Now that we've recovered from the shock of the Nôtre Dame fire, it's time to turn a designing eye to the future. The reconstruction of the cathedral falls into two camps: those who would restore the steeple with a historic copy, and those who would add something fresh that moves the cathedral forward. I fall squarely into the latter camp. Onward and upward! So it's time to get those creative juices flowing as high as a flying buttress. And that's just what an international contengent of architects have been doing, after French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced, in April, a design competition for a new steeple. Some proposals are thoughtful or visionary, some are decidedly tongue in cheek and funny, all are époustouflant (incredible!). Let's take a look:
PHOTO ABOVE: French designer Mathieu Lehanneur evokes that terrible fire, with a lava stone flame with a gold finish. I'm shooting this one down as too obvious, and for evoking painful memories.
BELOW: What better material than the iconic Baccarat Crystal for a new roof? This one is by the Italians Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas.
Thinking WAY outside the box, Stockholm studio Ulf Mejergren Architects proposes a public swimming pool, functional and open to all.
Remember the Hunchback of Notre Dame? With a wink and a smile, Who Cares Design presents a penthouse and garden for Quasimodo himself.
Stained glass is classic for church windows, so why not for the roof?
Below, one of two designs which adds a giant greenhouse to the roof. This one, by Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut, has an eco-system which actually produces, rather than uses, energy, and includes a hydroponic farm. It's beautiful, too--my favorite design so far.
And this design by Studio NAB features a greenhouse roof with orchards, and they envision workshops on ecology inside. The steeple houses a beehive.
The aliens have landed: Designer Dakis Panayiotou calls this a "fictional" design. When he saw the news of the fire, he felt like "reality and fiction merged into one." OK. But no.
This design by David Deroo is apparently the most popular so far on social media, probably because it's on the conservative side.
An ethereal solution features a tall needle which projects a taller light that "connects with sky with the earth". By Vizum Atelier.
This entry is by Russian architect Tara Sovtho. It looks, well, Russian.
And finally, with a firm jab at modern development and the out-of-control growth of our cities, Yung Yonge and Rob Cross imagine the roof as a parking lot for a particular objects of worship: our cars.
Feel free to vote for your favorite in the comments--or leave your own ideas!
In the COMMENTS: Natalia, I’m with you, I like the “make-ahead” aspect of a dînatoire. And apparently dînatoires are more common in the south, per Darcey, Anne (of Music and Markets European tours) andBonnie. Here in Burgundy, even the expats entertain the traditional way, as Jean-Paul says. And don’t miss Frank’s very funny description of the kind of French dinner party we’ve all been to, including me, and Paula. (Next time we'll get back to our dînatoire recipes).
Your Homework for the New Year
We await them each year with aniticipation: the French chocolate bonbons called Révillon, that start to appear in the stores near Christmastime. We like that they come in bags of mixed chocolat noir flavors: Parline Pur Amandes Feuilleté, Ganache Noir, and so on. But what we like best is this: tucked inside little each glittery wrapped papilllote is an inspirational quote, in French. We have spent many a winter evening with a post-dinner espresso and maybe even a cognac, nibbling on chocolates and working on our translations.
We have tested you in the past on your Révillon quotes, but this is a new year and a new crop. By the way, I used to think the name came from réviellon, which means Christams eve or New Year's Eve festivities, and which seems appropriate. But no, I noticed the name is spelled slightly differently: Révillon, which is just a brand name. In any case, here we go. I hope these inspire you to great things in La Nouvelle Année. Translations at the bottom--no cheating til you've tried!
P.S. I regret to tell you that the impressive stack of quotes pictured at the top took us only a couple of days to produce. Ok maybe one.
Tout ce que tu feras sera dérisoire, mais il est essentiel que tu le fasses.
Gandi
Le plaisir de l'habitude est souvent plus doux encore que celui de la nouveauté.
Marcel Proust
Dis-toi d'abord ce que tu veux être, puis fais ce qu'il faut pour le devenir.
Epicèt ...
Tous les trésors de la terre ne valent pas le bonheur d'être aimé.
Calderon
Le chocolat plonge des êtres par ailleurs normaux dans d'étranges états extatiques.
John West
On n'est jamais puni pour avoir fait mourir de rire.
Proverbe chinois
L'espérance d'une joie est presque égale à la joie.
William Shakespeare
Ecrire, c'est une façon de parler sans étre interrompu.
Jules Renard
Les paroles sages tombent quelquefois dans l'oreille d'un sourd; mais un mot gentil n'est jamais perdu.
Arthur Helps
Les rires éclatent mieux lorsque la nourriture est bonne.
Proverb irlandais
Un compliment vaut un baiser.
Alfred de Musset
Dans la vie tu as deux choix le matin: soit tu te recouches pour poursuivre ton rêve, soit tu te lèves pour le réaliser.
Anonymous
Here's your cheat sheet. Feel free to take issue with my translations:
Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is essential that you do it.
The pleasure of habit is often sweeter than that of novelty.
Tell yourself first of all what you want to be, then do what's necessary to become it.
All the treasures of the earth are not worth the happiness of being loved.
Chocolate plunges otherwise normal beings into strange ecstatic states.
One is never punished for making people die of laughter.
The hope of joy is almost equal to the joy itself.
Writing, it's a way of talking without interruption.
Words of wisdom sometimes fall on deaf ears; but a kind word is never lost.
The bursts of laughter are better when the food is good.
A compliment deserves a kiss.
In life, there are two choices every morning: either you go back to sleep to follow your dreams, or you rise to make them happen.
And in spite of this year which we'd mostly rather throw in la poubelle, we hope you have a very Merry (and safe!) Christmas celebration and especially a Happy New Year!
In the COMMENTS: Lynne, you were so clever to repurpose a garde corps as a headboard. Jane, my goodness, you are a true French cook. Thea, enjoy the island, it makes me sad to think of it. Back someday. Francine, felicitations on your arrival in Arizona. Frankl I hope you make it to France next year, we have so many friends who want to get here. Sandi, happy to help with CharlestonInkandArt on Etsy.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS: Betina recommends the Etsy shop, the Vagabond Thimbler, for unique and fancy homemade ornaments, and teddy bears in your choice of prints! And from our authors: Joanne Marquardt has published several memoirs of France, like My Trip Around the Hexagon: Meandering in France. Debbie Woods has a French memoir too, Girl Lost, Found in France.
Posted at 05:28 PM in Comments/Recipes, Film | Permalink | Comments (10)
Tags: French inspirational quotes
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