Dear Suzy,
I went back to an area that I’d missed which lies between Botley and the Abingdon Road. South Hinksey is a small village and farming community that can only be accessed by road from the A34 (another section of the ring road). I approached it from the city on a path called the devil’s backbone that goes over a small lake, Hinksey Stream, the railway line and some marsh land. It is a typical Oxfordshire village with beautiful stone cottages. The geographical location makes it feel like an island, and the approach to and from the village was the most interesting part of the experience.

This was followed with a cycle ride around another section of the A4142, from the Cowley Road to the Iffley Road. Starting by the business and retail parks I went past various estates and then went under the ring road into Littlemore to get a sense of how this suburb connects with the city. The monumental road seemed quite incongruous next to the terrace of Victorian houses and some local shops.

I didn't find many objects along this stretch.

Dear Suzy,
I cycled round the stretch of ring road which takes in a bit of the A4074 and a section of the A4142 on a clear and sunny morning. I was on the cycle path with good views of the river and meadows on one side and bright sunshine reflecting off the wet road surface on the other. I have driven down this stretch many times, but a slower pace made me more aware of my surroundings.

I had not previously been aware of how close the Rose Hill estate is to the Ring Road as the backs of houses are partially screened by trees. From back gardens the overgrown ground slopes down to a cycle and footpath and there is another area of grass and scrub before the road. This area is an unofficial dump and it looks as though many people dispose of their rubbish by throwing it over the garden fence. Visually this was fascinating – a fight between nature and damaged consumer products. Wide screen tvs wedged between trees, prams, toys, old fans, a fish tank…

I found a pile of old bed springs as well, and as I couldn’t carry them on my bike I decided to come back for them. Visually they are very interesting as they still have an element of their original structure, but are branching out chaotically. They remind me of maps of the city and the sense in which cities are planned but then seem to take on a life of their own.

ARC session with Catherine Bertola

Dear Suzy,
Its a shame you couldn't join me for my chat with Catherine last week. I'll try and summarize some of the thoughts she had about our work while the conversation is still fresh in my mind.
We talked for a while about the nature of the collaboration; and Catherine suggested that the collaboration hinges on dialogue - in the way we research and develop projects, as the basis for making work in separate locations and in the process of putting different elements of the installation together where a dialogue is set up between the parts. She thinks we could place even more emphasis on this, looking for opportunities to set up discussion and exchanges. The Oxford/Paris project will provide plenty!
We wondered if the talk scheduled for 1st November could take the form of a conversation?
We talked about how our walking is an integral part of our practice and she suggested that we should make sure we keep this sense of change or an organic process in the way we hang the show. A sense of exploration.
If possible produce a publication using documentation (this will depend on funding). Perhaps in the form of a map/mind map? The exhibition itself might change and evolve (we have been anticipating this anyway but perhaps could push the idea further). I wonder if we could send small works between Paris and Oxford by courier so there is another form of exchange between the shows?
Another more practical suggestion that came out of the chat was how we might develop this approach in future commissions/public art projects. There is a lot of regeneration at the moment and this often takes place in inner city areas with estates on the edge overlooked. Catherine thinks this piece could create a legacy of future projects. Also there could be a legacy in Oxford itself as the project is generating a kind of archive which may continue to be developed or may have a role in the future.

I've done a couple more walks which I will write about in the next few days. Progress should be quicker now I've got some childcare set up for Zola.
Rachel x

Rachel,
I've now finished my travels around the Périphérique. 2 more journeys to tell you about: Porte Vincennes - Ballard and Porte Chapelle - Bois de Boulogne. Things are a bit manic with moving back to London, but will write about them soon. Here are a few images to give you an idea in the meantime.
S

Porte Bagnolet - Porte Vincennes

Hi R.

Decided to take a walk with B asleep in the pousette. Again from Porte Bagnolet, but going south. I took a photo of some rice on the pavement, I like the random sense of distribution, and the way it is like a miniature view of a larger street scene.

Exploring the area a little, I walked down Blvd Davout. A building had just been demolished I was interested in the indication of the stairs on a wall and the remains of the electric circits.

Back to Porte Bagnolet via some side streets. And there was an incredible down pour. In spite of the cover for the pousette and my brolly it was impossible to walk without getting soaked. so i took shelter in the porch of an appartment block and ate my sandwich. When it calmed down enough to walk i set off down Rue Henri Duvernois as close to the Périphérique as possible. The same block where I had been taking cover followed the curve of the road forming a barrier or protection from the Périphérique.

Then into Rue Louis Lumiére. Lots of sports grounds and a couple of schools. There is a footbridge over the motorway so I went back for a better look. There are loads of glass block office buildings and illuminated company logos advertising to drivers.

There is a nice block of public housing with terraced balconys like Thamesmead. I pass Porte de Montreuil and soon get to Porte Vincennes. By Porte Vincennes there are lots of 50's looking housing developments here and some businesses that seem to have been built into the estates. Including 'Prothèses Dentaires'.

S

Porte Bagnolet - Porte Chapelle

Hi Rachel,

As time is short before leaving Paris, I've decided to use the Velib - the public transport bikes available everywhere in Paris, for the rest of the Périphérique while M takes care of B.

I started at Porte Bagnolet, heading north. It's a huge roundabout, but with excellent cycle crossings on segregated pavement with own traffic lights. No problem for non-car users to cross from Paris to the Banlieue here. Lots of big office buildings around the roundabout with illuminated logos facing the traffic.

The other side is Bagnolet. There is such an instant contrast with Paris. Most strikingly there are lots of houses, rather than just apartments. Some of them look quite individual and a bit jerry built, little funny extensions added by the owners presumably.

I take a tiny side road that goes right next to the Périphérique, now in a cutting, with metal railings preventing any pedestrian contact. Tipped all over the pavement and spilling on the the road are piles of dumped objects. There is a wird feeling of the domestic cropping up out of context with a little red painted chair and television. Lots of belts, shoes, circuit boards. A total paradise for found objects. Not sure where they would have come from or why so many here. Luckily for M, i didn't have a wheel barrow handy, but did pick up a few things we can use.

A bit further on I passed an overgrown car park with some of disused ambulences rotting.

Crossed back into Paris at Porte Lilas. Lots of building development here. High rise on the Lilas side - not allowed in Paris. And 'un jardin écologique pour tous' I took Blvd Serurier to burn some km on the Velib. Passed a scrap yard with a collection of old traffic lights. More no-entry signs to prohibit access to old machines designed to control access.

Carried on speeding downhill, passed 'Archives de Paris' then had to avoid tunnel leading to Périphérique with no cyling signs. I used the pavement to reach Parc Villette, as the one way was against me, where we began the walk along the canal to st Denis(would have been big detour for bike around 1 way system). I saw a bold modern church, Sainte Claire facing Porte de Pantin which seemed to be designed to work with the huge roundabout.

I took a cycle track between the Périphérique and Parc, the parc protected by a serrated concrete wall, and the motorway right beside me. There are some holes in the concrete wall. I'm interested in the different types of barriers encountered around the Périphérique.

Blvd Serurier becomes Blvd Macdonald. The train lines from Gare du Nord and Gare du Est run through here and seem to function a bit like a definition of the city for an earlier time. I pass another piece of waste ground that looks earmarked for development. 'Eau & Environment' and posters for 'un nouveau quartier de Paris Nord-Est' Then come to Porte de la Chappelle. It's now raining hard and some homeless people are taking cover under a make-shift shelter made from old furniture and plastic sheeting right on the roundabout.

S

Bois de Boulogne

Hi Rachel,

Started at Ballard in the extreme south-west of Paris. I approached the Périphérique at Porte de Sèvres, and then retreated back as there was no walkable road following the motorway. I had to walk around the ‘Marine Nationales Services Techniques des Constructions Navels’ and across the road was the ‘Armee de l’Air Services Techniques’. Defence seems appropriate for the edge of the city, and hints back to the city walls. It was all high security, and there were some no photo signs.

Then I walked to Pont du Gariliano, crossing the Seine. The next bridge down was the Périphérique bridge, and there was a great view of it. With blue hills behind in the hazy sun, it looked like a scene from a postcard, or car advertisement.

On the other side I found myself in the posh 16ar and headed down to Porte St-Cloud, to follow the route of the Périphérique as much as possible. There was a big roundabout at the Porte with a modern church. Walked over Périphérique footbridge. Périphérique seems more incongruous here, next to more affluent parts of the city, but it is also less intrusive, buried a little below the level of the city.

Across the bridge was Boulogne Billancourt. Following the road I headed up towards the Bois. There are 4 sports stadiums, one after another including the 70’s Paris Saint-Germain grounds, and the 30’s Stade Geo Andre, with the Périphérique now running underneath. The stadiums are bold examples of sports architecture from different periods. It seems to be a pattern to utilize space on the edge of the city in this way.

There was a bridge over the Périphérique again at the start of the Bois de Boulogne. Now in the Bois I rest for a few minutes from the intense sunshine. B wakes up and we continue at his pace. He is quite fascinated by looking at the Périphérique as it keeps popping up and then retreating while we walk through the Bois.

The Bois is huge enough to have long periods of time walking without encountering other people. We go round the Hippodrome d’Auteuil, a huge horse racing track, then with B ready for some playground action we turned in to Porte de Passy.

The walk was a big contrast to going east from Le Parc Bercy. There are some hints that you are on the edge of the city, but the Banlieue are exclusive desirable areas here. I couldn’t imagine the shanty dwellings or gypsy settlements going unnoticed and undisturbed.

There is also not the sense that the Périphérique creates a big no-go space. Much of it is underground and is not allowed to dominate the character of the area as it does elsewhere.

S