For the Love of Une Vieille Dame

(10/30/22) When it was unveiled in 1977, the Pompidou Center in central Paris was the focus of much criticism because of its unique architectural design. Aptly described as inside-out, with all of its innards, the plumbing, the ventilation and the electrical systems, built outside of the outer walls of the building, and all highlighted in bright, primary colors, it’s easy to understand why the public’s initial reaction to the complex may have been one of shock, bewilderment, revulsion and even loathing. However, in the nearly half-century since its conception, this cultural center of modern and contemporary art, in fact, the largest museum of modern art in the world, has become a bustling hive of cultural activity, from film screenings to musical performances and acoustical studies to housing a large Public Information Library.

Without a doubt, something that most visitors must agree on, though, is that the view from the Pompidou Center, especially on the escalator ride up to the restaurant and the exhibits on the top floors, provides one of the city’s most iconic panoramic views. And it costs nothing to walk into the Center, to ride up those escalators to check out that breathtaking view.

Bob and I have come to really love the Pompidou, and today’s visit only serves to enhance that feeling. We have tickets to see “Evidence,” a new exhibit created by American musician and poet Patti Smith, in collaboration with French sound artist and musician, Stephan Crasneanscki of Soundwalk Collective. The exhibit comprises a mélange of photos, artwork, graphic design and audio recordings collected from three different regions in Mexico, India and Ethiopia. According to the description on the museum’s website, the exhibit uses the audio and the visual in an attempt to record a journey over time, “based on the idea that each landscape holds sleeping memories, testimonies to the passage of humans.”

As we step into the exhibit, the immediate feeling is one of dreamy serenity. An assortment of people, all wearing headphones, are silently meandering around the room, taking in the visuals. We quickly realize that as we approach each section of the room, the audio recording that connects with the particular video or photo or artwork on display automatically begins to play in our headphones. Walk away from that display to approach another section of the room, and the audio adjusts and changes accordingly. The museum and this exhibit have skillfully tapped into modern technology to provide an audio-visual experience that takes the visitor well beyond your usual art museum visit.

As we amble out to an area of the museum that includes an expansive courtyard balcony with more of those amazing panoramic views of the city, we see people sprawled on several giant bean bags, taking in the views and basking in the sun. Also, arrayed in several spots along the edge of the balcony are large concert speakers. There is an odd sound coming from the speakers, not quite a ringing, but more like a droning sound as well as what sound like random, distant street noises. The placards on display explain that the exhibit, called a “sound sculpture” by American artist and exhibit creator Bill Fontana, brings to life, in real time, the sounds emitted by the 10 gigantic bells in the towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Seismic accelerometers installed in the bell towers to create an “acoustic history” of the cathedral reveal that the bells emit a constant vibratory hum in reaction to their environment, including weather conditions, street noise and -- in years past in the case of Emmanuel, the oldest bell, dating back to 1681 -- the havoc of the French Revolution. (Helen Stoilas, The Art Newspaper, September 3, 2021)

I’m awed by the concept, as I listen to the sounds of the bells while gazing across town at the towers of the beautiful, ancient cathedral, now wrapped in scaffolding while she undergoes a years-long renovation resulting from a devastating fire in April 2019. I’m relieved and touched by the knowledge that the people of France, deprived of their vieille dame for too long, can now connect with her in a way that is only possible in our 21st century world. The Pompidou Center, promoters of the avant-garde, have successfully fostered this direct and invaluable link to France’s “sleeping memories” through one of her most ancient and iconic monuments.