Riom moments... By Claire-Élise, Joséphine, Jacinthe & Camille

Claire-Elise writes:

The new autumn moon was smiling and, full of life, I headed to the chapel on the edge of town, the breeze biting my face. I walked quickly. It is always quiet there at dusk and the chapel looks eerily undamaged. I had been meditating a little while, when, in the spray from the fountain a furious face appeared… I took a snap, incredulous, then ran home, full of dread!

Joséphine writes:

When I climb to the top of my favourite tree, I feel free. The colourful view is wonderful and I can forget the family rows and the tedious routine at school. The church in the middle symbolizes the importance of my faith.

Jacinthe writes:

From the top of the highest tower of the town, she saw a bird speeding towards the distant hills. The girl let loose her long black hair, closed her eyes and slowly spread out her arms. She felt free in the breeze.

Camille writes:

3:15 am. A middle aged man, long salt and pepper beard and gold frame glasses, out of breath, sits on the bench. He listens carefully to all the chirping, splashing, rustling, and creaking around him. “The Holy Chapel garden... I was happy here when I was a kid. I see the gate is still broken... Right, back to work!”. He heaves the heavy package towards his chosen tree, then goes back to the bench to pick up his shovel...

Camille writes:

Saturday night at the Fever theatre: the place is full, for once. Ladies in ball gowns, men in tuxedos... But the show does not go on. The actors drink, the actors practice crying. A few faithful of the dozy audience are there too. It is a wake: two days ago, the body of Mrs Gray, the star of the show, was found at the bottom of the stairs by the theatre Manager (he was Mrs Gray’s lover). Had she fallen or was she pushed? Mrs Gray had talent; people were jealous of her. She was going to go to Paris, to star in a new show and her lover had not wanted her to leave. Sunday morning: the dead body of the Manager lies slumped over his office desk; suicide, probably.

"Buildingsroman" by Auguste

John lives in an abandoned building, the old technical college in Volvic. John is poor, and he is tired of this sad place. Nobody wants to live here. It was abandoned ten years ago. “Why did they leave?” John often asks himself…

After a few years, John is ready to leave too. He has managed to save a bit of money, enough to travel to the USA. He wants to live the “American dream.” He is going to take the plane to New York City!

Coming out of the airport, John takes his first photo of the Promised Land. It’s a bright day. The skyscrapers are overwhelming. John rests in a park.

The buildings are all very different. Each one had its own architect. Some are very tall indeed and very thin. Others are small and squat. Some are old, some are high-tech. The one on the left is very modern, with a lot of glass and iron. The big one on the right is made of bricks. John is very impressed by how tall some of the buildings are.

In the busy street, John feels small and insignificant. The buildings are very impressive, he thinks, but some of them look like the ones he knows back home. The brick structure on the left in the foreground is pretty similar to his old abandoned college in Volvic.

John takes the plane back to France. He is determined to ask the Mayor of Volvic to restore his old squat. John thinks we should rehabilitate charming old buildings, like in New York, where old and new stand together.

Hidden in plain sight... By Auriane and her squad!

Street art is a contemporary artistic movement started in the United States of America in the 70s. It arrived in Europe at the beginning of the 80s. Many variations now exist like stickers, mosaics, stencils and street installations. At the beginning, graffiti was just a small-sized signature of the street artist; it later became more elaborate. In Riom, there are many examples, namely by a famous local street artist called Rino. That's him in the photo!

Here is another example of graffiti. It shows a woman smoking. Behind her is a stained glass window. It’s a trompe-l’œil; it's as if the woman is standing looking out of her window. She is realistically drawn, there are contrasts, and it’s very colourful. She looks like a pin-up "icon" from the 50s; she is wearing a sensual red dress and she has a blue flower in her hair.

This work of art was made using a stencil. Its subject is utopia. It is on a wall near a river in Riom. Street art is everywhere in this town, if you know where to look. The philosophical text reads: “Utopia is on the horizon. If I move two steps towards it, it moves back two steps. If I walk ten steps more, the horizon moves ten steps back too. But then, what is the use of utopia ? Its purpose is to make us walk…” We often think that graffiti is just drawings and scribblings on the walls, but it often carries real meaning.

Here is another type of street art. If you stand in the right place, the name “RINO” appears. The word is written on several beams and on the wall. It is a stunning example of anamorphosis. It was risky to paint too. It’s in a luminous place. The artist wrote the word in black to contrast with the white walls.

This is a painting of an African landscape. It takes up half the wall so we are in total immersion. It is very detailed despite the height of the work and shows off the artistic skill of the artist. There are baobabs, the sky is yellow and orange and it is obviously a very hot day. “FREEMALI” is a political statement inviting people to support the liberation of the people in this African country. The African mask is made from a spray can, symbol and main tool of street artists.

Riom is a small place, but it has true street art masterpieces. We loved taking the pictures and writing this article because we discovered a wonderful if little known aspect of our town.

The sacred heart of cities... By Sylvain

This picture was taken in Barcelona, during a beautiful day in April. The church overwhelmed me by its sheer size. The three towers were like kings and queens. I got the impression the place contained dreadful secrets. I was fascinated and frightened at the same time. This brick and stone building is the most iconic monument of the city; it testifies to its past magnificence.

  

This photo was also taken during my trip to Spain. This tower reminds me of the “Tour De l’Horloge” in Riom. When I was at the bottom of the tower, I decided to climb the stairs slowly, one step at a time, in order to see the city from every vantage point. At the end of the day, on our way to the hostel, I recalled the breathtaking view of Barcelona from the top of the tower: I could see the Sagrada Família, which is the great basilica of Barcelona.

Here is another picture of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. The basilica rises majestically towards the sky, trying to reach the stars. This construction built in the rock seems to have been built by giants of a bygone Age. From here, the basilica seems to protect the city and its inhabitants. When I was below it, I saw small pieces of stones falling near me like rain; it is the price to pay to see this building up close...

This photo of Saint-Amable in Riom was taken on the 10^th of May 2017. This church has a dark hidden history. In the 17^th century, a group of ten members of the clergy would go to the church together on a daily basis to attend a mysterious ceremony. Other members of the clergy were not allowed to take part and people would hear strange noises coming from inside the church… One day, a little boy went to fetch his ball inside the church whilst the ceremony was taking place; he was never heard of again and the main doors have remained closed ever since…

This photo was taken in the village of “La Moutade”, on the 14^th of May 2017. A legend says that in the medieval period, when the village was built, the people wanted to start by building a church that would be the centre of the village. They found a cat with her kittens under the pile of rocks they were going to use to start building the church. The rocks collapsed on the cats. The kittens all died.  The church is still haunted by the cat looking for her kittens.

Smallville versus the city of lights! By Evie & C°

Riom... Smallville

This photo shows Riom, a small market town located in Auvergne. The place looks old and boring, though it is spring. The street is almost deserted; there are few cars and even fewer people.

Paris... The capital!

This is a photo of a busy crowd in a Paris street. It is clean and attractive compared to Riom. Paris has everything Riom does not: big cinemas, good restaurants, trendy shops, etc.

Why are we not here?!

This picture is of a lively Paris bar in an attractive setting... Something one does not find in Riom.

We do not like Riom, you can tell from our choice of photos! Paris is where we would prefer to be, for obvious reasons!

It’s a dog’s life… by Constance, Benjamin, Amandine, Guillaume and Elvire

Danger lurks...

The first picture is a dog’s point of view. We are at his height; we see what  he sees. The dog is called Filou and he lives alone in the streets, he has no shelter. There’s a car, it is very impressive for Filou. He is always looking out for danger…

Fr(h)eightening!

In the second picture (taken in Edinburgh, Scotland), we see Filou’s point of view again. He has travelled far and is tired. The sky is cloudy, Filou feels unprotected; the buildings are dark and frightening. Being high up like this is unsettling; will he fall? Below right, there’s a bus. The bus looks huge. Filou knows he has to pay attention to traffic, not to get run over.

Hungry streets

The third picture was taken at 10pm. The street is glum and it’s cold. The sky is heavy. There are spooky figures in the distance. The street lights shine down feebly. There is nothing to eat, no shelter; Filou feels alone and exhausted. People don’t realize how hard life can be for a stray dog wandering the mean streets in search of a dustbin full of titbits and a shelter for the night.

I luv rubber bones!

The fourth picture was taken in Riom, France. We again see a dog’s point of view. Milou is playing with his master. It is hot and sunny. The dog is very happy: he will play for hours, and then have a little nap outside. He’s living the life of riley!

Life is a bowl of...

The final photo is of Milou’s food bowl, brim full. Milou is a very lucky dog: his masters love him; he has a safe home, tasty food every day, and his very own dog basket. He does not have to fight for his survival…

Some dogs roam our cities, hungry and scared, whilst others have all the luck! It’s a dog’s life, when you think about it, but not for everyone…