Hidden treasures of our city. By Thiéfaine MERCIER & Hugo GUINARD

We took these photos on Tuesday 17^th February in the middle of the afternoon in Clermont-Ferrand. It was a bit windy and it was a bit cold. It started to rain.

The camera angle accentuates the enormous size of the 13^th century cathedral which dominates the town centre. It is at the top of the Rue Des Gras, facing the Puy De Dome.

The second photo, taken in a narrow little street not far from Notre Dame Du Port, is of a red decoration on a wall with flowers. It has a particular form like the end of an arrow, pointing at something. It’s quite beautiful, but it’s hidden.

Clermont-Ferrand is full of contrasts, for example our enormous and dark and old cathedral contrasts with the colorful pretty little decorations we found on the pink wall.

Our city has big monuments, like every city, but Clermont has hidden treasures too.

The writing on the wall. By Emilie DURAND and Loic JANE

The top picture was taken on February the 18^th near the Massillon nursery school in Clermont-Ferrand. We were alone in front of this garage. There wasn't any noise except perhaps traffic. It was a very cold day. We felt a bit sad.

The second photo was taken in La Roche Blanche on 20^th February. We took the picture at the foot of the bridge at the entrance to the highway. To take this photo, it was a bit difficult because of the traffic. We felt the joy of the place. This bridge is a welcoming entrance to the town. It was cold, but it did not bother us so much.

The message of the black graffiti is clear: 'AMOUR en capitale'. The word 'AMOUR' is written in capital letters. Underneath is someone’s tag: ‘L'arsenik’. The owner of the garage is probably not pleased to have this written on his property. It’s not good to vandalize private property and it makes our city ugly to put graffiti everywhere.

The second photo is of a mural. This wall painting was commissioned by the local authority. ‘La Roche Blanche’ is written big and in white. Next to the inscription there is a woman wearing white clothes. The color white symbolizes purity and goodness and it reassures us. The figure is like an angel. In the background we can see white houses but there’s also warm colors which brings out the whiteness of the houses. There are also trees. This beautiful mural helps us escape from reality for a minute, and it also makes you want to visit the town.

Both photos show that people (artists) need to express themselves, using the city walls to do so. Some do so very well, and legally.

The city is in the eye of the beholder. By Timothée BERTHAUD & Maxime MARTIN SAINT LEON

Look inside, you see darkness

This photo of the wooden entrance at n°54 Paul Collomp Street (next to Blaise Pascal Lycée in Clermont-Ferrand) was taken on Wednesday 4^th February 2015. The door is dilapidated. There’s a hole in the centre in the shape of an eye with an inscription below it. There is a letterbox hole with the owners’ name above the “eye”. Next to the letterbox hole is ‘54’ in large white numbers on a black square. The door opens with an old metal handle which looks as if no one has used it in a long time. There’s a feeling of sadness and absence here, like the rest of this part of town. The area was cold, scary and strange to us, despite the mild and not unpleasant weather. Clermont can be dark and decrepit. The eye of the door invites us to look inside… What we see is the darkness of the city.

Look outside, you see beauty

This photo was also taken on the 4^th February, in Place de Jaude in front of the Opera House of Clermont-Ferrand. We see the building all lit up by night. It is an impressive building on three floors with lots of windows and openings. The ground floor has shops. Fourteen columns are carved on the façade. In front of the Opera House, three fountains are also lit up and add to the beauty of the square. The sound of fountains mingles with the noise of the busy city centre. This noisy environment contrasts symbolically with the Opera House, which is a music venue. The atmosphere in this picture is at the same time both calm and turbulent, plunging us into the urban world. This building is one of the most beautiful, historic and emblematic of our city. It gives a positive image of the city to the tourists and is a source of civic pride for us. 

The two photos express a contrasted vision of Clermont-Ferrand. Clermont still does not have a positive image to many outsiders. The first picture shows this negative view, that of a dark city. Nevertheless, Clermont has a lot to offer, like beautiful squares, a rich heritage and diverse culture. The second photo shows this. You just have to look around more and discover all our city has to offer!

Past perfect continuous and present imperfect. By Pauline DE AZEVEDO & Sarah ROUBERTOU

I took these photos on the 22^nd of February, in Montferrand. It was about 4 pm.

In the first photo, in the foreground, we can see old ramparts which are the medieval city walls of Montferrand. They are a vestige of the past and they are in a very good condition because they were restored a few years ago. To allow people to go for a quiet walk next to the wall, and to make the place nice, lawns have been planted. Then, in the middle distance there are some trees without leaves. There are some buildings in the background, flats and houses.

The weather was pretty good. The sky was blue with a few clouds. It smelt of Spring freshness. There was a little gust of wind. Personally, I think these ramparts are comforting, elegant. They make you feel protected. In the past, these walls served to protect the city of course. These ramparts are made with simple stone, but the presence of this stone gives to the ramparts a real charm.

The ramparts were built in the first half of the 13^th century. These walls were repaired, rebuilt, and modified through the centuries, depending on the weapons of the time. In 1631, the walls of Montferrand were still carefully maintained. They were abandoned from 1770.

If you turn around, you see the landscape of the second photo. It's important to know that I took these photos at the same place, I just had to turn my back to the walls.

In the second photo, you can see a Michelin factory. In the foreground, there are plants, which is an important thing in the first photo because it shows that the city officials take care of the old important monuments. But, we can see that the old factory has not been modernized at all and you really feel bad in front of this building. This feeling contrasts with the emotion of protection you will feel in front of the ramparts.

I think it’s sad to see a factory which could be useful again, a relatively recent building being totally abandoned like that.

Cataroux was built during the first half of the 20^th century, the factory was bombed and partially destroyed by British airplanes. In the 70s, 22,000 people worked in this factory.

The walls are very old but they're in better condition than the recent factories which are very dirty and damaged. The past is better preserved than the present! We should take care of today’s buildings because they will become our heritage !

Japanese cities, both fast and slow. By Diane PAGANO & Jeanne PALLANDRE

I have chosen a photo of Tokyo, the capital city, and a photo of the Shimogamo-Jinja Temple in Kyoto, in order to show the huge contrasts to be found between Japanese cities.

I took the photo of Tokyo one year ago during my summer vacation. It was an extremely hot and humid summer day (39℃). The street was quite crowded like every summer and so it was pretty noisy; I could hear people talking, traffic, and music coming from the shops, also footsteps and so on. It was an amazing sunny day and, as the weather was rather wet, there were strong smells of food which came from the restaurants (especially the grills).

On this picture we can see a store aisle with colourful signs written in Japanese. There is no space between buildings, they are piled up high.

This photo was taken from a low angle in order to show how huge the high-rise buildings really are. Most of the buildings have restaurants (typical Japanese restaurants, foreign restaurants and also fast-food joints). There are places for leisure activities such as karaoke. In the foreground, we can see the ground level on which many people walk and we can easily imagine the sound of footsteps. In the background, there are some skyscrapers reaching for the clouds. And, like every summer, there is a big blue sky above this lively capital city.

This street was one of my favourite in Tokyo. It’s situated in the Shibuya District (one of the most well-known for young people). In the right-hand corner, at the top and in the background, panels announce a famous summer event called TANABAT (it means: “Evening of the seventh”) which celebrates the meeting of the divinities Orihime (represented by the star Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The legend says that the Milky Way separated them and only once a year, on the seventh day of July, they are allowed to meet again. And so Japanese people celebrate this festival by wearing a Yukata and eating traditional foods (unfortunately we can’t see any people wearing a Yukata in the picture).

This photograph illustrates well the modern urban environment. Shibuya has always been a very busy area with lots of shops. Most Tokyoites know about this district and appreciate it very much.

The picture of the temple was also taken last summer. Kyoto is one of the hottest regions in summer. Contrary to what we could imagine, it was pretty noisy because of the song of the cicadas. I could smell the ashes of the temple and also the perfume of vegetation. I remember the temple was being restored and the paint was still fresh when we arrived. The Shimogamo-Jinja is one of the most famous temples, full of history.

We can see a large and beautiful temple which is situated in Kyoto, a big Japanese town. There is a lot of vegetation behind the temple. It looks traditional and looks like many temples in Japan. It is coloured red and white and simply decorated. It looks empty and quiet and is attractive and really worth seeing. This monument shows us the well-known image of the city; it is the historical and cultural capital of Japan. We were able to stay a long time visiting the temple. There were tables and chairs to rest. We were able to breathe the air without the city’s pollution (Kyoto is a big city with high buildings and many cars).

One photograph represents the way Japan is today whereas the other one shows the ancient side of the country. These two pictures are very different. They show the two sides of Japanese cities. On the one hand we see the urban side of the city with the buildings and a large crowd, always walking through the streets, but on the other hand the old side is presented. There is a huge contrast between them. If we watch these pictures, we are able to imagine the scenes. For example, we can hear a busy city with plenty of noise or listen to the nature’s silence and serenity of the temple. When we are talking about Kyoto, we necessarily think that it is a very big town, rather like Tokyo. But the photograph with the temple shows us the opposite. Thanks to these two pictures, we gain an insight into Japanese towns even we haven't been to Japan. Visiting these places can provide sensations, feelings and emotions, even if they are very different!

These photos evoke two contrasting aspects of Japan: the calm spirituality and the frenetic materialism.

The art of the city. By Astrid MESSY & Elisabeth MICHELIN

These pictures were taken on the 16th of February. Both show urban art...

People walked or ran along Boulevard François Mitterrand. We were at the end of a cold afternoon. It was cloudy. There was a smell of pizza coming from the pizza truck near to where we were. We could also smell the car exhaust fumes. In front of us, there were grey buildings. We thought that it wasn't an attractive place. The trashcan has a face drawn on it. There are two big white eyes above the opening, which is the mouth. The dripping red paint is the tongue. On the right side of the bin, there is a cartoon bubble with: "Mais c'est dégeulasse!!!" written on it (meaning: "Hey, that's really gross!"). 

When we arrived Place de Jaude, we joined the crowd. It was still cloudy. This place is the main meeting point in the city. It's certainly its most attractive square. We could smell food and car fumes. Some people were shouting and laughing. The famous statue of Vercingetorix, chief of the Arverne tribe, on his galloping horse dominates the square. The statue rests on an impressive stone base. Vercingétorix is looking behind him, at his troops, and holding his sword up in a conquering manner. He is wearing a Gallic helmet and a typical clothes (as imagined in the 19th century). At his feet, there is a dead Roman soldier.

The bin is not a very beautiful thing, it is greyish-green and dirty, but the drawing of the face gives character; it is “illegal” urban art that is fun and anarchic. The bellicose Vercingétorix statue in Place de Jaude is a huge equestrian work; it is “official” art about resistance and courage. The bin is made of ephemeral plastic while the statue is made of long-lasting bronze. The "decorated" bin is recent and will disappear soon, whereas the statue was erected a long time ago and was made to last.

In an urban space, there are well-known and lesser-known monuments, buildings, museums, places, streets, parks, etc. In a city, there are always "legal" (official) and "illegal" things (i.e. not approved by the local authorities), old and new things, long-lasting and ephemeral things, small and big buildings, things full of history or with no real history. What we choose to keep and restore, enhance or even show off (like the statue of Vercingétorix), tells us what is important to the majority of citizens here and now. Sometimes, citizens "hijack" elements of their urban environment to make them "their own" (like the trashcan), or to mock authority, or to "make a statement", or even to show their anger about something by destroying them...

A city is made up of lots of different, contrasting, elements which make the urban environment an ever-changing and exciting place!

Clermont-Ferrand, rich and poor. By Chloé CORREIA, Capucine MESSY & Caroline SALABERT

We took these photos last Tuesday afternoon in Clermont-Ferrand. The first one is of the Place de Jaude and the other one of a very small alley next to the Cathedral.

In the Place de Jaude, there were a lot of people shopping or going for a walk. It is a very attractive square; it includes most of the shops in the city and also an enormous amount of restaurants. We felt a positive atmosphere, people were pleased about spending time with their next of kin, enjoying the stores and this sunny day to go out. In the alley, there was a completely different atmosphere: it was empty, mostly because it is “dirty”. When we walked in this alley, we felt unsafe, maybe because it is a dark place. The wind was more present than in the Place de Jaude.

These photos show two very different places: one represents luxury, the city “showing off” its beautiful center, and, in contrast, the other one shows the “bad” aspect of the city because it’s poorly maintained (note the graffiti on the old door).

The first photograph is of the Galleries Lafayette building. It is made of white stone; there are a lot of windows, white-framed. The tiling is grey and there are a lot of ornaments. This construction is well kept. It is a luxury store, a prestigious building.

The second picture shows an old wooden door. It doesn't fit very well in the doorway. The drawings on the door are suns, hearts, people, but also scribbles in different colors. This door might be very old because the wood is faded and the lock is rusty. The stone is black.

The contrast is obvious. One picture shows the richest part of Clermont-Ferrand and the other reminds us that it is not like that everywhere in the city. There is economic contrast in our city, which is all too easy to forget. We want to say that it is crazy that people cannot live decently when the city spends million to give a positive image of Clermont for the tourists but nothing for those who live in it! We think the color of the stone symbolizes the differences because, in the first photo, the walls are white, whereas, in the second, they are black. The colors highlight the contrast between rich and poor. Like other cities, Clermont-Ferrand mostly takes care of its most beautiful buildings. A single city includes several social classes.

To our mind, the first photograph gives positive feelings about the city because it depicts an historic place, it is an old building with a story. The buildings is located in the city centre, it is very busy, full of visitors; it gives a positive image of the city. When we saw the Galleries Lafayette, we felt Clermont-Ferrand to be an historic and rather prosperous city. On the other hand, the second photograph gives negative feelings because of the poverty that it shows; the city and some of its inhabitants don't care about their buildings.

These photos “say” that, in the same city, there are two very different atmospheres, two different ways of life. One picture represents luxury, an easy life, and the other represents a more humble way of life.

Top of the world! By Claire BARBARIN

I took the first picture in Saint-Etienne, on February 17^th. It was around 5pm. I had come back from skiing. I was at the bottom of a building next to the one where my grandmother lives. Around me there were other buildings, plus cars and trees. I could hear my little brother and my parents talking, and a car was coming so I had to take this picture in a hurry. The temperature was not so cold; it was a very nice day.

I took the second picture a bit later, just before having dinner. The night had already fallen. So I could see the light of the streetlights. My mother was talking to me and I could hear the cars on the motorway. In fact this sound was muffled because the motorway is quite far. There was a little breeze and I felt uncomfortable on the balcony.

The first picture shows a building in the sunlight. Trees hide most of the building and at the bottom we can see the shadow of the trees. On the bottom left-hand corner there are garages. The sky is blue, without clouds (here we are above the layer of smog). We can see all the floors of the building. It’s a low-angle shot.

The second picture shows the view we have from the 15^th floor balcony. It’s already night but in the background we can see a line of lights. On the left there is a building and on the right there is a glass panel which separates us from our neighbour. All the street lights are switched on so we can recognize the city.

In a city (here it’s Saint-Etienne), depending on where you are, you can feel very powerful if you are in a skyscraper or a high building, because you have a view on everything in the city. However, at the bottom of a tall building like this, you feel like an ant. Incidentally, in Saint-Etienne, there are a lot of parks and trees and it is not very far from the mountains, so it’s very easy to escape the pollution for a while.

The scenery changes continuously because the light changes throughout the day. When the sun goes down and the night appears, it’s quite pretty because it’s dark but the city is illuminated.

With these two pictures I wanted to show that the city is full of contrasts, that sometimes you can feel small, at other times tall, and that there is darkness but also light and hope...

Clermont-Ferrand, an industrial town in the countryside. By Guillaume HUTIN & Colin JUILLARD

We took these two photographs in Clermont-Ferrand on the 19th February 2015.

The first one was taken in the early afternoon at the top of the “Rue des Gras” near the Gothic cathedral. The weather was sunny and mild. It was during the winter holidays so there were many people in the streets. We can see the beautiful landscape of the Puy de Dôme.

The scene takes place in the city’s pedestrian area and the temperature was around 10°C. 

At the moment the picture was taken, we could hear the noise of people walking and speaking, children laughing and playing, the music of some shops and restaurants but also the background noise of the traffic.

It was half past four and the smell of good snacks like pancakes or waffles made the children happy.

We took the second photograph at 6 o'clock in the evening in “Avenue Edouard Michelin”, near the headquarters of the Michelin Company, during the rush hour so the noise of the cars was permanent and the smell of pollution was almost unpleasant.

The sky was clear and announced a beautiful night. Public lighting and several car headlights illuminated this panel. It is surrounded by the dark blue sky, which highlights the panel even more.

The yellow and blue reminded us of the ASM rugby team logo.

On the top photo, in the foreground, there are a lot of houses and shops, which make up the town centre. Nature takes up most of the background. We have an amazing point of view of the “Puy de Dôme” from here.

The bottom photo shows the panel from below. The street panel is right in the middle of the picture and takes up almost all of it.

The “Puy-de-Dôme” mountain is a well-known element and symbol of Clermont-Ferrand. It’s the highest volcano (1464 meters high) among the “Chaîne des Puys”, and it looms over the city. The “Rue des Gras” is famous because it is a straight street aligned with both the cathedral and the “Puy de Dôme” and it acts like a link between the town and the countryside.

Edouard Michelin was a founding member of the Michelin enterprise with his brother André Michelin. It has become a worldwide company, which brings Clermont its international renown. Indeed, Clermont mainly grew thanks to Michelin’s industrial activity.

When we took these two photographs, our aim was to show you that Clermont managed to develop an industrial multinational corporation while keeping in mind the protection of its environment.

Secondly, we put the first picture in black and white and the second one in colour to emphasize this idea, and create a visual contrast. The black and white photograph is of a wide view, whereas the other is focused on a specific object.

The view of the volcanoes taken from the city proves that the countryside is an important part of the town because it’s only a few kilometres from the town centre (a 20mn drive), which is a real luxury and creates a beautiful backdrop to Clermont.

The panel reminds us that the Michelin firm is a main element of the development of Clermont.

Clermont-Ferrand is an example of a city which has managed to combine industrial development and unspoilt nature.

The dark past and the lyrical today. By Alexandra CROIZET & Alice EMBERGER

Top photo:

I took this photograph on the 19th February 2015 in Châteaugay, the place where I live, at the castle, next to the old village center. At that moment, what I saw was the castle of course, but also some people who looked weird and, I think, not quite sober… There were old houses which had broken shutters. As it was 7 o'clock in the evening, I heard the sound of the church bells just next to the castle, in the same square. I also heard the weird people; they were talking about the village news. I didn't smell anything because I had a cold on that day! But, even if I couldn't smell anything, I could feel the very cold wind. I felt scared because it was dark and strange, and I couldn't wait to leave this place which was not very pleasant.

The best name I found to illustrate my photo is “A light in the dark”, because there is a light in the middle of my photo which is very dark, and I think it is quite artistic!

At the bottom of the picture, there is a path leading to the castle entrance. On the left of this path, there is a circular tower made of stone with a little door at its bottom. Next to the tower and in the middle of the picture, there is an old dilapidated little house. It has a white door, a chimney, a gutter and a very little window (which looks like a microwave oven), there is also a black bin in front of the house. In the background, there is the castle tower (the dungeon) which has a gargoyle and crenellations on its top. Then, on the right of the path, there is another strange house with stairs to reach the entrance. In the foreground side of this strange house, we can see another gutter, mould, and a sign of the path’s name. In the middle of the picture, there is a yellow light which illuminates the path. But we can also notice the blue sky, an electric wire and a generator.

I know that the castle’s dungeon dates back to the 14th century. The castle is now called “Châteaugay”, but it was first baptized “Vigosche castle”. This gay castle has nevertheless witnessed several sordid affairs such as the time when Pierre II de Giac poisoned his wife, the mistress of Jean Sans Peur, in 1426.

This place is an historical symbol which represents the village. Nowadays, it’s not the popular center where everybody goes, because it inspired fear and disgust as it is dark and quite dirty. To my mind, this place has two sides: a positive one and a negative one. It is positive because without the castle, my town has nothing special to offer. But it’s also negative because as I said, it inspired fear and disgust.

Bottom photo:

I took this photograph on 21st February 2015 in Cébazat, at the Semaphore, next to the music school, at approximately 11 am. What I saw there was the music school, the Semaphore, some artists who were probably coming to prepare their show and a dog with its owner. I heard a jazz band and the dog barking. I smelt the rain coming, so I was a little bit in a hurry as I didn't want to get wet. The temperature was about 8°C and it was windy.

I could give my photo “Music Lines” as a title, because the place refers to music, and the picture is full of different lines.

There is tarmac on the lower half of the picture, with posts of different sizes which make half of a roundabout around the Semaphore’s arch. The arch is made of a blue curved column pierced with three circles of different sizes. It is attached to the sign of Semaphore. Then, at the middle distance, there is the building of the Semaphore. It is grey, blue and white, and its architecture is full of lines, as for example the blue ones, which are all around the main building. We can also see, in the background, a sky full of dark clouds, which announce the rain. On the left side, there is a bin (only for dogs) and on the other side, next to the arch, there are three posts which are supposed to have flags on them, but they didn’t at the time the photo was taken.

The Semaphore is a concert hall and a theater room. It was inaugurated in 1998 and it can contain more than 500 persons. It also where the festival “Semaphore en chanson” is held each year.

The photo says that it is a very "cultural" place, a meeting point for a lot of artists, and more particularly musicians. It’s also a place of relaxation and pleasure for the audience. The architecture of this place is based on lines: everything is very linear, from the buildings to the posts. To my mind it gives positive feelings about the city because it depicts a modern and cultural place, where different kinds of art can perfectly match.

The picture of the castle represents darkness and the old side of a town, while that of the Semaphore is very bright and it represents the modern side of a town.