There was a MATERNELLE , an obvious choice as the substation was contained within the building of a nursery school (école maternelle), but in another neighbourhood I found a PATERNEL . Another, attached to a primary school was called PREAUX – school hall. I came across AMITIE (friendship), BRAVOURE (bravery), and FIDELITE (loyalty). Then ACTUALITE (current affairs) and ACTEUR , ACADEMICIEN, HSTORIEN and LIBERAL . Intriguingly, THEATRE was not on the theatre building, but about 200 metres away. The substation sign on the theatre building was named V ARIETE COMEDIEN (variety, actor). Just as PISCINE was
not on the swimming pool building but at the end of the street opposite the swimming pool. The substation sign on the swimming pool building was named BRASSE (breaststroke). VITRIER (glazier) is situated in front of the headquarters of a glass and mirror manufacturer. ' The two shiny new substation doors on a recently completed housing complex near our old flat were called SPIRALE and COURBE (curve). These new buildings were unflinchingly rectilinear, though they are adjacent to a modern primary school made up of a series of curving, blob shaped buildings. A door near the Bois de Vincennes, a vast forested park in the east of Paris that was once a royal hunting
all images Ruth Oldham
JOIE
MAGIQUE
PANSEMENT
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on site review 41 :: infrastructure
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