August's End

The Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel is at the east end of the Tuileries, across from the Louvre.

The Beginning of Fall 1999

Paris:- Saturday, 28. August 1999:- This is the last issue of 'Scene' in this last August of the century. If you have been reading it all month, you will have realized that there's more going on in Paris than looking for open laundries.

Before I moved from the village into the city, most of the following items were abstract because there was no way I could get to see or participate in them. Now, if I'm stuck for a feature idea, all I have to do is read this column in addition to writing it. Who knows? Maybe next year I'll even be able to attend the:

Visa Pour l'Image - is not in Paris but in Perpignan. I was alerted to this annual photojournalism festival by one of Metropole's readers. Last year's edition brought together 3300 photographers and 175 agencies, from about 40 countries. Jean-Francois Leroy's wish is that the work of younger photojournalists will find itself in newspapers and magazines, in addition to being shown at this festival. On now, until Sunday, 12. September, in Perpignan.

Le Jardin Planétaire - will be a huge exhibition about plants and people, about earth, vegetation, animals and climate; about what we know and about what we should do to keep the world fit for habitation as we pass into the third millennium. This veggie workshop takes up 8500 square metres of the Grand Halle at La Villette, starting from Wednesday, 15. September and continuing until 23. January 2000. From 10:00 to 18:00 Tuesdays to Fridays; from 11:00 to 19:00 on weekends. Grand Halle, La Villette, 211. Avenue Jean-Jaurés, Paris 19. Advance reservation tickets available at fnac, Bon Marché and Carrefour. Métro: Porte de Pantin.

The Cinémathèque Française - is France's movie museum and it has a constant program of rare film projections. The museum operates in two locations: at the Palais de Chaillot, garden entry; and at its location on the Grands Boulevards at 42. Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle, Paris 10. Métros: Trocadéro for Chaillot and Bonne Nouvelle for Grands Boulevards. Auto-Info Tel.: 01 56 26 01 01.

Festival Alternative Lyrique - is the first biannual rendez-vous of European Lyrical groups such as the Berliner Kammeroper, the Welsh Music Theatre and France's Opéra Eclate. The festival will take place from Friday, 10. September and continue until Saturday, 18. September. Mostly programmed for La Villette, but there will be other venues as well. Info. Tel.: 01 42 58 07 29.

Apple Expo '99 - this is a consumer show for the ten percent minority of computer users who have either been seduced by the Macintosh's ease of use or the iMac's new cherry colors. Once proclaimed a dead duck, Apple soldiers on with its Expo, which is for five days this year, from Wednesday, 15. September until Sunday, 19. September. At Paris-Expo, Porte de Versailles; in the Hall 7.3. From 10:00 to 19:00 daily. Métro: Porte de Versailles.

Techno Parade - I was about to mix this up with the recent 'Love Parade' but of course this is different - this is Techno, and is the 2nd year for Paris. Last year's parade drew 200,000 - and this year's program calls for dozens of floats to fill up Paris, starting from the Place de la République at 14:00, passing by Bastille, and heading east to maybe arrive at the Pelouse de Reuilly about 18:00. Once out in the green of nature, there will be a 90,000 square metre 'dancefloor,' 300 DJs, 40 sound systems and four Techno music sub-divisions. This starts off the night before - Friday, 17. September with other Techno events - and the parade is on Saturday, 18. September, with 'afters' running into Sunday. If you can't help it, don't miss it.

Montfermeil Au Fil du Temps - is a historical show put on at night by 800 of the inhabitants of Montfermeil, which is just east of Montreuil. The residents put on their show in July, took off for August and are back again on Friday and Saturday, 17. and 18. September. Info. Tel.: 01 41 70 70 48.

Lyon - Mode City - You might think that taking a look at next year's beach fashions right now is a bit redundant, but since frilly underwear is thrown in, why not? The PR folks at Jockey in Germany sent me an invitation to this lingerie and swimwear expo. Minimal clothes show of fabrics, lingerie and swimwear for 2000 in Lyon, at Eurexpo-Lyon, from Saturday, 4. September to Monday, 6. September. Daily from 9:00 to 19:00. Info. Tel.: 01 47 56 32 32.

Billie Holiday's Last Blues - is a show devoted to Billie Holiday, her work and her life. Written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Georges Werler. The show starts on Tuesday and runs until 15. October, from Tuesdays to Saturdays, at 20:30. At the Kiron Espace, 10. Rue La Vacquerie, Paris 11. Métro: Voltaire. Info. Tel.: 01 44 64 11 50.

1st Festival des Arènes de Montmartre - five theatre companies present five different productions in the second half of this outdoor festival at the Arènes de Montmartre, at the top of the Rue Chappe, near the Funiculaire. Métro: Abbesses. Phone for times and titles: 01 48 40 62 49.

2nd 'Soirs au Village' - is a variety festival, which started on Wednesday, 25. August and it is a bit out of town. In addition to music there will be cinema, dancing, craft workshops and a harvest fëte. Featured star is Manu Dibango with an evening called 'Salut Manu' on Saturday.

Some other events continue on Sunday, and patchwork lasts until Sunday, 5. September. the 'harvest' is on Sunday. The 'village' concerned is Saint-Calais, which has a postal code of 72120, located somewhere between the autoroute A11, Tours, Orléans, and Le Mans. Best to call the Info. Tel.: 02 43 35 10 97. The municipal campsite has special rates for this date.

Tours of the Jewish Marais - are organized by the Musée d'Art et d'Historie du Judaïsme. The visits include the Synagogue in the Rue des Tournelles, the Rue des Rosiers and the museum itself. The guided visits are free. The first, at 21 bis. Rue des Tournelles is from 10:00 to 12:00. For the Rue des Rosiers, tours are on the hour, from 10:00 to 17:00 and this is the same for the museum. Musée d'Art et d'Historie du Judaïsme, Hôtel de Saint-Aigan, 71. Rue du Temple, Paris 3. Métro: Rambuteau. Info. Tel.: 01 53 01 86 53, or write to info@mahj.org for full details.

Summer ends on Wednesday, 1. September and the fall season begins. Paris 2000 also begins. This is nothing more or less than Paris' 16 month 'Fête de Millennium,' slated to end on or about 1. January 2001. September's fall 'season only lasts one month. See the preliminary details for both below:

Paris In September - I have the impression that Paris' fall season used to get underway around the middle of the month - but now the beginning of September is full of events too.

'Les Fêtes de la Seine' - start on Thursday, 2. September and continue until Sunday. Last year I think this was only on one Sunday, but Paris is upgrading its river to be a water-sport-and-leisure attraction, so this year the festivities will last for four days - also a Paris 2000 event this year.

Les Marchés Flottants - 'of the South-West' completes the name for what appears to be a floating - in the Seine - market featuring traditional products of the departments of the Gers, Lot and Garonne and Tarn and Garonne. Same dates as the Fêtes de la Seine. Find this unusual market at the Quai Montebello, right across from Notre Dame. From 10:00 to 23:00.

Starting as a one-day event, a 'Fête des Jardins' is scheduled, I think for the first time, for Sunday, 12. September. Keep watching this space for details. There will be something happening at every park in every arrondissement.

Paris Sheep Day - Feel like you've been clipped? Then see how French sheep like it on Sunday, 5. September, at the Ferme de Paris. This is just to the west of the Vincennes racetrack, in the Bois de Vincennes, by the Route de Pesage. Paris 12. Métro: Château de Vincennes or Charenton-Ecoles.

Une Capitale Poëtique, 1850 - 1914 - is mainly a photographic exhibition. The works of Charles Marville fill in the second half of the 19th century and Eugène Atget's works begin this century about to end.

The photos are organized thematically around the poets Nerval, Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Appollinaire. This starts at the Bibliothèque Historique de Paris on Friday, 10. September and runs to Thursday, 7. October. Then it runs at the Bibliothèque Buffon until 10. November. Bibliothèque Historique de Paris, 22. Rue Mahler, Paris 4. Métro: Saint-Paul. Info. Tel.: 01 44 59 29 60.

Patchwork, Quilts and Textiles - 50 of the best contemporary French works have been chosen for this exhibition, which will later go on tour in Germany and the United States. See these modern needle-and-thread works, from Tuesday, 14. September until Saturday, 20. November. At the Bibliothèque Forney, 1. Rue de Figuier, Paris 4. Métro: Pont Marie. Info. Tel.: 01 42 78 14 60.

Messages from the Other-World - part of this show is from Lausanne's collection 'Art Brut;' some of the 30 artists represented are William Blake, Marguerite Burnat-Provins, Minnie Evans, Madge Gill, Heinrich Nüsslein, Laure Pigeon and Victorien Sardou. From Monday, 13. September to 27. February, 2000. At the Halle Saint-Pierre, 2. Rue Ronsard, Paris 18. Métro: Anvers. Info. Tel.: 01 42 58 72 89.

Latin American Artists - are a main feature of the FIAC show, with 30 Latin American galleries represented, from Mexico to Patagonia. In all 182 galleries will be presenting the latest from the art world. For the duration of the FIAC, its entry tickets will be also honored at Paris' Modern Art Museum. From Tuesday, 15. September until Monday, 20. September. FIAC, at Paris-Expo, Porte de Versailles. Métro: Porte de Versailles. Info. Tel.: 01 41 90 47 80.

Festival Internationale de Danse - all I have are its dates; from Tuesday, 21. September until Saturday, 25. September. The location: Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

Sand - Musset: 'Les Enfants du Siècle' - this exhibition displays all the background involved with the making of the film 'Les Enfants du Siècle' by Diane Kurys. The story is about the legendary passion between George Sand and the young Alfred de Mussat. On show are the storyboard by Maxime Rabière, costumes for the film by Christian Lacroix, decor by Philippe Turlure and photographs by Marion Stalens. From Tuesday, 21. September until 9. January, 2000. Musée de la Vie Romantique, 16. Rue Chaptal, Paris 9. Métro: Blanche or Pigalle. Info. Tel.: 01 48 74 95 38.

Once every millennium about this time, people start making plans to visit Paris, to be here when the tired old '99 rolls over into the brandnew '00.

Many of the planned events are coupled to occasions that Paris has long celebrated, but many more are special events - which Paris is officially characterizing as the 'choix du cúur' and has named it 'Paris 2000.'

Paris is in France of course, so there is also a national program of events and celebrations - if this is the right word - too. If these events are in addition to what Paris has planned, they are added below.

The World Wheel - La Roue Monde - from the beginning of August you have been invited to send an email message to The World Wheel about your thoughts for the future. The artist, Jean-Luc Vilmouth, is collecting the messages and these will be placed on ferris wheels installed along the Champs-Elysées, along with 24 other works of art - for display on 31. December.

The Meridian Verte - imagined by the architect Paul Chemetov, the idea is for volunteers to plant trees along the old Paris 'Meridian,' from Dunkirk to Barcelona. Besides the trees, the best part of the idea is to have a picnic on the meridian on 14. July 2000.

The Balloon Goes Up - without even waiting for September, the tethered balloon at the Parc André Citroën took its first flight on Thursday, 1. July at 18:00, and now offers rides to the public when the winds permit. A brief overview:

• The giant sundial at the Place de la Concorde is in place, but it is so big that it can only be seen from the:
• 'The Big Wheel' - 60 metres high - which is to be erected at the beginning of the month.
• Les Fêtes de la Seine have been expanded from one day to three. From Thursday, 2. September until Sunday, 5. September. Water sports will be one of many features.
• Les Champs de la Sculpture open-air exhibition is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, 15.September; to continue until 14. November.
• Spaceship II Thousand - Le Vaisseau II Mille - is under construction by students from seven technological high schools in the Paris region. This nine-ton thingee will be complete at the year's end and be viewable at La Villette.

• Robert Hossein presents a huge spectacle entitled "The Man Who Said 'No'" - about Charles de Gaulle and his wartime followers. At the Palais des Congrès.
• The first exhibition of 'Fauvism' in 30 years begins at mid-month at Paris' Musée d'Art Moderne. Over 200 works by Matisse, Derain, Marquet, Manguin, Puy, Camoin, Vlaminck, Van Dongen, Braque, Friesz and Dufy.
• The theatre at Châtelet re-opens, with the opera 'Outis' created by Luciano Berio for La Scala, beginning in November. The 'Nutcracker Suite' - 'Caisse-Noisette' - follows in December.
• Les Enfants du Monde

• The 20th Anniversary of the annual 'Mois de la Photo,' calls for a more ambitious program than usual - one that continues to the 'Month of the Photo' in November, 2000.
• 4. November at Saint-Germain-des-Prés; the International World Tour of Sacred Songs, presents the first of eight concerts in historic Paris locations.
• Paris, known as the 'City of Light' due it its early adoption of electric lighting, turns on many, many more lights, everywhere.

• From 20. December to 5. January 2000, Paris does its traditional Christmas season - see past Christmas issues of Metropole - with the addition of a new children's village at Trocadéro, to be packed with new snow daily.
• 'Capitales' is a giant book 15 metres high, to be set up at Palais-Royal. On hand will be hundreds of authors and artists from all over the world. 31. December and 1. January.
• 'Countdown 2000' calls for gathering mankind at the base of the Tour Eiffel to help the countdown time display reach zero. An extra 20,000 flash-lights have been added to the tower; set to blitz each hour until 1. January 2001.
• 'Portes de l'An 2000' - 36,000 villages, towns and cities in France are set to have symbolic or real 'doors to the future,' around which the festivities of New Year's Eve are to be concentrated.

• New Year's Day - Saturday, 1. January 2000:- 'The Great Parade of Paris.' Enjoyed by Montmartre for the past six years, this edition will parade through all Paris - with all of the world's marching bands invited.

These are only the barest details of some of the events of the 'Paris 2000' and the national 'Mission 2000' programs. Watch this space for additional information. Although seemingly modest, the 'Paris Lights Up' alone will be worth seeing.

The plans for Bastille Day 2000 call for the re-enactment of the history of France and Paris, to be produced by Robert Hossein - but without the entire original cast. Following the show, there will be three 'grand balls,' at Concorde, Invalides and the Champ-de-Mars.

''Ciel une Eclipse' - the Hôtel de Ville's reception area has been turned into an eclipse exhibit. The title of the exhibit either means an 'eclipse in the sky or 'Heavens! An Eclipse.'