all images by christophe recoura
The grand Musee D’Orsay in Paris was a train station in its first incarnation. It seems quite fitting that images of art work from the popular museum are now gracing French trains. SNCF, the state-owned railway, is covering the walls and ceilings of regional train cars with graphic film copies of great works of impressionist paintings, as well as images from Versailles,the Cinema Gaumont, and Musee D’Orsay decoration.
Beginning on May 8th, the air will be just a little bit cleaner in Paris—at least on Sundays. The French capital’s government will ban automobile traffic along the famed Champs Elysées and on nine other roads. Another four areas of Paris will be pedestrianized on Sundays during the summer months, adding to 13 zones already designated as car-free. Tourists will be happy to discover that the Quartier du Marais and the Quartier Saint-Martin will be part of the Paris Respire project, at least for this summer season.
Rumia, Poland is a small city just outside of Gdansk. When the local government decided to revitalize the old railway station, they decided to incorporate the public library in the project. The combined transit station/cultural center has now won the 2016 Library Interior Design Award for interior space use.
The building renewal, carried out by Gdansk-based design studio Sikora Wnetrza, cleverly connects the three story library directly with the station waiting room to encourage passengers to borrow books, or just hang out and read.
Later this year, Penguin US will be re-issuing six hardcover versions of sci-fi and fantasy classics from its Galaxy Series with eye-catching typographic foil covers by New York City-based Spanish designer Alex Trochut. The iconic novels will each have an introduction by Neil Gaiman.
For countless booklovers, independent bookstores are not just retail outlets, they’re the heart of the community and a personal haven. Today, we’re marking the second annual Independent Bookstore Day across the United States. More than 435 indies, from Alaska to Florida, will be hosting parties to celebrate books and readers. Check-out the dedicated website to learn more and to find a participating shop near you.
The infographic below, created for Jonkers Rare Books, explores the nom de plume of some favorite authors. Who knew that the pop cultural phenom Brynjolf Bjarme was actually Henrik Ibsen?
The medievalists at the J.Paul Getty Museum put together the video below to celebrate the new season of Game of Thrones. That’s some superfans.
I always encourage visitors to New York City’s amazing Metropolitan Museum of Art to save time to see the special exhibitions on the roof. For the past 30 years or so, the museum has commissioned single artist shows for the rooftop garden, including giants of modern art such as Ellsworth Kelly and Frank Stella. The roof also offers stunning views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.
Now British Artist Cornelia Parker has built a replica of the house from Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film Psycho on the roof of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. The commission will be on display until 31 October this year. The work, titled Transitional Object (PsychoBarn), is a reconstruction of part of the iconic weather boarded mansion, consisting of two facades propped up by scaffolding. The 30ft tall artwork was built from materials salvaged from deconstructed red barns.
Check out this short video on the project:
Read it quick before the film is released.
This lovely video was choreographed and performed by Renee Kester and directed by Tim Milgram. The music is Forever sung by James Bay.
Travel Between The Pages 