Pedestrian shopping... By Célia LAMBEL, Clarisse COMBRONDE & Nina FABRE

The first photo was taken Place de Jaude, just in front of the Galeries Lafayette on the 14th February at about 6pm. We could smell crepes and hear music coming from the two kiosks on the square. The sky was already dark, the lights were on and there were still people walking around. It was getting cold and there was humidity in the air because of the light rain falling. Even if the weather was not great, it was nice walking around.

The second photo was taken in Aubière, near Clermont-Ferrand, on the 15th February 2015 at about 4pm. We were facing the Carré Sud mall and there was a lot of traffic noise. We could smell exhaust fumes from the numerous cars passing by. It was a bit windy and the sky was really dark because of the rainy clouds. The weather was very bad but luckily it wasn't raining yet. The temperature was pretty cold, about 8°C. We didn't feel like staying there any longer.

The first photo shows the Galeries Lafayette. The four-storied building is impressive. On the ground floor we can see the light coming from the store windows and from the inside through the glass doors of the store. It is winter time and there are no more leaves on the trees. On the right the red parasol is shut. The lighting emphasizes the contours and details of the building.The store was built by the architects Léon and Marcel Lamaizière in 1906-1907. Built on the Parisian model, the building contains a metallic skeleton masked by an envelope of white ashlar, with large bow-windows bays on two levels. The glass is the original glass. In Beaux-Arts style, the building takes its inspiration from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. It used to be called Nouvelles Galeries. I often go shopping there with my mother or my friends. It reminds me of the Galeries Lafayette in Paris. It is the chic department store of central Clermont-Ferrand. They sell different kinds of products: clothes, make-up, jewelry, etc. It is part of a department store chain.

The building in the second photo is long, covered in wood panels, with several shops. It has large windows and a grey roof. In the foreground there is a big and empty car park. There are two naked trees. There are a few cars in the car park but not as many as we’d expect in such a busy place.This shopping mall is one of the most recent. The architecture is pretty nice and modern. I often stop there because it is on my way to the library.

In the first picture, we can see an old white building, and in the second a brand new mall made of wood with panoramic windows. The two pictures perfectly illustrate two ways of doing the same thing (shopping) within a city: walking around in the upmarket pedestrians-only downtown, and going to the mall on the outskirts of the city. Before, people used to walk to the shopping district, it was a place where you met people (it still is). Now the cities are spreading, more and more shopping malls are opening right outside of the city. You must use your car to go there. We think malls are cold and impersonal.