Paris Pumps Up the Volume

These people haven't read this column and they don't look as if they care. They had last week's weather though.

September's Event-Heavy 2nd Half

Paris:- Saturday, 11. September 1999:- Since last week Metropole has had two 'Scene' columns. This one continues to be for actual and coming events, and the '2000 In Paris' column features events - up to next summer - related to Paris' 'millennium party.'

I thought I had pretty much all of the major events already listed here, but Paris is always good for more. Before I get to the big one that almost escaped me, I want to draw your attention to Asnières' animal cemetery, which is celebrating - 'celebrating?' - its 100th anniversary this year.

More than 150,000 'loved ones' are residing in this eternal 'pension' - apparently including Rin Tin Tin and Sacha Guitry's cat, 'Désiré.' Except for Tuesdays, open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. The Paris suburb of Asnières is famous as the destination of misplaced phone calls, but I do not know where its animal cemetery is. Ask around for it.

Chardin's Still Lifes - are called 'Natures Mortes' in French, which sort of means 'dead nature' which is not what is meant at all. Jean Siméon Chardin didn't finish paintings until they were finished in his eyes - which he kept open for 80 years until his death in 1779.

In pre-photographic times, interior light was also inferior, so Chardin's production of 200 exquisitely detailed still lifes is something of a record. For this major exhibition, 95 of them are on display at the Grand Palais until Monday, 22. November. Except Tuesdays, daily from 10:00 to 20:00 and on Wednesdays until 22:00. Reservations are required for morning visits. At the Square Jean-Perrin, Paris 8. Métro: Clemenceau. Info. Tel.: 01 44 13 17 47.

Fête at La Villette's Basin - this open-air fête is an opportunity to see La Villette's outdoor water attractions, which are usually pretty boring without concerts, dancing, theatre music and sports events. The fête starts at 19:30 on Friday, 17. September and continues until Sunday. Saturday activities begin at 14:00 and continue until 23:00, and Sunday finishes off at 19:00. The Basin de la Villette starts at Place de Stalingrad and runs up to the Rue de Crimée, in Paris 19. Métro stops are: Jaurés, Stalingrad, Riquet and Laumiére. Info. Tel.: 01 45 23 21 64.

No Car Day - in case you skip this week's 'Au Bistro' column, Paris' no-car day is on Wednesday, 22. September this year; with an expanded no-car zone. Bring your rollers or rent a bike from the folks who run the métro and buses - the RATP.

France's Patrimony Days - are on Saturday, 18. September and Sunday, 19. September this year. This is the weekend when France's public and private treasures are opened for free entry for the public. Since some of these are private, this is the only time they are open.

L'Invitation à La Chine - on the occasion of Issy-les-Moulineaux' biannual, 35 young artists - of which nine are from Bejing - have been invited to expose their latest works. Some of the other artists have painted in China, while others have been influenced by that country's art. Photographs, sculpture, video and installations are also on show.

The Biennale d'Issy, at the Palais des Arts et des Congrès d'Issy-les-Moulineaux, 25. Avenue Victor Cresson. Métro: Issy. Open daily from 11:00 to 19:00, from Wednesday, 15. September until Monday, 27. September. Entry: free. Info. Tel.: 01 40 95 66 28. A special edition of the magazine Beaux-Arts has been published for the event

Les Trois Mousquetaires - based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, comes riding into the Théâtre du Rond-Point with a big supporting cast on Tuesday, 3. October and will stay there until 31. December. At 2 bis, Avenue Franklin-Roosevelt, Paris 8. Métro: Franklin-Roosevelt. Info. Tel.: 01 44 95 98 10.

Festival d'Ile de France - takes place for the tenth time in the area surrounding Paris which is not quite as big as Texas, but is big enough to be a complicated transport affair. Some of its events take place within Paris - so the best thing to do if you want details of the events - mainly musical - is to consult the Web site of the Ile-de-France, or phone 01 44 94 28 50. This festival has already started and continues until Sunday, 17. October.

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 today, 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.

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.

Mon Père Avait Raison - is a comedy by Sacha Guitry, directed by Jean-Claude Brialy, who gave it a plug on TV last week. Frankly, I have still have no idea what the story is about, but the title is interesting and the names are well-known. From Tuesday to Friday at 20:30, on Saturdays at 21:00 and Sundays at 17:00. At the Bouffes Parisiens, 4. Rue Monsigny, Paris 2. Métro: 4. September. Info. Tel.: 01 42 96 92 42 - and tickets at the usual agencies.

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. This festival continues until Saturday, 18. September. Mostly programmed for La Villette, but there will be other venues as well. Info. Tel.: 01 42 58 07 29.

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. Until Sunday, 19. September, but phone for times and titles: Info. Tel.: 01 48 40 62 49.

Les Champs de la Sculpture 2000 - this open-air sculpture show was mounted for the first time in 1996 and this year's new edition gets the '2000' label too. Of the 52 pieces to be on view, most have never been shown in France before. One reason for this is that about half of the works have been executed especially for this free exhibition.

Since you don't want a list of 50 names here, I will just say the artists represent five continents. In addition, only the works of living artists are on show -with works dating from 1960 to the '90's. On the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, from the Rond-Point to the Place de la Concorde, Paris 8. Métros: Franklin Roosevelt, Champs-Elysées Clemenceau and Concorde. Begins Wednesday, 15. September and continues until Sunday, 14. November.

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 on 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.

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. Starting Wednesday, 15. September, continuing until Monday, 20. September. FIAC, at Paris-Expo, Porte de Versailles. Métro: Porte de Versailles. Info. Tel.: 01 41 90 47 80.

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 and new iBook's cherry colors. Once proclaimed a dead duck, Apple sails on with its Expo, which is five days long 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.

Scène Est - is the new association name of the group of galleries in the rue Louise Weiss. Once again they together put on a joint exhibition of modern art works, starting on Wednesday, 15. September, which continues until Wednesday, 10. November. The area is close to the about-to-become 'East Paris' centre in the 13th arrondissement. Usual hours are from 11:00 to 19:00; except Mondays. Métro: Chevaleret. The illustration used here is by Rebecca Bournigault and the original is on view at the Galerie Almine Rech. Image: ©Rebecca Bournigault

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 help it, don't miss it.

Fragment d'Alex - is an extract from 'Ma Solange, Comment T'Ecrire Mon Déastre' by Noëlle Renaude - which may be a ballet but I don't think so. Put on by the Compagnie les Mots-Dits and directed by Philippe Calvano. At the Théâtre Le Ranlagh, 5. Rue des Vignes, Paris 16. Métro: La Muette. Until Sunday, 26. September; Tuesday to Saturday at 21:00 and at 17:00 on Sundays. Info. Tel.: 01 42 88 64 44.

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.

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 in our century, now about to end.

The photos are organized thematically around the poets Nerval, Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Appollinaire. At the Bibliothèque Historique de Paris until 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.

Animal - Antoine Bourdelle liked animals when he was a little kid, something he learned from his grandfather. Even then, he made little models of them. The grown-up Bourdelle did even more with animals and this is the subject of an upcoming exhibition at the Musée Bourdelle, 16. Rue Antoine Bourdelle, Paris 15. Métro: Montparnasse. Dates are from Friday, 24. September until 16. January 2000. Info. Tel.: 01 49 54 73 73.

India Ink - is behind an exhibition titled 'Le Parfum de l'Encre, Peintures Chinoises de la Collection Roy et Marilyn Papp.' I liked india ink, but I think what this exhibition of 53 works will show is Chinese artists from the Ming Period -1349-1644 - and the Qing Period - 1644-1911 - were absolute masters of it. Starting Friday, 24. September, this exhibition continues until Thursday, 30. December. To be at the Musée Cernuschi, 7. Avenue Vélaquez, Paris 8. Métro: Villiers or Monceau. Info. Tel.: 01 45 63 50 75.