Doors to the city. By Anaëlle BARNIER, Maud LAFOY & Mathilde BARDONNET

Opening to another world

The imprisoned door

We took the top picture during a walk in the narrow streets of the old Clermont-Ferrand. It was in November and, luckily, it was sunny. We were near the cathedral when we saw this wonderful huge door at the bottom of a dead end.

We took the second picture in Clermont in October during an urban orienteering race. Trying to find some beacons, we saw this austere door at a street corner. We had not seen a door like that before.

When we took the first photo, we were just having a walk without a precise aim and, with the view of this beautiful door which, moreover, was open, we had a mind to enter at once. There is a large interior courtyard and the atmosphere seemed to be quiet and restful. It was like a secret garden, hospitable and very attractive. There were lots of flower beds and clumps of shrubs. This place was silent and we were too, as if under a spell. We were in a really good mood and, being curious, we went to the open door in order to admire the wonderful garden within.

For the other picture, it was really different. We were short of breath because of the race and we had stopped running, taking our time to catch our breath and to have a closer look. The door was inaccessible because it was shut in by a metal gate. We were quite intrigued by the strange door of this gloomy house. We wondered why the people living there would shut themselves in in this way...

On the first picture, we can see an impressive wooden door which has the color of a fir tree. It is sculpted: we see a character on the arc at the top. One of the door panels is wide open and we see a large patio full of vegetation on the other side. The courtyard is paved and at the bottom we can even distinguish a table with some chairs in front of a big house.

The other picture shows a rather narrow dark green door. The door is locked tight. Indeed, the first door is locked and there is a sort of second door made up of long metallic bars. So there are two locks. Above the entrance, a canopy, also metallic and dark, complete the unwelcoming threshold. On the right of the photograph, a stone plaque is fastened over the grey and damaged wall; there is a strange Egyptian-style sculpture on it, intended perhaps to put strangers off. We have chosen to give it the title The imprisoned door because this is a door with bars and it’s like a jail door. By seeing this door, we feel as if the people inside are captives.

We have called the other photo Opening to another world because this is an open door and it seems that there is another world on the other side. If we enter, we could maybe discover new people, new cultures, because a city is a place where lots of different nationalities and various peoples live together.

Both photos were taken in the old streets around the cathedral in the old town area. The center of Clermont is concentrated around the mound where the cathedral was built. It’s the historical centre and there are lots of private properties there, including imposing mansion houses such as the one in our photo.

On the picture where there is the open door, we can see, behind the door, a garden full of plants, and we like this atmosphere, because we find that really sweet and peaceful compared to the rest of the city. Indeed, this garden makes us want to relax; the open door is like an invitation to enter, to meet the owners.

On the picture where there is the door with bars, we feel as if we are in a dangerous part of town. The door is a protection against possible attacks from outside. Furthermore, the dilapidated wall adds to the sense of insecurity, and the panel on the right looks like a mysterious warning...

We entitled our two photos Doors to the city. These doors make us imagine who the owners of the houses are; they are a clue to what the people that make up the city are like.

On the first picture, the opened door is huge and with a rounded arc. On the other, the door doesn’t have the same form: it is a rectangular door. And the atmosphere seems to be quieter on the photo with the open door than on the other picture where the railings remind us of possible dangers.

The two photos show two aspects of the city and city life. They symbolize the private part of a city because, in a city, there are all the public buildings and places but also all the private houses. In fact, people live at the same time in the private domain and in the public domain. Furthermore, people living in cities are sometimes afraid of others, they can protect themselves from the other people’s gaze by hiding themselves in their own private world, but they can also welcome somebody with open arms and help each other.

We think that our first photograph evokes this openness and friendliness, symbolized by the opening; this photo gives us a positive idea of the city because it seems to be a place full of life, joy and energy. The second photo makes us realize that in a city, things like burglaries or attacks can happen… Thus, our photos show that a city is at the same time a dangerous place but it’s also a place where you can meet people, have fun and do so many interesting things. You can feel good or be worried, it depends a lot on you…