The Sultan's Elephant

We had the extraordinary treat last weekend of visiting Nantes, southwest of us, just up the Loire River from the Atlantic ocean. We were there as the support/babysitting team while our daughter Emily and her theater troupe performed their Cabaret Decay Unlimited. Nantes is a beautiful, lively city with elegant old buildings, a fabulous open air market (of which more next time), a castle, and vibrant cultural life. But the single thing which makes Nantes the most special in my mind is the Sultan's Elephant and Machines of the Island (les machines de l'île). In Nantes, as in Paris, between the right and left bank of the river is a large island which houses the workshop, museum and ultimately a park (still under construction) of the artist François Delaroziere, famous throughout Europe for his incredible moving sculptures and gigantic puppets. The 50 ton, 35 foot high elephant, is made of wood, iron and leather and is operated by 22 people. He moves realistically as all Delaroziere's creatures do. He appeared on the streets of London a few years ago without any prior publicity. This is one of the favorite methods the artist uses to introduce his characters. They are a surprise and they gather unsuspecting, amazed crowds around them as they appear as if from nowhere. It adds to the magic that surrounds the work of this unique artist. While visiting the elephant, who now lives next to the workshop and museum, we were able to see him come alive. He raised his trunk, opened his mouth, bellowed and shook his ears from side to side. His eyes opened and closed. He did not, however, take a stroll or blow water from his large trunk. To see all the elephant is capable of, click here. Inside the museum is a scale model of the elephants skeletal structure. The museum houses several other creatures from Delaroziere's workshop. He begins each project with a detailed mechanical drawing and then builds his creations, with a large team of craft's people, from the most ordinary of materials: billows, fans, pulleys, wire, leather, metal and beautifully carved wooden pieces. He points to Leonardo da Vinci, Gustave Eiffel and Jules Verne as his major influences. Certainly his creatures are a perfect blend of those three geniuses! All of the creatures move and visitors can ride the machines and interact with the creations. He works very hard to make the movements and articulation of his creations move in realistic ways. The sea monster was seen to emerge from the Loire river in Nantes one morning and float away. He now lives in the museum. The enormous workshop is also open to view. There is always some new and mysterious project being planned and constructed. The little girl giant is one of the most astonishing of Delaroziere's creations. She lives out of sight, but appears in one European capital or the other from time to time, usually unannounced. Over 2,500,000 have viewed this YouTube video. The princess is a recent project which appeared on the streets of Liverpool last year. Francois Delaroziere also has a Music Project which he talks about in this interview.

The Château of Montmirail

The castle of Montmirail is unusual in that from the back it looks Gothic, whereas from the front it has a graceful Renaissance facade. They hardly seem as if they belong together. The photo of the back of the château was taken from the Green Room at Maison Conti. The castle is essentially in our backyard. The front, on the other hand, is not visible until you go through the gates and enter the grounds of the castle. It is still a private residence, but during the summer months, one can take a tour. The aesthetic of the Gothic era was purely practical. The idea was to create a fortified stronghold, to withstand the frequent attacks that any castle would expect in the course of things. For hundreds of years, wars were a kind of summer sport and armies got together to attack one another. During the winter months, everyone went back home. Richard the Lion Hearted razed the castle of Montmirail to the ground in about 1175. In those days armies brought the war right to the castle walls and once the castle was destroyed, the conquering army could take control. We found a crude cannon ball in our front yard while we were digging out for our terrace garden. At a certain moment, someone got the bright idea that it might be better NOT to destroy the castle, and rather to do the warring part in a local field, away from the city and château. In that way, the winner could control something worth owning, rather than having to reconstruct all the walls he'd been at such pains to pull down. A fundamental change in architecture accompanied this revelation. During the Renaissance, castles became much more about style and comfort than defense. Montmirail is a site which has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times. It's a strategic location. One can look out for miles around to see who's approaching. In the 12th century, the castle was also politically well located, just between what was then English-held Normandy, and the Ile de France, the seat of the French government. The family who owned the castle at the time had ties through marriage to both the English and French crowns, so was a kind of neutral place for the kings to meet. St Louis and Henry II had a famous meeting here in 1169 to discuss the church and Thomas Beckett. The French king, who was very pious, was attempting to mediate between the king of England and his archbishop, who were not seeing eye to eye. Henry believed his power trumped that of the church, whereas Thomas Beckett insisted that the crown represented only temporal power, and the church eternal power, thus if there was any conflict between the two, the church wins. Louis tried to argue in favor of Thomas' point of view. Of course within the year, Beckett was assassinated in the cathedral of Canterbury by Henry's henchmen, so it seems the meeting was in vain. This wasn't the first time St. Louis was disappointed with Henry. The first time Henry came to visit Louis at his palace in Paris, he left with Louis' wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Louis wasn't so sorry to be rid of Eleanor, but she controlled much of western France, which became part of England when she divorced Louis to marry Henry. Another famous resident of the castle was the Princess Conti. She was the illegitimate child of Louis XIV and apparently his favorite. She was the daughter of his first mistress, Louise-Françoise, who bore him 3 children. The Princess, named Marie-Anne was beautiful, charming and spiritually minded. When she became of age, Louis legitimized her, leaving her free to marry among the nobility. She married the Prince of Conti, who owned the castle. It was Marie-Anne who added all the Renaissance touches. She also had the house we live in built for her finance minister, which is why we call it Maison Conti. At the time the Italian style was very much in fashion at her father's court, so both Marie-Anne's castle, and our house have a decided Italianate flavor.

Autumn Leaves

This is the time of year when the world glows. The colors are vibrant, breathtaking, It makes it easier to accept the push of darker days just ahead. The season is over, the rhythm of life changes, the guests are less frequent and tend to be business people rather than holiday makers. We order the fuel and a huge supply of firewood. We think of putting the patio furniture away, but not quite yet, not while these golden days are still upon us, fleeting though they be. This year, as often happens, the October weather has been idyllic. Even if the temperature drops, the sun is out and warms our cheeks. Perfect days for walks in the woods, or a drive in the countryside. I take along the camera to capture some of the images, to help me guard them for the cold days. The world has such a wonderful way of easing us into winter!

Nothing Gold Can Stay Robert Frost Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold, Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

The vines on the front of our house mark the season gloriously, bud green in spring, vibrant green for summer, flaming to red for autumn and dropping off when the wind begins to blow, leaving gnarled old trunks exposed during winter months. A walk to our garden affords expansive views over the countryside below our hilltop village. The fields are not yet green with winter cover crops, but the trees turn their various mellow shades. We drive to la Ferté-Bernard once a week to do errands. It's the biggest town in the area, about 10 miles from home. The river flows though the city and there is a large lake for boating and swimming. On the drive back towards home, we stop to capture some images of the gentle landscape. With the colder weather, comes cozy evening fires and out comes the soup and stew recipes. Peter Mayle (A Year in Provence), writes charmingly of France. He recently published an article in the New York Times about October and how the French celebrate Halloween. It's well worth a read and it has a bonus recipe at the end of the column. It's Called Pumpkin Eaters.

The Magic Book

A few years ago I learned how to make a wonderful magic book at the San Francisco Center for the Book. With one piece of paper, a couple of cuts and some very easy folds, you can make what's called a Jacob's Ladder Book or a Tetratetraflexagon. You have a front and a back, but hidden inside are another two pages that are only revealed when you fold the middle of the book in a certain way.

front

back

folding the book to discover the hidden third page

the third page

folding the book to discover the hidden fourth page

the fourth page

The form can be used as a travel journal (as described in the book Making Books That Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist, and Turn, one I highly recommend, with all kinds of great projects for children and adults who love books and journals) or an invitation, diary, love letter or just a way to display art or photos, as I have used it here. You could use it to make someone a very special handmade Chritmas card or gift. And children love its magical nature. If you would like .pdf directions for making this little book, please email me at gravure@maisonconti.com and I will reply with a file.

Paris Neighborhoods--Where the artists live

Tucked away in quiet back alley ways, you can find the studios and residences of some of Paris' many artists and craftsmen. There are whole neighborhoods that have ateliers and charming little apartments where artists have lived side-by-side for generations. These spaces are reserved for them and so remain the same year after year. You can watch glass blowers, book binders, musical instrument makers, engravers and painters of minatures working in these traditional studios. In fact there are about 4000 artisans* who live and work in central Paris. They are mainly clustered in the Marais and the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, near the Bastille. There is strong support for arts and crafts in France. This comes in the form of both cultural and financial encouragement. France seems to be a country that really appreciates those activities and professions that bring beauty and charm to daily life and are willing to fund people of keep them alive. Of course France is also known for guarding its history and traditions with attention to detail. Since Paris is the most visited spot on the planet, there must be something in the rest of us that is attracted to the old beautiful things which the French take so much time and expense to maintain. This is all good news for French crafts people. There is still a lively system of apprenticeship in France and jobs waiting for young people who learn traditional arts and crafts. The amount of restoration that is accomplished every year in France is phenomenal**. Children who do not seem academically inclined at the early age of 13-15, are encouraged to skip ordinary high school and take up a trade. Our neighbor's daughter was apprenticed to a fine chocolate maker after finishing junior high school. Her first year she was required to get up at 4 am to start work and work a split shift. She worked on every holiday, which was, of course, the busiest days for the shop where she was an apprentice. It was grueling hard work for a young girl but it certainly kept her out of the usual adolescent trouble! After five year of studies, and passing several demanding exams, including creating chocolate sculptures in a few high-pressure hours, she's a professional candy maker with all the skills and knowledge of generations of chocolatiers before her. She works at a very fine chocolate shop and can aspire, when she's a bit older, to either take over the business or open her own shop. Gwenola, the daughter of our friends Françoise and Bernard, followed the usual academic path finishing high school with a speciality in literature. It's a whole other story about how rigorous high school is in France and how impressive it is when someone, like Gwenola, passes her baccalaureat, the big exam at the end which determines who will go on to university. After high school she attended fine art school and began training as a photo restorer, one who can restore not only photos but negatives as well. She studied for 10 years, passing various difficult exams at every step of the process to become one of the very few professionals in France who can do this very meticulous and delicate work. She has had jobs at the Rodin Museum in Paris, and various other museums and archival institutions. Not far from the Marais and the Faubourg St. Antoine, where many artisans live and work, is another of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris, where handmade journal creators have set up their shops. It is such a pleasant walk from the Marais, down toward the Seine through the Village St. Paul. It's one of the oldest and least touristy corners of central Paris. On the Rue Pont Louis Philippe are a number of shops that sell beautiful paper products. It's curious to me that in Paris you'll often find types of shops all clustered together on the same street. This is true for book, journal and paper making artisans. It's a real delight to go from one shop to the next and see all the wonderful things on offer. I suppose my favorite is Papier + They have a luscious selection of several styles of journals in every beautiful color of the rainbow. Emily and I both bought a little book with a round hole in the cover and used it to make photo albums for our husbands for Christmas last year. Les Exprimeurs is across the street and sells beautiful paper products as well. Calligrane has two stores, one with paper sculpture and really gorgeous handmade folios, quite expensive, one with inks, gadgets, notebooks and miscellanea. One can spend a very pleasant afternoon walking from the Marais, through the Village St. Paul, ducking into the passageways behind the store fronts and finding some adorable and almost secret shops. I have never found more than a few other people there when I have poked around. Then shopping at the various paper stores is a great pleasure. You'll find yourself at the end of the stroll right at the quai across from the Ile St. Louis. You need only cross the bridge to have the wonderful adventure of exploring there. But that's another post, another time!  

* The word artisan in French is used for anyone who works with their hands, from butchers to plumbers to stain glass window makers. I use the word with the English meaning, which connotes someone who works in the arts. ** One of my favorite books about Paris is entitled Paris, Paris, Journey into the City Of Light, by David Downie. He has a fabulous chapter about these neighborhoods in his very different guide book. He has also recently published his first novel, which I also highly recommend, entitled Paris, City of Night.