In The Meantime: A Playroom of My Own #9

Yuko Otomo
February 2016

Autumn in Europe

Part One

Time flies. What a cliché expression to start with, but it does. A month has passed since we got back. In the fast moving stream of NYC life, immediate excitements, impressions & memories of our last trip to France & Germany fade away fast. So, I’ll try to write them down before the pulse of the experiences gets too remote. It was an intense, exhausting, many faceted & fascinating trip. I usually assign myself to some kind of writing project when I am on a trip. But for this one, I resigned myself not to have one from the beginning, anticipating the hard schedule that would not allow me to do such a thing. Instead, I carried “Soseki Bunmei-Ron-Shu” a collection of lectures on Culture & Civilization by Natsume Soseki. This book in Japanese helped me to anchor myself in a right mode whenever I needed to do so interestingly.

The trip took us to Paris first, our beloved second home, again. Then soon after, we traveled to Germany for readings in Munich & Berlin. Back to Paris to stayed there briefly & then took another trip. This time, we went down to the south of France. We partook in a film project in Luchon in the Pyrenees. From Luchon, we continued our trip to Toulouse & to Bordeaux before we returned to Paris. The11/13 event took place on our last date in Bordeaux as we were having a salon reading/performance. Coming back to Paris a day & a half later, we spent several more days in the post-event Paris. Then we went to Lille for more reading/performances right before we flew back home. Throughout the trip, as always, we saw wonderful shows, heard great music, enjoyed new & old friendships & marveled new sceneries & unexpected experiences.

We had many friends visiting us while in Paris. Bobby Yarra & Trine Prahm arrived a day earlier & was waiting for us. Penny Arcade soon joined us from Nice. Norbert Nowotsch of Muënster, Germany & Linda Cooper of Amsterdam came to see us as they always do. Marshall Yarborough of the Brooklyn Rail was also in town briefly. In Luchon, Toulouse & Bordeaux, we enjoyed witnessing the circle of friends grows bigger, deeper & more dimensional.

While on the trip, Chantal Ackerman (What a shock!!!!!) & Hilla Becher died. Rimbaud had his 161st birthday (*Bobby Yarra sharing the same b-day!) John Lennon had his. Kerouac had the 46th memorial day. Our beloved Herschel Silverman who recently passed away had a big respectful obituary in The Telegraph, UK. Life & death go on despites of where you are. At one point, Mars, Jupiter & Venus got aligned to show us the cosmic reality we live in.

Here it is; the list of what we did. In Part Two, Three & Four, I’ll go into the details of some of the highlights.

Paris

A visit to Jim Haynes

Penny Arcade @ Paris-Lit-Up

Didier Lassare/Michel Doneda @ Atelier Tampon Normad

Michel De Postard @ Galarie Hus

25th de la Salon Revue @ Halles des Blancs-Manteaux

Steve & The Snobs: Ec(H)o System CD release performance @ E’Space En Cœur

Steve/Benjamin Duboc/Sylvan Kassap @ Jazz @ Home

Wilfred Lam @ Centre Pompidou

Chicago A Paris Jazz A Chicago: 50 Years of AACM @Thréâtre du Chatelat

Ugo Rondinone: I Love John Giono & a reading by John Giono@ Palias de Tokyo

Olga Neuwirth @ Cite de la Musique

William Anastasi @ Gallerie Jocelyn Wolf

Steve @ Paris-Lit-Up

Autumn Antique Fair on rue de Martyre

Steve/Cathey Heyden/Sylvan Kassap/myself @ Grand Bouillon, Aubervilliers

A visit to Foundation Louis Vitton

Splender et Miserée: Art & Prostitution @ Musee d’Orsay

Musée Gustav Moreau

Galleries in St. Germane area

Grand Marche Art Contemporary Bastille

Demonstration/March for “Justice” on Blvd. Magenta via Place de Republique to Bastille

Halloween Party @ Le Petite Maison (an artists squat on rue Charrone)

Steve “Flying Home”/Sven Hansen-Love “Tender Neighbors” @Paris-Lit-Up joint book release reading @ Berkley Books

Andrew Barker Trip with Thomas Kpaid @ Bib-iLo

New Presentation of the Collection of Modern Art 1905–1960 @ Centre Pompidou

Steve/myself/Eugenie Kuffler/U Aldridge Hansberry/Frederic Maintenant @ Gallerie Memorie de L’Averer

Steve & The Snobs @ Suffle Continu

Munich

Zimmer Frei @ Hotel Mariandl

Steve/myself bi-lingual reading w/ Jürgen Schneider @ Optimal

Berlin

Siegfreid Kuhl: 60 years of his work @ Kuhl Spot

Steve/myself bi-lingual reading w/Jürgen Shcneider @ Kuhl Spot

Steve/myself bi-lingual reading w/Jürgen Schneider@ Gries 6

Zartrose und Lichtblau: Japanese Photography of the Meiji Era 1868-1912 @ Museum Fur Fotografie

Ich Kenne Kein Weekend. Archive Und Sammlung René Block @ n.b.k. & @ Berlinsche Galerie/Museum Für Moderne Kunst

Reading/Performance with Joel Gripp Trio @ KK19

Dorotheenstäd Cemetary

Brechet-Weigel Gedenkstätte/Walter Benjamin Archive

Alexander Platz/Berlin Wall/Holocaust Memorial

Luchon/The Pyrenees

“Things Fall Where They Lie”: Nicole Peyraffite Film Project

Romanesque Churches (La Basilique St. Just-de-Valcabrère & others)

Roman Ruins

A Visit to Daniel Estrade Studio

Pre-historic art @La Grotto de Gargas

A Visit to Thermes Grotto Spa

Musée du Pays de Luchon

Toulouse

Eglise St. Sernin

Eglise Nortre Dame de la Daurade (Black Maddona)

Eglise St. Etienne

Musée des Abattoirs

Foundation Bemberg

Musée St. Raymond

Musée des Augustie

Steve/myself bi-lingual Reading with Serge Pey @ Cave de Poesie (Univ. of Toulouse)

Tolosa barròca @ Auditorium St. Pierre des Cusines

Bordeaux

Bordeaux Contemporary Museum

Steve/myself/Didier Lassere/Sebastian Capazza/Jean Rogier/Serge Creppy @Volaillerie Moderne

Steve/myself/Didier Lassere/Sebastian Capazza/Jean Rogier/Serge Creppy @ Paul’s Place

Lille

Steve with The Snobs: “Ec(H)o System”/ Franck Andreuix/myself @ Au 192!

Franck Wasserrand (painting)/Gerald Ferrari (ceramic art) @ Au 192!

Steve/myself/ Franck Andreuix/Timothée Couteau/Christian Vasseur @ Galerie Collegiate

Le Grand Orchestre de Muzzix @ Opéra de Lille (Tom Johnson & others)

The trip concluded with the drizzly late afternoon, sipping Vin Chaud with Henrik Aeshna & Dominique Vibrac in Pigalle & followed by a lovely intimate dinner with Joelle Leandre & Martine Thinieres in the evening @ their apt in Rue Lepic. Vincent & Theo used to live a few blocks down on the same street. One of the last surviving windmills still stands near by in the area. As always, again, the openhearted generosity & the deep friendship of Michel Dorbon & Chrisitne Barreau made us feel at home in the city of Light. We are totally convinced that traveling is one of the best ways to learn about life. Every time we take another one, we learn to open our minds/hearts more & wider.