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.