Original Refrigerator Art: A Day in Provins

The Gods Were Kind That Day
On 10 November 2007, we took a day-trip by train to Provins, 100 kilometers from Paris. Once a medieval fair town, there are now 12,000 inhabitants and many tourists come for fair reenactments. Thankfully, we were not in season, so the town was peacefully quiet.

Weather was gray and threatening rain at any moment, so I photographed as much and as quickly as I could, not knowing when we would be forced to seek shelter. As it turned out, it didn't rain much at all that day, and I came away with many images that were pleasing to me.

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A Small Round Enigma Presents Itself

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This building caught my eye, first because of its confused architecture, then, a second later, I noted the oval window above the door.

Herein lies the question, or questions: Why is this picture here? The subject appears African and the style primitive—definitely not consistent with the architecture or the town. Then there is the white frame (a window?); obviously modern construction, but it causes me to question the entire facade—is it real, i.e., old and part of the whole structure, or is it fake and this is really a modern structure with a false front?

You may provide your own explanation, and metaphors.

Continuing the Walkabout

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I was born two days before Anselm Kiefer. Our palettes are very similar, but he has become wealthy and very successful. I'm not complaining, mind you, but I am more than a little envious of his estate in France and his house in Paris.

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My companions would always consult maps and read every sign they encountered, while I wandered about oblivious, and distracted by every shiny object. So I was always a block or so behind them, unless the sign had a lot of text to read.