Fast Forward >> Walk Through Nuit Blanche

Photography and article by Lauren Ballinger

Nuit Blanche, a yearly event thrown in Paris, (and now many other Capitals have followed suit) fell once again on a cold and rainy night, but this did not stop the hoards from filling the streets to explore and admire the various art installations and museums around town.

This year's theme was based around the different stations/Gares in Paris, so the usual art installations were more dispersed and difficult to get to - at least for those usually accustomed to staying within the central part of town.

Highlights included an enormous display of light beams, shining high into the sky in front of the Tour Montparnasse. The blue beams emphasized the tower's already surreal and modern Big Brother-esque presence in the city, almost reminiscent of a space ship landing, since upon closer inspection one's ears begin to fill with an incessant pulse and hum of electronic bleeps and bloops.

The Centre Pompidou proved to be another hot spot for the hip crowds, the museum space, more of a stage for voyeuristic people watching than anything else. Despite being distracted by the young and the colorful, the novelty of visiting the museum at night was definitely worth the wait in line.

Steps from Beaubourg held the most shocking art installation of all; the inside of St. Merri Church turned into an almost post-apocalyptic gothic dance hall. The lights, covered in purple cellophane, chairs stacked high into a chaotic tower, and best of all the a gigantic portrait of a blurred face, hung high to look down upon on all. The usually untouched holy ground turned once again alive through the interaction of the crowd and the artists.

The best part of Nuit Blanche is discovering gems such as these without even trying. A stumble into a church to rest weary limbs and freezing feet just may end up turning into one of the most meaningful parts of the night!

Comments

[suzanne]

thanks lauren, for the first time ever, i missed NB, I was out of town.