You’d be forgiven if you walk past largely oblivious. After all, this is what happens once routine, familiarity, and haste set in. So let me ask you this when was the last time that you actually stopped, raised your eyes, and took a moment to look around? And no, I’m not just talking about a stunningly superb sunset or fabulous fall foliage, though they are overwhelmingly deserving, but rather about the subtle details that are neatly incorporated into our urban landscape. So neatly in fact, that probably most of us have just catalogued them to our subconscious as invisible markers of place.
Did you know that the Eole, 1994 by Clelia Bettua, lines up with carvings in the 4 monoliths on the shore to form a circle?
Have you ever been to the little park just to the side of the Pont Bessières where André Lasserre’s sculpture sits between the juxtaposition of the old town and the vista of downtown?
Did you ever see Jean-Claude Schauenberg's trompe-l'oeil windows or Carole Rey and Toma Fausto’s installation in the courtyard of the Collège de Villamont?
That said, if you never knew of Art en Ville before today, may I offer you a few words before you rush off in hopes of discovering artistic enlightenment. In all fairness the selection of works within Art en Ville is a mixed bunch. Some, as subjective probabilities would suggest, elicit more interest than others, but that is to be expected. What is fascinating and marvellous is the fact that in this city that I know so well, or think that I know so well, there are 82 points of detail where a discovery is waiting to be made. It is a treasure hunt that invites you, if even only for a minute to stop, look and consider the lines, horizons and perspectives. It is a map that will guide you to unfamiliar spots along small roads, to parks that offer new views and maybe answer questions about something that has always caught your eye. Therefore, go out, have a look and see what little charms you can find in your neighborhood or along your Sunday promenade.
