Spring Fever In the starting block way ahead of springtime, an asphalt jungle florist called JL Jardin du Louvre Fleuriste Décorateurwas already selling purple and orange crocuses back in January. (5, rue du Louvre, 1er, tel: 01.42.33.52.72.) Hot off the Press In Paris, London and New York, spring spells boutique openings, vernissages, premieres, media launches... While a new UK entertainment weekly named Heat sizzles with sassy showbiz tips, the latest issue of techno-minimal arts and style periodical Purple will be ready for perusal this month at its ecstatically ascetic Parisian distribution point, the Purple Café. (9, rue Pierre-Dupont, 10e, tel: 01.40.34.14.31.) Groovy CD "Saturday night is alright, but Saturday night fever is better" could be Stéphane Malca's motto. So, expect to hear his recently released "housexperience," a trèsrespect, trèsspeed CD titled "Next to You" at this spring's hottest parties. Funky Colors In the spirit of "Georges Pompidou et la modernité,"an "Ultra Brite" spring expo to be seen at the Galeries Nationales du Jeu de Paume till April 18, '60s Pop Art colors are positively blooming everywhere, not just on fashion and beauty pages, but also in the domestic appliances departments of stores like Darty and BHV. Feng Shui Frenzy Even fin de siècleneo-bohos who've come to the trèsZen conclusion that it's bad for their karma to pretend to enjoy housework tend to celebrate the end of winter in a frenzy of spring cleaning. However, in this, the Year of the Rabbit, many Parisians will rearrange their home environments in accordance with Feng Shuiprinciples of harmony. A wellspring of Feng Shui publications is on display in branchésbookstores. Among these, Lam Kam Chuen's comprehensive manual (Le Courrier du Livre, 145F) and translations of Lillian Too's thematic guides (Guy Trédaniel Editeur). The latest Too import? A volume focusing on Fen Shui and gardens. Spring Chorus What yummy ying-yangimage could best convey Paris in the spring? How about a sound? For instance, an unexpected chorus of early morning birdsong competing with traffic noises on a dusty plane tree-lined boulevard... In the leafy suburbs and grayer banlieues of the Ouest parisien,a fun cultural event heralds the start of the spring/summer season. The Chorus! des Hauts de Seinemusic festival includes concerts by chanson françaisecelebs as well as shows for kids, new media workshops and special "springboard" programs such as Starting Rock.Zazie zeroes in on Genevilliers on March 13. Poetic Lover performs in Puteaux on March 26 and raï revelation Faudel will be in Vanves on March 16 and Fontenay-aux-Roses on March 19. The 12th edition of "Chorus!" coincides with the tricentennial of the proclamation of French Louisiana, so a spicy selection of Cajun-flavored gigs has been added to the menu, along with several opportunities to taste traditional Acadian dishes prepared by a chef flown in from Lafayette, La. ( Mar 12-31, info and reservations: 01.47.74.51.11.) Printemps de Bourges... Revolutionary in 1913, Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" expressed the piquant mix of hyperactivity and listlessness which characterizes "spring fever," a feeling familiar to the pre-millennium composers and alternative artists who partake in annual experimental music rituals like the Printemps de Bourgesand Musicmania, a rock, rap, house, Home Studio... offshoot of the Musicora music salon, held at the Parc de la Villette from April 9 to 13. Heard of Le Dépôt? Eurostar passengers stuck in traffic on boulevard de Sébastopol on their way to the Gare du Nord to visit the Jackson Pollock show at London's Tate Gallery (Mar 11 to June 6) may ask the taxi driver about a hitherto unseen building, a "very New York" warehouse painted black, with striped shocking pink banners blowin' in the windon its multi-storeyed façade. The answer my friendis that the name of the joint is Le Dépôt (10, rue aux Ours, 3e, tel: 01.44.54.96.96),a distinctly dangerous dive described in Time Out as "the first true hardcore threat to the supremacy of Le Queen." Fire Department Chic Some run-of-the-mill garments worn by all kinds of people on the Métro, at the supermarket, in movie theater queues... never appear in fashion features. This applies to sensible, practical clothes like microfiber anoraks with fur-lined hoods as well as to accessories linked with banlieuegangsta attitude. On the latter territory, few magazines chronicled the emergence of the platform-soled "tennis" shoes favored by rap groupies. Which item of clothing currently qualifies for what could be dubbed "the 1999 stylists' seal of disapproval?" Why not dispense this uncoveted award to the showerproof jackets with metal fastenings (like those on firemens' or fishermens' coats) which everybody seems to have bought in the winter sales? Tipi Trail Cultural trailblazers will be aware that Boulogne-Billancourt now boasts an arts center called Espace Landowski which houses a cinema, a multimedia public library, an exhibition space and a 1930s museum among other state-of-the-art facilities. (Tue-Sun, 28 av André-Morizet, tel: 01.55.18.53.70). This makes it well worth traipsing down the Pont de Sèvres subway line for a whoopee weekend outing within walking distance of M° Marcel Sembat. To be seen to April 16 at Boulogne's other Centre Culturel (Mon-Sat, 9am to 9pm, 22, rue de la Belle-Feuille, tel: 01.55.18.45.65), a free thematic expo of Crow, Blackfoot and Sioux memorabilia titled "Au centre du monde, les Indiens des plaines de l'Amérique du Nord"tomahawks at hackneyed cowboy and Indian clichés. Take your offspring on this culturally correct trek then even if they misbehave bury the hatchet at the brand new Boulogne branch of Buffalo Grill. (Daily, 11am to midnight, 143, bd Jean-Jaurès, tel: 01.41.31.36.94). |
