Chaucerific Love in Paris

[fan_elune]

On Tuesdays I teach in the neighbourhood of the Saint Sulpice. It took me a while to notice them, but a couple of weeks ago they first drew my attention. Graffiti here and there on the pavement, someone had written "Amour." all over the neighbourhood, handwritten (or possibly a stencil?), white paint.

And isn't that such a Geoff thing to do? Totally my first thought. Yep, Geoff's hanging around the Saint Sulpice. I'm on the lookout for a tall skinny bloke or some insane red hair.

This week I took Joey's digital camera with me to take a few pictures. How could I not? I love these graffiti.





Amour au Parcmètre
I like the contrast between the hastily drawn silver graffiti on the parking meter and the unassuming, precise, smaller "Amour." on the ground.




Amour Ecolier
This one is right next to a primary school. Usually when I leave the place is full of kids (hence the railing on the pavement), but I must've left a bit earlier or later today, since it was desert. And I was able to take the picture unbothered.




Amour au Lampadaire
This one, too, is right next to the school. Usually kids are playing around that lamppost.




Amour Effacé
This one is in front of another parking meter. It's mostly faded, but I love it.




Amour Récent
This one was, I think, added this past week. It's right in front of a shop for very expensive furniture and jewelry, the kind of store I can't see myself setting foot in ever. I like that this one is in the very middle of the pavement and slanted, as if the person leaving them were growing bolder with time, no longer huddling them close to posts or parking meters, or alining them with lines in the pavement.




Amour Religieux
This one is right in front of a Christian bookshop. It makes me smile each time. Yes, you religious zealots, this is your friendly reminder that your religion is supposed to be about love, not intolerance. (Not that all Christians are about intolerance. But some, yes, quite.)




Amour Libraire
This one is right in front of an old bookshop. And by old bookshop I actually mean old book shop. I've never seen it open, it's guarded by that rusty old off-white grid you can see the bottom of here. There are some beautiful ancient books on display in the window. It's exactly the kind of place where Geoff would come to spend hours in and find precious rare editions.




Amour à Vélo
This is my favourite one, for some reason. It's at the corner of a tiny little side street which probably doesn't see many passers-by. One of the first I noticed. Usually bike-less, obviously.




Amour à la Gouttière
This one is just a few feet ahead of the previous one, in the larger street the small one cuts into.




Amour Renversé
And this one is on the main avenue, lots of traffic, right under a billboard... that way it won't be stepped on.




Amour au Café
This one is right next to the... Café du Métro, I think? The café that's right next to a metro entrance, anyway.


Now, I need to find some chalk and leave a message next to one of them to Geoff the person who left them. Because whoever they are, I want to know why they're doing this and what gave them this idea and why there and and and. I just want to know them. And all the wherefores and whys that come with the graffiti.

Comments

[littlegothsin.livejournal.com]

c'est... non pas commun, mais c'est quelque chose qu'on retrouve de temps en temps à Paris (et ailleur je suppose)
http://francis75.canalblog.com/archives/2005/06/20/587849.html
Des silouhettes: http://francis75.canalblog.com/archives/2005/11/30/998187.html

Dans le même genre, mais pas pareil: je ne sais pas si tu as déjà vu des petites mosaique de poulpes Space invader sur les murs ? Il y en a une pres de Censier, et une rue St Anne pres de l'opéra, entre autre: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/spaceinvader/
Le site 'officiel' http://www.space-invaders.com/som.html
J'aime bien ces petits pouples ^^;

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Heee! Je dois dire que je préfère mes "Amour." aux poulpes, mais bon, chacun son truc. Maintenant je crois que peu importe où je vais dans Paris je vais scruter les trottoirs pour voir s'ils ne se répandent pas ailleurs que dans le coin du St Sulpice.

[littlegothsin.livejournal.com]

Pas le même genre c'est sûr. Mais c'est le genre de detail, une fois qu'ils t'on accroché l'oeil, tu ne peux pas t'empeêher de les voir. Evidement le message est plus poetique avec les "Amour" ^^ Mais j'aime bien les poulpes aussi, je fais mentalement 'coucou' à celui de la fac quand je passe devant.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Ca c'est sûr, une fois que t'en as repéré un ils te sautent tous aux yeux. Je ferai gaffe aux poulpes maintenant, et je les saluerai mentalement pour toi !

[littlegothsin.livejournal.com]

Ca c'est sûr, une fois que t'en as repéré un ils te sautent tous aux yeux.
Tout à l'heure, dans les couloirs de St Michel, je suis passé devant une affiche publicitaire qui m'a vaguement accroché le regard. Je me suis arrêté pour mieu regarder, et en plein milieu, écrit à la main: "Amour". C'est le premier que je vois, et c'est le lendemain du post où tu en parles!

[pee-wai.livejournal.com]

Seriously this is brilliant! I love it, and it looks so much better than the normal graffitis! Thanks for posting this :)

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

I know, right? It is brilliance made graffiti. You're very welcome, it was my pleasure! :)

[pee-wai.livejournal.com]

hey, where does this icon come from? Looks a bit like Tennant's jacket in Dr Who but I wouldn't think Tennant has a torso like this ^^

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Nah, David's much skinnier than this (and the Doctor never painted his chest, now, did he). It's from Dead Poets Society. Have you not seen that movie? You have to see that movie.

[pee-wai.livejournal.com]

Yeah, saw it in English Literature during the last lessons like two month ago. Unfortunately I'd been spoiled on the end by Friends! In one episode they talk about the movie and they tell us the end :'(. The movie's still good. We very much see the end coming and everything. But god, when Ethan gets on the table I was like shaking!

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Man, that sucks. The spoilage, I mean. And that last scene is BRILLIANT. Oh Captain, my Captain. And so, yes, it's Nuwanda in that icon - you know, Charlie, the one that plays the saxophone? I adore him. Him and Knox are my favourites. But I love them all. Apart from Cameron, fucking rat. Go to hell, Cameron.

Your sister is heartless, by the way. She did not actually like the movie. Hmpf.

...now I want to watch it again. *eyes DVD*

Anyway, even knowing the end - I mean, last time with her was, I think, the first time I didn't cry in front of it. And since then I've read some DPS fiction that brought me to tears. I love these boys.

[shadesofbrixton.livejournal.com]

GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

Thank you so much for doing this. My heart just brims up when I look at these. I'm thinking Amour Récent is my favorite, but... god, all of them. I love the world sometimes.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

I KNOW, RIGHT? BRILLIANT.

I can't look up when I'm walking around. I'm just scanning the pavements for more.

I hope there'll keep being new ones.

[817.livejournal.com]

Awesome. Very, very awesome.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Heee! I thought so too. Some stuff about Paris is just brilliant.

[ohohiloveyou.livejournal.com]

oh man. this is the kind of thing that if i saw it while i was in paris, i would have shit my pants.

the only thing that actually matters to me in the entire world is love, so you can imagine my excitement.


beautiful pictures.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Thank you! All completely retouched because I don't have a clue how well to use Joey's camera. So really I didn't do much but vaguely frame the graffiti and press the button. ;) And god, I love this neighbourhood now. So. Much. Just on account of those. You ever come back to Paris? I'm taking you there.

[ohohiloveyou.livejournal.com]

woo!!

i definately will! my grandmother is buying a house somewhere in northern france, so somehow i'll get down there. and plus, i am dying to bring my lovely ladyfriend!

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Yay! Where exactly is she buying a house? That's brilliant, and I'd love to meet Amanda. :)

[ohohiloveyou.livejournal.com]

i'm not quite sure yet. but she'll be there in the fall, so i'll probably be coming next summer. :)

[thecrazylali.livejournal.com]

I've noticed the first "Amour" on my way home like a year ago or something... Maybe the person who's doing it is painting them again, but it ain't that new. Still I love those kind of things. Graffs, ballons in the air, the disposition of rocks or anything that might seem ordinary, weird and poetic things found in the street like that, all those little details have always drawn my attention. This is typically the kind of things that make me smile when walking in Paris, and that make me love this city.
And there are loads more than what we can imagine !

About the space invaders : I saw something very funny near Chatelet some time ago. There was a shoe store that had ordered the boxes behind the window so that they made the shape of one of these space invaders with their colors... it looked really awesome !

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Hey you! How've you been?

And also, mmm, the mystery's getting thicker. Where did you notice that first "Amour"? How long ago? I really wish I could meet whoever's behind them.

You know, I never was very partial to Paris, but that kind of thing just makes me warm up to the city like nobody's business. I'm going to be on the lookout now. Like you say, anything poetic and random.

[thecrazylali.livejournal.com]

Hey =)
I've been perfectly well. Still reading your lj, but as I'm not much into the same fandoms as you are (except for some of them *cough*veronica*cough* I don't comment really often... But I kep reading ;)

I can't really remember when I saw the first "Amour" nor when... I'd say it was near the campus, cause there always are a lot of things printed on the floor over there (Jussieu)... Or maybe in my neighbourhood, that would be around the 13th chinatown... Not sure though. But I know for sure I saw several ones in various places in Paris not long after I saw my first one... Must have had the same reaction as you, after having seen my first "Amour" I've been looking out everywhere ^^

Oh, and by the way... I don't know if you're aware of it but there's gonna be an "authour meeting" next summer, on the weekend of the 19th of August... Anna (and I'm sure the other OP girls) and Yerem have ben asking after you ;) So you guys HAVE to come !

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Hee! Veronica love. What did you think of the season finale?

And ack, Anna's told me about it, yes, but unfortunately a close friend of mine's getting married that weekend, down in Allier, so we'll be quite a long way away. Sorry! Tell Yerem to eat some madeleines and think of us, eh? ;)

[thecrazylali.livejournal.com]

I told him, it made him smile even if he was disappointed =)

I liked this season finale, actually... I haven't been as surprised as I could have been with the Cassidy plot, cause for quite some time I was thinking he was hiding something. I didn't expect him to end like this, though... Really brilliant acting on the roof. The papa-mars plot, I didn't buy it when the plane exploded, but I cried al the same at the end when he reappears in the kitchen... The cliffhanger thingy doesn't leave me breathless, but I can't wait for season 3 anyway :p The flashback scene were really good. I don't like Veronica with her long hair, but it was all together touching and funny. Wallace and Jacky, I have trouble understanding what they're making of this characters for several episodes... So, no real opinion about their storyline. 't was great to see duncan a last time (with the "CW - it's a done deal" ^^) even if it never has been my fav character, 't was a great good bye scene.
Ho, and of course : I definitely love Mac.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Heee! Good. The smile bit, not the disappointed bit.

Well yeah, that something was up with Beaver was obvious, but that he would actually be the killer? I felt that was too much. Great acting, but not that well-written. The papa-Mars plot I didn't buy either, although the kitchen bit was very moving. The cliffhanger I kinda could care less about. Jackie's stuff was so WTF, though. And d'you think it was a goodbye scene for Duncan? Much as I don't really like him, I was hoping that we'd see more of him if only for this to come back and bite him in the ass.

Mac rocks. Heeee! She'd better be in S3 a lot.

And Logan owns my heart.

[hardlyfatal.livejournal.com]

That "amour" graffiti is fantastic, I'm practically swooning over the awesomeness of it. Makes me want to do that myself.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

It's amazing! I want to spread the amour, too.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

How totally beautiful that is... And even more so because it's in French - don't tease. I'm a language whore too.

It reminds me of when Dae was telling me about graffiti she was seeing around her suburban neighbourhood - red/brown maple leaf shaped, so exact and uniform she thought that they must have used a stencil to paint them. Then I pointed out that real maple leaves, when they fall on the pavement, and then the rain comes and people step on them, also leave that same dark imprint on concrete. *g*

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Heh! No teasing. For once, I agree. "Love" wouldn't have been the same. There's something about the word "amour."

I had no clue! I want maples around, and I want maple leaf imprints. Mmm.

[heikki-cheren.livejournal.com]

"handwritten (or possibly a stencil?)"
I looked at the pix closely, and even though they all look quite similar, there's still too many differences. Handwritten seems more likely, unless it's just the pix misleading me.

About the Space Invader thing: there's a big one on a bridge you can see (on your left) while riding the RER D between Gare de Lyon and the next station outside Paris. Can't remember which bridge it is exactly, but this one is the biggest I know.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you're right, I meant to erase that "stencil?" after having taken a good look at the pictures, and I forgot.

Ah, but I don't take that RER anymore, I tend to go for line 8 and walk. Because I'm cheap, yes. I'll keep that in mind if I ever get lazy again going there, though.

[decidedly.livejournal.com]

This is proof that beauty still exists in this world in the most unexpected places - and that's when it rings truest.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

True words.

[honeyfitz.livejournal.com]

That's quite fascinating - I'd love to know the story behind it :)

Ooh, you're watching The Jury. Is that the Adam Busch one? I never got to see it but I think I've got it lurking somewhere.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

I know, right? So very intriguing and that icon is gorgeous.

It had to be said.

Yes, well, no. I'm watching the UK series right now, which only shares its name with Adam Busch's. Both are very much worth seeing, though.

[honeyfitz.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, hence the fact you've put 'UK' next to it :) Sorry!

Another of Charlie's icons, wonderful, isn't it? *sigh* Angel...

[thevelvetsun.livejournal.com]

I love these! They must just make you grin whenever you see them, they would for me. :)

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Exactly, yeah. I just had to take pictures.