Continuity and change. By Eloi LEMAIRE, Antoine BOURSON & Antoine MORVILLIER

Sunrise

Sunset

I took the first picture in May 2015 on the Europaplatz in Berlin during a trip with my class. I didn’t really pay attention to how I took the picture because we were in a rush. It was quite hot; I could only hear the noises of my class and obviously of the crowd. I was tired because of the twenty-hour train journey. I also felt glad and curious because it was the first time I had been to Germany. I felt a bit stressed too because my whole class was lost; we had only a few minutes left to find the riverside dock to go on a river trip. We can see a railway station made of glass panels and steel frames. By looking through the wall of glass we can see two catwalks and a concrete bridge with a train on it. The first thing I saw when I took this picture was the small white clock below the name of the station because of its colour; it’s the only thing which is in contrast with the building’s colour. It reminded me that we were in a hurry. The title I chose is “Sunrise” because it was early and there was sun; also, this railway station symbolizes the “dawn” of today's Berlin with its high-tech architecture. The original railway station dates from 1993; it took eleven years to complete. It was modernized in 2006 and is now the biggest railway station in Europe. The curved roof is made of glass panels, which house photovoltaic cells, and steel frames. When trains arrive in the station they are fifteen meters above the street. The bridge is 450 meters long, it goes over the Spree river. The construction of the station cost €700 million. The use of high-tech metal and glass, and the sheer size of the structure, show the wealth and power of the city (to the people arriving).

                                                                                             

I took the second picture from the Monbijou Park in Berlin during the same school trip. I took it from this angle because I wanted to take the cathedral and also the column on the right. I applied few effects; originally the picture was darker. I felt particularly good because we were relaxing in the evening sunshine. It was still really hot. I could hear the noises of the Spree and the boats. I could hear the crowd like almost everywhere in Berlin. We can see the main Protestant cathedral of Berlin. In the foreground, there is a lawn with about ten people resting on it. In the middle distance, we can see columns and a bridge which is above the Spree. In the background we can see the cathedral. It is made of bricks; the cupola is made of copper and gold. We can also see two cranes used in the church restoration. There’s a small wood. I chose “Sunset” as the title because it contrasts with the first picture: it is the end of the day, and the architecture is “old”, symbol of the glorious past of the city. The Berlin cathedral is located on the “Museum Island” in Berlin-Mitte. It was designed by Julius Carl Raschdorff from 1894 to 1905. It is 116 meters tall, 74 meters wide, and 114 meters long. It was damaged in 1944 by Allied bombing. The construction cost, at the time, about €6 million. There are quite a lot of people in front of the church; it shows the place is attractive to tourists and still valued by the Berliners. The crane in the background proves that the city values its architectural heritage.

As a common title, I chose “Continuity and change”. The buildings in my photos show that Berlin both cherishes tradition and invests in modernization.

Heaven or hell… By Rachel VAZ DE AZEVEDO

Heaven

Hell

Heaven. My first photo shows one of the symbols of a city that I’m sure you have heard about: Sydney. I visited this city for a week during my exchange visit in Australia, and it was absolutely wonderful. In this photo, I’m in front of the Opera House, and it was, as you can see, a windy but really sunny day! It was taken at the end of my trip, one week before I came back to France.

To me, that city is one of the best places to live in the world: you’ve got everything around you such as: amazing beaches, many shops, a big city centre but beautiful green spaces as well. I was full of happiness and couldn’t stop smiling even if I would have liked to have been with my family at that particular moment so that we could have discovered together what I would call my favorite place in the world. I had found my little paradise and I will do everything in my power to go back there! This photo brings back a lot of memories, and makes me sad but happy at the same time because I couldn’t have imagined an experience as wonderful as it truly was. It was the most unforgettable part of my life so far. I learnt to live with another family, discover a new country but mainly a new culture, and new people I will never forget. I think it has opened my mind. I grew more than I ever had. I’m so thankful to everyone who helped me make this trip: the tears, the laughs, the good times and less good times. But my life’s not over, I’m ready for a new chapter and I’m excited about the new opportunities and experiences I will have in my future. So, I can say that this photo represents my experience and how I felt when I did it because I look happy on it, as I was most of the time during my trip. This was particularly true in Sydney where I felt at home (I cannot explain why). I think that we maybe don’t grow up necessarily in the place we belong to… Anyway, as you can see on my face, it was truly awesome!

Hell… This photo was also taken in Sydney. It doesn’t look like it, but it actually is. It’s why I took it; it looks like it wasn’t in Sydney, not even near any city. This place is called “The Gap,” it’s an ocean cliff located towards Watson Bay, where my hotel was. But these rocks have a story. In fact, when my host family and I went to The Gap for a walk, I saw a billboard with a telephone next to it, so I asked my host family what it was and they told me something I would never have thought possible. This place is actually one of the preferred places for people to commit suicide. It has been estimated about fifty people end their lives at The Gap every year. I thought I hadn’t understood, because we were talking in English, but I actually did understand. The phone is for people who don’t feel good and need to talk. And it’s really serious! I have so many other photos I took in Sydney but I chose this one to show you because I wanted to pass on a message...

There is a terrible contrast between my two photos. I felt at home in Sydney, it was like I had found a kind of “balance” because on the one hand you’ve got the freedom of the natural spaces, and on the other hand you’ve got the city. But some people don’t feel as good as I felt, some people are, as in every country, stressed and with problems. There are sad people everywhere in the world; we don’t all have the same definition of paradise, of the dream life. This city which I call a “paradise” isn’t actually paradise for everyone…

Places need people. By Alice DE FOUCHIER & Adèle DE LAHARPE

Solitary shadows

Show of solidarity

We live in a place full of life called Clermont-Ferrand. Sometimes, though, the city is completely dead…

The first picture was taken in the Place de la Victoire. This square was built after the French Revolution. It contains a fountain at the top of which is a statue of Pope Urban II who launched the first crusade from Clermont in 1095. This statue, raised in 1895, is the work of Henri Gourgouillon. The square is surrounded by oppressive grey buildings. There are trees along the side which make you feel shut-in. We were astonished to see that there was no one in town. So we tried to make the spot look even more morose by shooting a picture with no sharp colors. We accentuated the contrast between the solitary statue and the buildings in the background. It shows the sensations we experienced while taking the photo. Indeed, we were dismayed because on this day nobody else was enjoying the urban environment in this square.

To contrast this melancholic atmosphere, we chose a second picture which represents a crowded place inspiring joy. We took this second photograph at the “Color me Rad”, in the Place de Jaude. The “Color me Rad” is an American concept which consists in running under a rain of colors. It’s a sort of race which banishes the stopwatch, originally inspired by the Holi Festival of colors in India. Since the first one in Phoenix, Arizona, in January 2012, the race has crossed the Atlantic. We chose an angle where we could see the most people because all seemed to transmit joy. We haven’t added any effects because it already portrays the emotions we felt during the race, namely enchantment and gladness. We took the picture in the middle of the race to see everybody running. Strangely, all were smiling; they seemed to be blissful together. Indeed, after the race, everybody was laughing, shouting and dancing to the music and partying together. Solidarity was emerging…

The two photos show different aspects of the city. On one is a big and empty square. We feel sadness and solitude because of the absence of life, color, or sound. The wind carries the leaves which adds to this feeling of a lifeless spot. Some days, even when the weather is good, people don’t seem to want to hang out in this square. The other picture shows a smaller place but with more people. The weather is not nice (we can see puddles), nevertheless there are a lot of people and all of them are smiling. The photo makes many feelings emerge as it is very colorful and cheerful. The atmosphere is also noisy and festive. Everybody is wearing the same tee-shirt and the same sunglasses but in different colors which encourages solidarity. It shows the “togetherness” of all these people who are wearing the same clothes but also their differences with the variety of colors. Here, we can see the need that people have to be together.

The first picture we have named Solitary shadows because of the absence of colors and also because it expresses feelings of loneliness and sadness. The light and colours and joy in the second photo inspired its title: Show of solidarity. It gives us positive feelings and a sense of belonging.

Finally, the common title is Places need people because when nobody is in town it becomes such a sad city...

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…

Haunts. By Mélanie FERRON & Anne-Florence GOENVEC

 

Going downtown

On our way home

We took our black and white photos on Wednesday 23^rd of September. It was cloudy, cold, wet and windy. We felt alone. Sometimes there are so few people in our streets that Clermont-Ferrand feels haunted …

The first picture shows a street leading up to the Place de Jaude. We see the new tramway. Clermont was the first French city equipped with an electric tram back in 1890; it was the pride of the citizens.

The second picture is a view down on Sidoine Apollinaire Street. Sidoine Apollinaire was a bishop, writer and poet of the 5^th century. As he was Auvergnat, several streets, schools and religious buildings of the region have been named after him. In the background, we can see a part of the Chaine des Puys which is a symbol of Auvergne.

These two places are different: Jaude square is the social hub of the city (usually it is very busy). We like to go there to shop and meet our friends at a café or go to the cinema. Sidoine Apollinaire is just a thoroughfare we have to take to get to school (very busy at rush hour). However, we like both places, they are two of our many haunts (hence the common title of our photos!). The pictures reflect our mood at the time, but we love our city and, no, it is not always grey, empty and sad as people who do not know Clermont often say!

Looking up. By Elodie KANDAZOGLOU & Flora GOUTTE

Nobody notices

The future is here

We took the first photo on Thursday the 29th of October 2015 in Chamalières. We took it just before nightfall because we wanted it to show up how sad and dark the area is compared to what is shown in the second picture. The second photo is of a building in Tremonteix Street. We took it at noon because at this hour of the day the sun is brightest. It reinforced the contrast between this photo and the other photo in black and white. We were a little high up when we took the photo in order to have the surrounding panorama.

In the first photo, the weather was awful, the sky was grey and it was very cold. There was a very strange atmosphere in this place. The neighborhood was very noisy. We just wanted to run from this scary place.  While in the second photo we had the impression that we were cut off from everyday life. We enjoyed going to Trémonteix; it was after a school test, in the afternoon. It made us feel relaxed to be there and all the stress we had went away. It was so quiet. We could even hear the sounds of Nature that we usually never hear because of noise pollution.

In the first photo we can see flats. They look old and abandoned. Most of the shutters are closed. There is no vegetation. The weather was gloomy when we took the photo. We chose the title Nobody notices for this picture, because if you walk past, you won’t see these buildings.

In the foreground of the second photo we can see the vegetation and the building. In the background we can see the landscape of Clermont-Ferrand with the puy de Dôme. The building is white with nice wooden shutters. It is built using methods and materials that respect the environment. We chose the title The future is here. This picture gives us an idea of the possible architectural evolution of other parts of our city. This building is part of the Trémonteix ecovillage. Since the origins of the Trémonteix eco-neighborhood project in 2006, the City of Clermont-Ferrand and the firm Logidôme have set themselves a goal: to build exemplary affordable and sustainable housing in the Trémonteix area.

The common title is: Looking up. We wanted a positive title (as in “things are looking up”) to convey the potential of today’s housing developments and because housing is inevitably going to go vertical (because it is the only way to house a growing population and to reduce urban sprawl and transport distances). 

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, building sufficient numbers of (affordable) houses for the growing population was the priority; the consequences on the environment were not always taken into consideration. Today, with the problems of pollution and destruction of nature which result in global warming, we have at last decided to protect our environment and make our towns more livable. We can see these changes through the designs of the buildings: a “closed-in” aspect for one, an “airy” aspect for the other. We decided to put a picture in black and white and the other with bright colors in order to accentuate the contrast between the old building which is not well maintained and the new building which is very clean. It creates contrasting feelings: “oppressive” versus “well-being”.

One of the main stakes today in urban design and planning is to meet the housing needs of the growing population while preserving the environment on which we depend. Judging by the Trémonteix initiative, there is hope for success.

Time's paces. By Paul BOYMOND & Pierre HOSPITAL

Plus ça change...

Tempus fugit

The first photo was taken Place de Jaude on October 4th at 18:00. The second, at the cathedral, on September 28th at 20:10. We didn't add any effects.

The first photo shows Clermont-Ferrand’s famous square. We were alone on the Place de Jaude. There is, on the left, the statue of Vercingétorix, opposite is the Rue Blatin and some of the buildings surrounding the square. In the foreground, you can see Pierre’s hand holding a tablet computer showing the square in the Fifties. You see a streetcar and a bus of that period. The interesting thing is that the buildings in the tablet and outside match. The weather was rainy that's why it isn't very colorful.  The statue in honour of the famous Gaulish warrior by Auguste Bartholdi dates from 1903. The tramway was designed by a French engineer, Jean Claret, in the late 1890s. It was the first electric tramway in France. In the 50s, the city created a bus network and the streetcars disappeared a few years later.

We took the second picture from a low angle; this makes this strange old clock on the famous cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand look quite impressive. The time is noted in Roman numerals. There wasn't any noise; we could just hear the sound of our steps on the pavement. The evening sky is dark blue. There was nobody else around at that time. It was windy and cold. We could smell the burning candles in the cathedral. We don’t know exactly when this clock was put there. It is like an eye staring at you. The cathedral Notre Dame de l’Assomption was built during the 13th century by the bishop Hugues de la Tour. The architect was Jean Deschamps. It is made of dark Volvic stone, a volcanic material used for many buildings in the region.

Plus ça change is the title of the first photo in reference to the way the town has evolved over the years but has stayed essentially the same. Tempus fugit is the second picture’s title because it is about how time flies…

Taking photos involves many emotions and memories... Our photos may not be excellent but we are quite pleased with them. Paul says: "The Place de Jaude is very familiar to me because every day I have to cross it to go to school. The clock of the cathedral is important for me because it is thanks to this clock that I learnt how to tell the time when I was five. My father and I stopped each day in front of this clock and we read the time". Pierre says: "The subject of Plus ça change is very important to me because I’m really attached to my city and I’m very interested in its history in particular its streetcars. The cathedral clock is very beautiful at night".

Time's paces is the common title of our photos. Both are about how we experience time, both as an urban community and personally. Plus ça change illustrates the slow evolution of a city. We want to make our urban environment better, but, in fact, little does change because we also want to preserve our heritage. Most of the buildings are the same, with the same functions (here, flats, offices and cafés) and the means of transport, though modernised, are basically the same (in fact, the tramline was recently brought back into service). Tempus fugit depicts the fleeting moments we each of us try to measure on our watches...

Moods. By Laetitia KOECHLIN & Nathan LIOTARD

Happy Nature

Sad city

We took these pictures at two different places but both were taken in the mountains.

The first picture was taken in the southwest of France, in the Pyrenees during the 2015 summer holidays. It was edited to show the beautiful colors of the landscape.

The other picture was taken during a class trip in October 2015 at the “Puy du Crouël” near Clermont-Ferrand. It shows the city of Clermont-Ferrand. You can see a kind of fog and that is what we wanted to highlight on this picture.

We took the first picture from inside a car. We heard the sound of wheels on the road, the sound of horns, but in contrast to these sounds, we could hear the birds in the sky. We smelt the good smells of Nature. We also remember the wind between our fingers and the hot sun on our skin because it was a sunny day.

At the moment we took the second picture, we remember that we were a little bit frozen because it was a windy day and it was raining a little. We felt the wind, the cold and the drops of rain on our skin.

In both cases, we remember the feeling of freedom. We were high up in the mountains, staring at this little world around us. We felt extremely free, obviously.

The first picture shows us a landscape. There are mountains with trees all over. The picture is colorful. We can also see three electricity pylons. This photograph is kind of joyful and I think we were both smiling, happy and into everyday life. We were simply happy when we took this picture.

The second one shows us a town. We can see trees and plants in the foreground. In the middle distance, there are a lot of buildings. There are also clouds in the sky, we can’t really see the sky because there are too many clouds and it looks like there is fog. There are not many colors. This picture is a bit sad. That is totally the opposite of our mood at the time we took this shot. We were kind of amused actually because we were with our class and with our friends.

For the first picture, we gave the title Happy Nature, because the picture is colorful, and all these colors are bright. For the second photo, we gave the title Sad city because the colors are grey, black and dark green.

The first picture was taken in the Pyrenees which is a mountain range which form the frontier (natural boundary) between France and Spain. The apex of the Pyrenees is the “Pic d’Aneto” in Spain which is 3,404 meters high.

The second picture was taken at the “Puy du Crouël” which is 15 million years old. It’s an ancient volcanic chimney. We can see some asphalt flows.

We chose Moods for the common title for our two pictures, because of the obvious contrast. The first picture shows us sun, trees, blue sky, serenity, calm; it makes us feel good. But in the second picture, we just see a polluted town; it makes us feel sad.

Plus ça change... By Maximilien PIASTRA & Louise PALLANDRE

New art

Art nouveau

The top photo was taken in an alley off Rue des Gras in the old part of Clermont-Ferrand. We didn’t add any effects because the hues have come out just right. It was taken late in the afternoon; it was so cold that there was nobody in town. We felt alone in the middle of a deserted city. We spent a lot of time finding the right angle because the alley was so narrow. We were getting a bit fed up trying to find a good subject for our first photo so we were pleased to find this unusual spot. What we noticed first was the gloomy blank deteriorated wall and then - big contrast! - the amazing mural.

At the top of the very narrow cobble-stone alleyway is an overhanging street lamp. The wall on the left is covered in colorful street art/graffiti. The opposite wall is plain and somewhat dilapidated. The alley leads to a perpendicular street bathed in sunlight. The house at the top of the path, facing us, has an orange wall. The mural depicts a cityscape full of characters among whom a wide-eyed girl in the foreground, with flashy make up. Next to her, is the figure of a boy standing in front of a closed door and who seems scared. Further up, there’s a headless figure, then mysterious colorful drawings and signs of all sorts, mainly orange and blue. The door in the wall opposite is closed, and the windows boarded up. No one lives there anymore. The ground was wet and dirty.

We have called this picture New art because of the contrast between a contemporary artistic means of expression and the medieval architecture, and simply because the mural seems recent. We have neither the artist’s name nor a date. We like the flashy joyful colors; they lighten up this otherwise gloomy side street. The characters are dancing and playing instruments, simply having fun. The opposite wall is so sad in comparison.

The alley is in one of the oldest parts of Clermont-Ferrand near the Cathedral. Some of the original ramparts have been recently restored. Numerous buildings were knocked down to make way for the Cathedral.

Though today’s street art is not to everyone’s taste, many people approve of it because it attempts to make the walls more interesting and fun. Street art is a way for (mostly) young people to make the environment their own too and the city authorities apparently tolerate new - not always official - ways of decorating the town.

The second photo was taken at the end of a school day, Place Salford, in front of the entrance of Massillon High School, Clermont-Ferrand. We darkened the photo to give the picture a bit of drama! It was very noisy when we took this photo because many pupils were talking on the pavement. It was rainy and cloudy; we felt lost in the middle of this crowd. Though we know this area very well, it was the first time we really noticed this rather handsome old building.

In the foreground, silhouetted against a cloudy sky, is the imposing curious old building, dating from the early 20th century, with a “POSTES TELEGRAPHES TELEPHONES” sign carved in stone. There are three floors. It used to be a post-office with a  telegraph service and telephones. At the end of the 19th century, there were few telephones in homes so people used the phones in post offices, or sent telegrams abroad, or sent letters of course. Today, it is an administrative building for France Télécom.

In the background, we see the grey thundery sky and a building of the Godefroy de Bouillon High School with a much more recent architectural style.

We have called this picture Art Nouveau because the building is reminiscent of that period. This picture is a little nostalgic and a bit mysterious. It evokes the era of the industrial revolution. It has pretty flowery details on the facade and decorative balconies.

Plus ça change… would be an apt title for our two photos, taken as one work of art. Although the appearance of the urban environment may change according to the fashion of the day, the fundamental need for embellishing our city remains: Art nouveau then, new art now!

Parallel worlds. By Ombeline DESJONQUERES & Marie CANAMAS

To tramp

To rest

The black and white photo, taken Place de Jaude, shows Clermont-Ferrand as an average French city: the usual shops, obligatory tramway, busy people going about their business.

The second photo, taken in a narrow little street near Place de la Victoire, shows Clermont-Ferrand as peaceful and secret, different from other places.

We took the first photo on a really sunny and very hot Tuesday afternoon, after school. We were really exhausted and were quite in a rush to take the photo before going to our extracurricular activities. The photo we finally took corresponds very well to our states of mind at that moment. At Jaude, we heard the usual urban brouhaha: cars, buses, the tramway, busy people. We not only smelt the tarmac and filth but also the odour of make-up and perfumes from girls we bumped into.

We took the second photo on a sunny but windy Wednesday afternoon, in the historical district of Clermont-Ferrand. We were really curious and enthusiastic about discovering a whole new area of the city in which we’ve lived for years! We only heard the distant noise of the town and the wind whispering through the trees. We smelt the fragrance of leaves but a sweet odour of cinnamon pastries coming from a bakery as well…

To tramp emphasises the pedestrian aspect of Clermont-Ferrand, the fact that, in many aspects, it is like every other town. It is blurred, adding to the feeling of movement. The tramway is about to cross our field of vision. People tramp hurridly past. Behind them is the dark reflection of a sad seventies mall in the shop front of a boring new shopping mall. The only thing in focus are the sempiternal brand names; globalization strikes again! The first tramline in Clermont-Ferrand, the first to use electricity in France, was put into service on January 7 1890 by the Electric Tramway Company. For us, the tramway is a reminder of the midday rush, when we are crushed by the smelly and noisy crowd. As for the mall, it’s only a place for shopping, which may seem entertaining but actually, it’s really jam-packed and therefore, very exhausting.

To rest contrasts with the first picture, revealing the calm, intimate side of the city. We opted for an "old photo" effect to convey an "out of time" feeling. We left the door frame on the top and left as a frame for our picture, to give a "secret garden" dimension. Past the black wooden door, we catch sight of a patio, bathed in sunlight. Around a table, large dark green metal chairs and white-arabesque-shaped ones seem to be chatting, half-hidden by lush bushes. Above the arch and shadow of the Volvic stone fountain, there is a welcoming half-opened window, red geraniums overflowing from a window box.

What is surprising about Clermont-Ferrand is that there are places that are so different from each other so close by; that is why we finally gave as a common title to our two photos: Parallel worlds. 

There’s a huge contrast between those two photos. The first one represents a scene we could see anywhere in any town. This tramway, this mall, and these people we see so often we don’t even notice them anymore, these brands, they are all the same in the whole world!

But if you take time to go for a walk off the beaten track, you’ll discover charming tiny details that will bring you happiness because they’re so unexpected. The silence, the calm of these labyrinthine streets will make you feel happy and fulfilled whereas the boring town centre conveys sadness and weariness.

The first photo shows a really superficial aspect of Clermont-Ferrand. Jaude, even though it’s a pretty awesome square, is a place where the vast majority goes; therefore it has become common-place and charmless.

In contrast, the second picture presents an unknown part of the city, where very few people go though; it’s a really inspiring and relaxing place.

The first picture evokes at the same time the feeling of speed and weariness, whereas the second one shows the bohemian and quietly welcoming aspect of our city.

Lonely and alone. By Lucie BOURGAREL & Cécile BEY

Lonely lives

Quiet sunset

The top photo was taken at midday on a nippy December Saturday, from the stairs next to the elevator of the Place de Jaude shopping mall. It was raining and busy as usual. There was so much noise: cars, people, rain, and the usual sounds of the city. I felt a little lost.

There are many people with umbrellas; they are in a hurry, going about their business. Most of the time, they are in too much of a hurry to stop and talk, to even look at each other, to enjoy life! To my mind, this picture shows the sad side of living in a big city: stress and solitude. People become self-centred. Lonely lives illustrates this quite well.

The first developments in Place de Jaude were in 1660. A basin and a fountain were erected in the middle of the square. Saint Pierre des Minimes was built in 1663. In 1750, the square became a fairground where horses and wood were sold. From the 19th to the 20th centuries, the square started to become the favorite promenade for the citizens. The theater was built in 1894 and the statue of Desaix was erected in 1848. The statue of Vercingetorix appeared on the square in 1909. In the sixties, Place de Jaude was renovated and a quartier was destroyed in order to build the first big department store in 1890. The Carré de Jaude 2 opened in 2013 after five years of construction.

In Lonely lives, what I like most is the perspective. It brings beautiful “depth”. The natural light is nice too. In the background, we notice a guy walking in a relaxed manner in the middle of the road.

I took Quiet sunset in Pont-du-Château, from my bedroom window. It was around 18:30. I found the light totally beautiful so I decided to take pictures. It was so quiet and calm, there wasn't any noise. Only the wind was blowing. I felt appeased and happy. We can see Docteur Besserve Avenue. In the foreground, we can see the tiles of my roof. In the middle distance, there is the street without any cars. The sky was full of clouds. The sunset gave the photo a beautiful luminosity. There are no clouds in the part of the picture where the sun is setting. It was as if the sun had chased away all the clouds. The photo reflects perfectly my mood. I admire this view every day. The big tree on the right makes me think of a magic tree because it is really huge and when I was a kid, I used to pass every day in front of that tree and it looked like the big magic trees in the fantastic stories that I read. The house behind looks haunted... During the day, the street is really noisy but when the sunset begins, the people start going back home and there are no cars left.

My house was a coaching inn built in the 19th century. There were stables for the horses which transported the mail. Then, the house was redesigned by a wine maker. After this, the house was divided into several apartments. Then someone turned the place back into a house. We can find reminders of the inn in parts of the house, for example: there is a dumbwaiter which was used to take up the domestics’ laundry to the third floor, under the roof.

My photos are contrasted thematically (busy/quiet) and stylistically (black and white/color).

Rows. By Gaspard LAUZIN & Victor VOGE

Grey

Green

The first photo was taken in the Boulevard Lafayette on the 17th December 2015 at about 8am. We could smell exhaust fumes from the numerous cars passing by. The sky was cloudy and there was nobody walking around. It was cold. Even if the weather was not great, it was nice walking down the street.

The second picture was taken in the Jardin Lecoq, near the Boulevard Lafayette, the same day. We were beside the playground. It was a bit windy and the sky was cloudy. The temperature was pretty cold, about 8°C. Usually there are a lot of people in the park but this day, nobody was there.

The Boulevard Lafayette is one of the longest in Clermont-Ferrand. In the foreground we can see the cars on the avenue and at the right a row of trees. On the left is a chapel. This chapel belongs to the Capuchins who live there. We distinguish in the background a lot of cars. The Lecoq garden is located behind the hedge on the right of the image. The Boulevard Lafayette was built in the late 18th century. During this period the city of Clermont-Ferrand built several roads to facilitate the movements of vehicles. It is especially during this time that the Cours Sablon was created. The Boulevard Lafayette is two kilometres long. It links the Boulevard Leon Malfreyt to the Avenue des Landais.

The Jardin Lecoq was created in 1793 by the Abbé Antoine Delarbre. It is named after Henri Lecoq, a famous botanist from Clermont-Ferrand. In the foreground we can see an expanse of green grass bounded on the left by a hedge and at the bottom by a flower bed. In the background, there is a tree. The idea of a garden like the Jardin Lecoq had been suggested in 1745 by the Medical College of Clermont. The Council of the city then gave a site for the garden but no space matched the needs of the botanists. It was on August 9th 1781 that the new garden officially opened at its actual location. The Jardin Lecoq is an ideal place to enjoy nature in the city.

We called the first photo “Grey” (we chose black and white to highlight the more hostile environment). We chose this title because, every day, the Boulevard Lafayette is used by motorists at peak hours and it creates a lot of pollution and the other routes around the garden are in the same case.

The second picture is called “Green” because the Jardin Lecoq is one of those rare places in the city where you can enjoy peace and quiet and a bit of greenery. The garden becomes the lungs of the city. Set against the noisy traffic routes that pollute the city air, it offers residents serenity and the possibility to breathe air with less pollution. It is therefore essential for the wellbeing of locals and tourists.

The name that we have chosen for both pictures is Rows. This is because, in the first picture, we see rows of rushing cars, rows of white lines and trees, etc., and in the second picture we see a hedge-row. There is a pun too: the ecological “row” over pollution in our city. This fight for the planet must begin at the local level (especially in cities). Creating green spaces, parks, is a way to lower environmental pollution.

That is what we wanted to show: the city is a place where people can change things and in this case we can limit the pollution by creating green areas and restricting the space for cars.

Shades of opinion. By Inès LE GOURRIEREC, Manon BOYER & Charlotte GENEIX

City of darkness

City of light

We took the first photo Place de Jaude, in Clermont-Ferrand. We took many photos of our city for the purpose of this essay but we didn’t notice anything special or particular about them at the time; it’s only upon getting home and actually taking a closer look at the photos that we noticed the one above, in which the sky is just beautiful.

As for the second photo, we took it in Paris last year. It was not a staged photograph as we took it by night on our way to a concert in the 18th district.

When we took the photo in Clermont-Ferrand, there was a lot of noise and there were many people around us, but we can’t see them on the photo because of the shadows. I remember that the weather was pretty cold.

The Paris photo was also taken in the winter, so it was cold but definitely not as bitter as in Clermont. By contrast, the street was empty, with no passers-by, no noise at all. That is the reason why this place interested us; it is not common for such a busy city to be so quiet, even at night…

The first photo is a snapshot of the most famous square in Clermont-Ferrand. In the foreground we see many old buildings like the Galeries Lafayette, in the background we can make out the second Centre Jaude, and in the middle of the photo is the statue of Vercingetorix. The photo’s most striking feature is the amazing cloudy-spattered sky. The brightness is so intense that it makes the rest of the photograph look like a shadow.

The second photo depicts an underground car park above which are many lit-up flats. This photo is very dark but the light emanating from the flats and that of the inside of the car park enables us to make out the road leading to the parking lot as well as a large wall on the left.

Funnily enough, these photos don’t reflect our mood at the time we took them; indeed when we took the first one we weren’t very happy and we took the photos without thinking, whereas for the second picture, we were very excited and happy!

We entitled the first photo “City of darkness”, because that is how tourists and people who don’t live in this city sometimes perceive it. People imagine that Clermont-Ferrand is a poor, lifeless city; they believe that Clermont-Ferrand is stuck in the middle of nowhere; there are so many misconceptions about our city!

Our second photo is entitled “City of light”, as Paris is commonly portrayed as the city of love or the city of light and we think that this photo lives up to the city’s nickname because, on the one hand, it’s the light that allows us to see the scene, but on the other hand it’s difficult to say that this photo represents the idea of light as the picture is so very dark! So, for the two photos we have chosen ironic titles, in reference to the cities' epithets.

In the first picture, the element that we can see best is the Vercingetorix statue. Vercingetorix was the victor of the Battle of Gergovia which took place near Clermont. It’s a bronze by Auguste Bartoldi inaugurated in 1903. It has been classified as a historic monument since 1994.

On the second picture there isn’t any specific element that stands out, just a sort of council estate and a gloomy car park.

We are proud of our Vercingetorix statue. Auguste Bartholdi was the man who also made the Statue of Liberty. We are proud to live near the place where the battle took place. In our opinion, our city is beautiful in many ways and it’s what we wanted to portray in this picture.

The second picture is more personal and emotionally charged because we took it when we were going to our first concert and it's a real good memory for us. But despite the memory, we wanted to show that Paris, which is often perceived as being the most beautiful city in the world, can also be sadder than Clermont at times.

The title which we chose is "Shades of opinion". Many people say that Paris is a very beautiful city but when we tell them we live in Clermont-Ferrand, generally people are confused and say "Oh, I'm sorry" like it's a shame to live here and generally those people have never been to Clermont-Ferrand. It depends on your point of view if you like the city or not, on where you live in the city and also if you know the city.

We could say the contrast between those two pictures lies in the atmosphere. In the Paris picture, we feel rather oppressed and uneasy, whereas in the picture of Clermont-Ferrand, we feel almost exalted!

The photos show us views of two cities, their contrasting atmospheres. The picture of Clermont gives a positive feeling because it is a beautiful photo, and people will perhaps want to discover this city because of our photo. The other one, people will feel negative about. It’s dark, and it doesn’t make you feel like going there; Paris is not shown in its best light...

The most beautiful cities are not totally perfect, and the ones you do not know, you often underestimate.