"There are twice as many meters of sewers as there are streets in Paris... it's like a town beneath a town."
What constitutes a museum? At first thought, the building itself. "The building chosen to stand for the institutionalized museum itself representative of a particular building type familiar to all of us who have visited the world's greatest museums," writes Rosalind E. Krauss in Postmodernism's Museum Without Walls. Upon further examination though, it's a lot more than that--objects are exhibited, maps direct, and both are adorned with labels so the visitor is clear on exactly what he or she is seeing and where he/she should go next.
Le Musée des Égouts de Paris hardly contains any of these details as the creation of the museum itself was most certainly an after thought. I was lucky enough to visit with a guide during which time I learned that Napoleon commissioned the sewage system that is still actively used today; until 1920, Parisians (albeit bourgeoisies) were invited to take tours of the sewage system via cars and boats; workers appreciate the rats because they (1) help with eating the garbage and (2) give warning to any danger; and finally, until 2004; government officials could send messages through pipes from the Senate to the Parliament building. Interesting? Yes. Unique? For sure. I'm glad I went, and I doubt I'd ever go again. The smell is hardly pleasant.
Charles Landry said, "At their core museums and galleries are involved in an exchange of ideas where we as the visitor come to grips with displays. In effect we converse either with ourselves or more publicly about what our culture or those of others is so we think about what we value and what our values are." Thank God for public workers...
Où? Across from 93, quai d'Orsay, 75007 Paris
Quand? Monday-Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, 11am-4pm
Comment? Metro: Alma-Marceau; RER: Pont de l'Alma
No comments:
Post a Comment