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La Grande Prairie At La Bellevilloise

Image: La Grande Prairie
Text: Nicola Hebden

La Grande Prairie at La Bellevilloise, housed in an exhibition area situated at the highest level of the century-old culture factory on the north-eastern edge of Paris, has transformed itself into a literal urban jungle this summer.

Complete with real plants, fake creepy-crawlies and a floor of Astroturf, walking into the 400-metre-squared loft area is like being transported to an idyllic, indoor hippy commune. Only there’s soft jazz playing instead of 60’s tunes. Oh, and there’s no communal sex.

Deck chairs and cushions are scattered around the room inviting you to come in and relax. In the far corner there is a tented area, crying out for you to go have a nap. Next to it, a mock-up jungle scene, with rich green plants, bursts of colour from pretty flowers, and a quarter-sized elephant.

Monkey Shoulder run the beach-hut bar, and provide a range of delicious and healthy fruit smoothies, which they will willingly transform into a potent cocktail, if so desired. And for the occasional gig held on the tiny stage in La Grande Prairie (Lys is playing in a couple of weeks, and an electro swing band at the end of August, among others) there are reasonably priced beers, wines and spirits.

Japanese Gardens: Escape The City

Text: Anna Bromwich
Image: Flickr CC nikoretro

These last few weeks, fed up and exasperated with the cold, I’ve been dreaming incessantly of spring. I am waiting impatiently for the moment when Paris is walkable and picnic-able again and in particular, I’m waiting for the cherry blossom in order to explore a number of Japanese gardens I’ve come across, hidden around the city. Many of these gardens I have stumbled on by accident, stowed away behind museums or on rooftops, waiting to be discovered. They fit, by their very calm and controlled nature, perfectly into the density of the city, providing a welcome relief from it, just for a moment.

The appearance of Japanese gardens in Paris dates back to the nineteenth century when ukiyo-e woodblock prints began to arrive in Paris, kicking off a craze for all things Japanese, aptly named japonisme. La Pagode Cinema in the 7th arrondissement is a fantastic example of this phenomenon: originally a ballroom, it was built in 1896 in Pagoda style architecture, and restyled into a cinema in 1931.  The auditorium is decorated with ornate Edo style frescoes and the surrounding garden is planted with bamboo and guarded by bronze lions.

20 Questions

Terresa Murphy is the founder of La Cucina di TerrESa.

1. What initially inspired you to move here or visit?
Castles and cobblestones and…

2. Earliest Paris memory?
Receiving a bottle of champagne in my guitar case while singing in the metro.

3. Best neighbourhood you've ever lived in?
Anywhere I have been able to glance up and take in a large stretch of sky.

4. What's the best meal you've eaten in Paris?
Alain Passard’s ode to vegetables.

5. Sexiest moment you've had in Paris?
Taxicab ride with a trembling hand at my side.

6. What do you hate most about living in Paris?
Line breakers.

Noël en Bio in the Marais

Text: Stephanie Wells

With the whole world a-twitter over the Copenhagen summit, get into the spirit with a little organic holiday shopping in the Marais. The Noël de Bio holiday fair convenes Friday, December 11 through Saturday, December 13 in the Espace des Blancs Manteaux. According to experts, the most effective way to climate change is on the citizen level. What better way than finding 100% organic cotton footed pyjamas for your boyfriend?

The cavernous showroom of Blancs Manteaux will be packed to the poutres with clothing and textile designers, beauty and body care products, and artisanal delicacies. Cruising for organic slippers and cruelty free leather totes, you might be able to wrangle a healing crystal realignment or a free ayurvedic massage. The holidays are a time for receiving and giving. This year, give consciously, and with Parisian style.

Espace d’animation des Blancs Manteaux
Friday, Dec. 11 – Saturday, Dec. 13
11h – 20h
48 rue Vieille du Temple, Paris 4e
Metro: St. Paul
Free entry

AMAP For Your Organic Veggie Baskets

AMAP, Associations pour le Maintien d’une Agriculture Paysanne, is a system of community-supported agriculture, which maintains a direct relationship between farmers in the Ile de France region and consumers in Paris.

Consumers sign a contract, committing to the purchase of a certain number and choice of fresh products (milk, eggs, poultry, bread, jams, apples, cheeses, etc.) to be collected on a weekly basis.

For this fall season, the AMAP in the 20th arrondissement has 50 new baskets (openings are hard to come by as the current AMAP groups are oversubscribed).

Prices range from 15 € for a 5 to 8Kg basket, and 10 € for a small one, to be distributed at the following locations: 3, place des Grès dans le 20ème, (65 rue des Haies in 20th starting Octobre 2009), and 179 rue de Charonne in the 11th. From 19h to 20h30.

To take part, you must submit a letter describing your intentions and desire to join, along with your name, phone number, address, arrondissement, and basket size. More information here.

The World Naked Bike Ride

On June 9th, Parisians celebrated World Naked Bike Day, a worldwide protest against a culture of cars governing our streets and polluting our planet.

Parc Floral de Paris and Jazz Festival

Finally a park in Paris where you can sit on the grass!
(Photo - Mairie de Paris)

The Parc floral de Paris, created in 1969, is a constantly changing landscape especially dedicated to strolling afloral art. It is one of the few of France's botanical gardens along with the Parc de Bagatelle, l'Ecole du Breuil and the Jardin des Serres D'Auteuil. In this valley of flowers you'll find a multitude of gardens: the bonsai garden, the garden of mediterranean plants, the garden of medicinal plants, etc. The park's current exhibition is "Terre Iris, de l'ecosysteme a l'ecojardin," ongoing till the 19 of August.
"Delta" is the park's space dedicated to summer festivals such as the Paris Jazz Festival.

Living Heritage: Exploring the Intangible

El Carnaval de Oruro, Bolivia
There is currently a great photo exhibition displayed on the fence surrounding UNESCO Headquarters in the 15th arrond. presenting more than 100 photos on traditional music, dance and theatre, social practices, rituals and oral traditions that communities and groups around the world receive from their ancestors and pass on to their descendants.

Conversations spatiales - France's UFO archive is live!

Hot property since Thursday is the Centre Nationales d'Etudes Spatiales website which has crashed after they have loaded the results of 30 years of research into UFOs.

Trine Ubbe Rasmussen - Art of TUR

"I welcome this opportunity to share what I create with others.  The group of totems presented this evening have been selected for their ability to create harmony and a feeling of wellbeing.  I find my inspiration in the interconnectedness and interdependence among people.  This is then expressed through fabric bands woven on  6 foot tall frames to form a living alchemy between forms and materials, opening a tribal universe to us, where strength and softness mix, to obtain a serene harmony.  According to the unique inspiration for each totem, hand made or hand gathered natural materials from the earth, such as ceramics, bamboo, sand, stone, loam, bark or feathers are integrated into the design.  Finally the multi-colored superposition of more than 20 layers of painting gives life to the totems objects, bringing harmony, transparency and depth to them. For me, Art is a universe of vibrations, like us.

For further details and information on the show next week, 24th November, contact Trine.  Download MiniBookNetFR.pdf