"geometry, triangles, even rectangles"
small clothing design shop, above,
I photographed this from outside despite window reflections
mesmerized by the intense geometry of the images
August 2013 Rue Rebeval, Belleville/Pyrénées-Paris
and below
the most exquisitely charming restaurant in Paris! Mon Oncle le Vigneron, Rue Rebeval, Belleville/Pyrénées-Paris
outside Mon Oncle le Vigneron, restaurant Rue Rebeval, continue below for much MORE on the most painfully charming place in Paris, not to mention the most agreeably gregarious restauranteur...
art exhibits expo music musique events evenements show spectacle short film review courts métrages fashion photo street-life travel voyage stories movie cinema pop culture museum gallery Paris France fashion mode video
surreal art history critique post modern graffiti
un coup de telephone (telephone call)
a short story in a collection originally published in 2000 called "furin to nanbei" or "Le dernier jour" (The Last Day), by Banana Yoshimoto, an award-winning Japanese author since the age of 24 for the novel "Kitchen", daughter of well-known poet Takaaki Yoshimoto. I first discovered Ms. Yoshimoto through her book "Lizard". Read it!
This is a series of fictional stories of Japanese characters traveling in Argentina.
--August 2013
this is my own unofficial translation, as there is no official English version
Part One
I took a trip to Buenos Aires for work, my first time in Argentina. Since I saw myself as visiting the "edge of the world", I chose a hotel on a busy street would give me a feeling for the city. I chose a place on the Calle Florida, a large commercial street.
On my arrival, the Japanese guide who greeted me at my arrival was full of apologies, explaining that my hotel was already fully booked. He had reserved a room for me somewhere else, and for only one night. I was too tired from traveling to complain. I agreed to the new place as long as it was of the same quality as my original choice. After all, the first evening, all I needed was to sleep.
My flight had passed through Los Angeles to São Paulo, the voyage lasted many long hours and I didn't want to think about airplanes for a while. After a while, I did not know what to do with myself on the plane. I went almost out of my mind. Keeping in mind the small budget and staff of my company, I was sent to work by myself. I was used to that, but this is the first time that I had travelled so far.
I am the director's assistant to a company which not only designs the "look" of restaurants, but also creates the menus, the restaurant's cuisine, basically the entire business. In this case, our client had married an Argentinian, and the new couple had the intention of opening a "family-style" restaurant with Argentinian cuisine.
My boss is a craftsman of a certain conscience. To him, it is out of the question to to create just a vague local color. It is more his style to work hands-on in the new environment. If he is not available, he sends me to the country in question, as I speak several languages. My work consists of taking photos of as many spots as possible. It is possible that the results are not completely different from what one finds currently in Tokyo, these other establishments who are content to reproduce, more or less, the other culture's ambiance. However, my boss knows how to add personal touches to each place, to project the owner's tastes. And even when strapped for money, my boss brings out his own kind of magic for creating a restaurant with energy and life. Once the decor is complete, even if there is something lacking at first glance, the transformation is complete once people arrive. His projects take on an immediate vibrancy, and usually, are a success. I love to see this moment when the magic happens. And I love to see the photos that I have taken in order to identify the origins of the elements of decor. Originally, I wanted to be a photographer, but my current work has replaced that desire.
above photo, More on Belleville : June 2012 near Rue Dénoyez - this mural destroyed this past year with building reconstruction
above image, More on Belleville : June 2012 Rue Dénoyez, artist squat called Maison de la Plage, mosaic wall is there for the present (August, 2013)
"Coup de téléphone" continued
Buenos Aires, to my fresh eyes, could have easily been a European city. But the dense atmosphere of South American life covered and enveloped everything. The graffiti on the walls, the loud colors of ads, the garbage splattered on the sidewalks, the trees even in the little streets which grew with exuberance, and left purple and red flowers unknown to me, the children profiting from the smallest space to play soccer passionately, lost in their games. The violent intense blue of the sky. It is impossible to deny the vitality of this Latin American country, seen even on the faces of the passersby.
My hotel was supposed to be the most luxurious, however, as I feared, it was set apart from the animation of the streets, a modern construction which stuck out completely from its anarchic environment. The taxis lined up at the entry, drivers and porters in their impeccable uniforms, working zealously. Inexplicably, just before the automatic door, a crowd of young girls … there were at least fifty of them … gathered around and squealing as if they wanted to see who could make the most noise… without a care for who heard or saw. Some of them held magazines or posters. Apparently, a famous rock star had descended onto the hotel. The girls had both their hair and clothing in a wide variety of colors. The effect was as if one had put an enormous bouquet of riotously-colored flowers in vase too small.
Without a doubt, the group was ready to pass the night where they stood, the hotel staff seemed reluctant to chase them away even though they could not permit the girls to enter. It was a charming spectacle. It was as if one had directly imported the streets swarming with life right outside the hotel.
My translation is divided into several "Parts", for the purposes of this site.
Part Two, next week
Belleville, my Belleville, where Rue de Belleville becomes Rue du Faubourg du Temple, but in spirit, it is still Rue de Belleville
