors must be shut to outsiders for safety reasons. After protracted negotiations, the now legitimized squatters have finally agreed, as long as they can eventually reopen to the public. On March 26 and 27, the last weekend the building was open, it had more visitors than the nearby Gap store. They tramped up and down the spiral staircase and peeked into rooms filled with paintings and sculptures (some of them surprisingly good) and installations of miscellaneous junk. Plan ahead for your visit – the erstwhile squat won’t be open to the public again until February 2008 (the artists will continue to work there until January 2007), but you can always admire the gaily decorated façade or visit their Web site. We'll have to wait to find out what effect legality will have on these anarchic yet well-organized artists.
Chez Robert, Electron Libre: 59, rue de Rivoli. 75001 Paris.
http://www.59rivoli.org/
© 2005 Paris Update
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