What Happened to la Moutarde Bornibus?

Discovering the home of a mustard factory in Paris is amusing but not surprising. One hundred years ago the city was home to many similar institutions, with Parisians producing a variety of things that ranged from paper to cars. Today the smoke and odours have disappeared but several traces of this industrial past, such as this factory in Belleville, remain.

At first it is difficult to see that there was ever a factory here at all. The only surviving clue is the lettering and medals displayed on the street-facing walls, but a reasonable assumption would be to conclude that this was perhaps company offices. In fact it was rare that a factory was allowed to be simply a factory in Paris, particularly this close to the centre. Perhaps for reasons of prestige, the plant which created the Bornibus condiments was hidden behind a traditional Haussmannian neo-classical facade.

The Bornibus label is not familiar to me, but the medals proudly displayed to the street show that these were multi award winning products (Paris 1867, Vienne 1873!). So what happened to the Bornibus products and recipes, and what happened to the factory itself?

After a quick search on the internet, I'm surprised to find that Bornibus condiments are still produced and distributed. There is a large range of products available, including salt-free and Kosher varieties! It would seem that at some point in the past, the family sold up, and production moved out of Paris. The current producers acquired the right to use the name and any original recipes, as well as the rights to use the history of the company for advertising purposes - "Bornibus products : quality since 1865. Le "Gastronome de l'Ile de France". Mustards, condiments and vinegars – 22 products, one of which, the famous extra strong mustard, had the honour of being mentioned by Alexandre Dumas in his dictionary of cooking".

The original Bornibus mustard.

Bornibus mustard today.

Was the factory knocked down as part of the extensive redevelopment of the surrounding area? Passing through the passageway of the more contemporary neighbouring building, I'm pleased to see that the factory is still there, tucked away behind the sheltering facade. It is not possible to enter the Bornibus building for a closer look, so I need to look elsewhere to see what purpose it serves today. This website provides a clue; "c'est une grande artiste française qui a achetée cette ancienne usine pour y faire une bien jolie maison/loft" (a well known French artist bought the factory and converted it into a house/loft).

The outside of the factory today.

Only a little more research is required to discover the identity of this artist - and more importantly, to find pictures of the inside of the factory!

The renovated interior of the Bornibus factory.

The artist (a big word - let's say rather a popular singer who is somewhat 'zen') bought the factory around 10 years ago and has converted the large volumes (300-400m²) into a huge house with swimming pool. She has seemingly left few of the original features and is also apparently happy to live in an environment that looks a little like the offices of a company dealing in plastic plants.

The story is a classic one. Production is externalised, rights and patents are bought and sold and industrial architecture becomes the playground of the rich. What is different though is what has been left behind; the proud display of medals and the proclamation that here was a product that was "la sante sur votre table". It's enough to tickle the nose of passing bloggers...

Something for the Weekend? (5th – 7th February)

Paris seems to be marking the last days of hibernation before the beginnings of the Spring season with a strangely quiet weekend in the city. Nevertheless, here are a few suggestions to get you out of a warm bed.

If you have any events or activities you think should be promoted or which you would like to promote yourself, please add them in the comments. Let me know also if you have any events in the coming weekends you would like to promote.

150 Years of Orchids at the Jardin du Luxembourg
First of all, a recommendation given to me last week by Cergie, who is a true "mine de renseignements dans le monde du jardin"! The orchid collection of the French Senat will be very exceptionally (it's normally open for only one day a year) on display to the general public for 10 days to celebrate its 150th anniversary. It is one of the biggest collections in the world, with over 1300 varieties and is situated in the very pleasant Orangerie in the Jardin du Luxembourg.
5th - 14th February, 10am - 5pm
5 rue Guynemer 75006
Free entrance

Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Packaging
Artists have always worked with the world of commerce, but recently there seems to have been an increase in activity, particular in the fashion industry. There are several interesting examples this weekend in Paris:

Keith Haring/Tommy Hilfiger: Snob shop Colette (213 Rue Saint Honoré, 75001) will see the launch this weekend of a range of sports shoes and boots bearing the designs of deceased artist Keith Haring next to the Tommy Hilfiger logo.

Kehinde Wiley/Puma: The Espace de la Topographie d'Art (15 Rue Thorigny, 75003) will host a temporary shop selling four models of sneakers decorated with the designs of American artist Kehinde Wiley.

Pentawards: But what if packaging itself were an art form? A selection of 150 of the best designs in the world will be on display until the 28th March at the Designpack Gallery (24 Rue de Richelieu, 75001).

Music
For the most interesting events this weekend you have to head out of the city (but not too far).

Vitry sur Seine - Living Colour + Last Poets: Afro-rockers Living Colour team up with early rappers Last Poets to pay tribute to the Black Panther movement. (Theatre Jean Vilar, Vitry sur Seine).

Saint Ouen - Serge Teyssot-Gay + Eric Elmosnino: The guitarist of controversial French rock band Noir Désir and the actor who recently starred as Serge Gainsbourg will perform together for one night only. The film (Vie Heroique) about the life of Gainsbourg will be shown afterwards. (Espace 1789, Saint Ouen, 7pm, €5)

Brunch Bazar
Although this new event sounds fun, I'll admit that I've only included it here for one reason - because there are knitting workshops with the superbly named Wool and the Gang! Starting this Sunday, the monthly Brunch Bazar will serve up healthy food with dance lessons, a brocante, workshops for kids...and of course a knitting workshop! Wool is cool!
http://www.brunchbazar.com/index.html
Au Comptoir Général,
80 quai de Jemmapes, 75010
Free entry

The Rue Maitre Albert

Despite overlooking Notre Dame, the Rue Maitre Albert sees little footfall from the tourist herds who prefer to trek up and down the Rue Saint Jacques or the Boulevard Saint Michel. They are missing little of apparent physical interest, but in mythogeographical terms, this small street is a goldmine!

What significance is there in a name? The Maitre Albert had several! As a European wanderer who was initially born in Germany but who spent time in Italy and France, he picked up many sobriquets. Was he Albrecht Von Bollstadt? Albertus Magnus? Albert de Cologne or Albert le Grand? Or none of these? In fact, it seems that his real name was Albertus de Groot, literally Albert the Great, an accident of birth which earned him the translations of ‘le Grand’ and ‘Magnus’ which contemporaries believed actually related to his achievements in the worlds of science and theology.

What is not in doubt however is the fact that he was a great man. Born sometime around the beginning of the 13th century, he moved to France to become a teacher at the University of Paris. He introduced Greek and Arabic teachings to the school, particularly the works of Aristotle, and produced many tomes on animals, plants and minerals. He later became a Bishop back in Germany and was declared a Saint in 1931 (the Patron Saint of Natural Scientists).

The crooked street which today bears his name, and where it is believed he lived, has been a thoroughfare in Paris for many hundreds of years. When he lived here it would have been an unnamed path, a collection of houses that lead up from the river to the Place Maubert where he gave his lessons to students seated on bales of straw. No traces of his house remain today, and all that has been left behind here are the myths.

Just as his identity is multifarious, so is Albert's reputation. Others have appropriated his story, leaving it almost impossible today for us to decide what is true and what is invented. It is perhaps this aspect that so interested the surrealists who made Albert le Grand into one of their heroes. The story that particularly fascinated them was the legend that Albert created a metallic automaton or android who could speak and reply to questions. The French artist Georges Hugnet created a decalcomania portrait of the robot, which legend has it was destroyed by Albert’s student, Thomas Aquinas.

What else is left behind in this street once known as Rue Perdue (or the Lost Street)? Albert le Grand is sometimes referred to as a magician or alchemist, mainly due to his interest in the sciences which went beyond the normal theologically accepted limits at the time. Much of this reputation comes from a book that was very popular in the 19th century called ‘Le Grand Albert’ which dealt with magic and the occult and which was believed to have originated from the writings of Albert le Grand. It was not his work, but he did write about alchemy “the alchemist will be discreet and silent. He will never reveal the result of his experiments. He will live far from men in a house where there are two or three rooms to be exclusively used for his research" (Albert le Grand, Alkimia)

Did he have such a place here? On the corner of the street is a restaurant called ‘L’Atelier de Maitre Albert’. Inside this restaurant there is a large fire place, thick stone walls and an atmosphere from centuries past, but no mention of alchemy, magic or the occult. In fact there is no mention of Albert le Grand at all. Instead this is a temple to the glory of the well-known chef Guy Savoy, and this is his atelier.

At the other end of the street is the Place Maubert. Some say that Maubert is a contraction of Maitre Albert, but again this remains speculation. What is known however is that it was the site of executions of many printers in the 16th century, as is helpfully shown in the map below from the same period (position of the Rue Maitre Albert in red).

So if you find yourself in this part of Paris, make sure you take a detour down this street. At one end, the rotisserie restaurant and at the other the site where they hanged printers and burned their books. In the middle, an enigma, a scholar, an experimenter and a man who was constantly looking to transform raw information into golden facts.

Mythogeography: an interview with Phil Smith

Following in the footsteps of the psychogeographers, then drifting in a completely different direction, the writer and performer Phil Smith explains in a new book the art of walking sideways, or how you can make a stroll into something far more subversive and entertaining. Here he tells me more about the book and the concept behind it.

‘Mythogeography: The art of walking sideways’ is a very curious document. Like an unknown city, at first it seems dense and impenetrable, but slowly patterns begin to emerge. Symbols like street signs help readers find their way, but visitors to this world are also encouraged to make their own routes. Unusually, the author is not named, and instead there is a series of more or less reliable narrators and guides. This is a “provocation” says Phil Smith, to encourage “others to adopt the book as a handbook rather than consume it as an autobiographical travel piece”.

Broadly speaking the book is divided into two halves. The first half describes a walk taken by Smith over a two-week period in 2007, recreating a similar journey undertaken by an engineer named Charles Hurst a hundred years previously. Hurst had walked across the North of England planting acorns, and Smith set out to find the Oak trees that he imagines must have grown from these seeds. Along the way, Smith reflects on landscape, property and people’s attitudes to their surroundings. The voyage became a classic mythogeographical experience, which Smith has subsequently reproduced as a stage play.

The second half of the book is closer in form to a handbook, describing the discipline of mythogeography, offering a manifesto and giving intruiging and often amusing suggestions of activities that you can undertake on foot. But just what is mythogeography?

“Mythogeography emphasises the multiple nature of places and ways of celebrating, expressing and weaving them” explains Smith. It emerged from his work with a group of artists known as Wrights and Sites "as a term to describe their approach and tactics to sites where multiple meaning had been forced into a single and restricted one, for example, heritage, touristic or leisure sites".

The tactic of the mythogeographer is walking and journeying. "By the particular focuses and the angles of trajectory we choose, we make an interpretation of our world, and from our impressions we begin to re-make its meanings" explains Smith. Ideas suggested in the book for achieving this include trying to talk your way into the tops and bottoms of a building, or choosing a book at random in a shop, picking a page and a word, then wandering until you find that word. The reason for doing this is to experience the familiar in multiple manners, and to learn not to look at things in the way that those with the power of exposure want you to.

In many ways it seems like classic Debordian psychogeography, particularly in the section on drifting, but to Smith there are important differences. For Guy Debord, explains Smith, "psychogeography was a study of how places effect the psychological states of those who pass through them. With a reciprocal meaning: that the places might be changed in order to change the experiences and mental states of the residents and visitors". The original idea of the drift was to find ways to transform cities into utopias, with a focus on play rather than work, but Mythogeography does not have the same overtly political focus. The last line of Smith's book is perhaps particularly revealing. "What (mythogeography) longs to be is not a political organisation, but a mental architecture".

The book is a fascinating read, particularly for someone who already tries to write about the invisible, but how could I use it in Paris? Smith proclaims not to know the city very well, but does describe a drift that he undertook here, which began at the Palais des Glaces theatre. When I tell him that it is situated in the street where I live, he is delighted. "That is fabulous" he says. Another reminder perhaps that everything is connected in some small way.

It could certainly be a point to begin from. "Start in the familiar and straightway head off into the unknown" says the manual on Smith's Mythogeography website. "Keep out of shops, museums, art galleries. Go to places you wouldn’t normally visit – courtrooms, waste tips, fairgrounds, industrial estates, morgues, stadia car parks, ornamental gardens, bad zoos. Slip down alleys, chase any intriguing detail, follow instincts not maps".

Anyone care to join me?

Notes:

• 'Mythogeography: A Guide to Walking Sideways' is published by Triarchy Press in the UK.
• For more information on Phil Smith and Mythogeography, see http://www.mythogeography.com/ and http://www.mis-guide.com/
• See Phil Smith in action here: http://www.rhizomes.net/issue13/smith/index.html

Click here for the full transcript of my chat with Phil Smith.

Something for the Weekend? (29th – 31st January)

Already the last days of January. Traditionally the last chance to eat some Galette (thank God...) and wish others a bonne année, but also a time to get outside and start exploring again!

If you have any events or activities you think should be promoted or which you would like to promote yourself, please add them in the comments. Let me know also if you have any events in the coming weekends you would like to promote.

The Prix d’Amerique Trotting Race
If you have never been to a trotting event, this weekend is the perfect occasion. Trotting (harness racing) is a kind of horse-race in which the jockeys are not on the horses, but rather placed in a very uncomfortable looking chariot behind. The pace is slower than a standard horse-race as the speed can never get beyond a trot, with the horse and jockey being eliminated if they quicken the steps. The spectacle though is as much in the crowd as on the track for this event which is expected to attract 40,000 spectators including many celebrities. There is even a special limited edition Zadig et Voltaire t-shirt!
Sunday January 31st
Hippodrome de Vincennes.
2 route de la Ferme 75012 Paris
5 € for adults, free for those under 18
Closest Station : Joinville Le Pont (RER A) where a free bus service will take you to the racetrack

Become the Air Guitar Champion of Paris!
Have you ever found yourself guiltily plucking thin air whilst listening to the intro to Smoke on the Water? If this is the case, perhaps you should think about adding yourself to the list of competitors for this Sunday’s Air Guitar champion of Paris event! Even if you are not tempted into getting up on stage, it should still be an entertaining evening in a nice venue, and you may even be able to help select the champ!
Sunday January 31st, 6pm
La Fleche d’Or
102 bis Rue de Bagnolet, 75020 M° Alexandre Dumas
8 € which includes one drink

Mo’Fo 10 Music Festival
This 3-day event features 19 live groups as well as the Mo’Forum, an installation of independent artistic creation. Most of the groups are French, but the two standout acts are Aidan Moffat (ex Arab Strap) on Friday night, and above all, the cult band Television Personalities on Sunday night.
29th – 31st January
Mains d’Oeuvres
1, rue Charles Garnier 93 400 Saint-Ouen, M° Porte de Clignancourt or Garibaldi

A Contemporary Art Fair in an Interesting Venue
Contemporary art fairs are frequent events in Paris and generally something to be viewed with suspicion. I know little of the art that will be featured at this sale beyond the fact that it will focus on graffiti and street art, but it should be worth visiting for the architecture of the venue alone. The Halle Fressinet was built in 1927 and served for 80 years as a freight storage facility on the Paris – Orléans railway line, before being reinvented recently as an exhibition venue.
28th - 31st January, 11am to 7pm
Halle Fressinet
55 Boulevard Auriol, 75013, M° Chevaleret or Quai de la Gare
6€