PARCOURS SAINT-GERMAIN

Exhibition from June 1st to 10th 2018
21 quai Malaquais
75006 Paris

Monday to Saturday, 11am - 7pm
T : + 33 (0)1 42 61 76 27
boutiqueparis@luniform.com

For this year’s Parisian edition of the Parcours Saint-Germain, L/UNIFORM opens its door to contemporary art. Inside the boutique – located at 21 quai Malaquais – Sonia Sieff’s photography gives a new meaning, and purpose, to two functional bags: the bread envelope and the photographer bag. Embracing the Parcours Saint-Germain’s theme - ‘Form & Substance’ – the L/UNIFORM canvas finds a new expression. More, it builds on unusual elements to gain momentum: at odds with the pure, geometrical designs of the bags, the pictures stage a cloud of flour, the sculptural body of a lead dancer from the Paris Opera and a dramatic accumulation of blood-red objects. Teaming with creative, L/UNIFORM drafts new possibilities and undertakes an independent artistic approach.

Challenged by the eye of photographer and film-director Sonia Sieff, the canvas resists, explores new grounds. Improvisation takes over with the contribution of Sinan Sigic - maverick artist and founder of Atelier Hapax: Sigic imagines two stage-sets to compose a bold narrative. Building on the idea of a giant bread envelope from the L/UNIFORM collection, the art-project changes scale: Sigic turns the bread envelope into a one-of-a-kind silo on top of which the ancient ritual of barefoot flour compacting can take place. The robust and coarse canvas comes to life and is further altered in the process. Altogether a podium and container, the canvas creates a treading ground for Aurélia Bellet, dancer at the Paris Opera, to reach stellar heights. In front of the camera, Aurélia Bellet treads lightly onto the stack of flour. Instantly, she recalls Pina Bausch’s Rite of Spring, when her feet and body were dancing in direct contact with the dirt floor. “The contact with the flour triggers a certain rawness: you have to let go of yourself completely and listen to the wild and tribal energy that comes from it,” Aurélia Bellet explains. Bellet leaps into the air: the flour around here transforms her into a deity or antique sculpture. The energy deployed reaches a climax; her body seems to defy gravity. In the second picture, an accumulation of objects composes a ‘pile of litter’: the blood red mound evokes a landscape of ruins. On top of it, a photographer bag is perforated, torn and slashed. The bag is personified through the lens: it stands still, faces any assault that comes its way. The sole witness of an armed conflict, it is there to tell stories and reveal the truth. Lit up with flames, it suggests a beating heart. And as light runs through and through, it points at an inner constellation, one that echoes to the ephemeral nature of the cloud of flour in the first picture. Dreamlike, the strength of both pictures relay a message that goes beyond mere suffering and violence: a natural harmony rises from each image.



About Parcours Saint-Germain

The Parcours Saint-Germain, founded by Anne-Pierre d’Albis, and become fully integrated event in the Paris cultural, celebrates its 18th birthday from June 1st to 10th. An event that demonstrates how contemporary art is rooted in the spirit of the neighborhood..



About L/UNIFORM

Utilitarian, sturdy, comfortable: this is the regulation of L /UNIFORM. Considered as worker bags, these luggages, schoolbags and accessories are subject to a strict and proven manufacturing process. Woven canvas and leathers are selected; forms correspond with real confort and utility; trimmings and closing systems approve perfect finishes. Leaves room open to one fantasy: colors. All of these colours can be combined. They thus make up a multitude of models and finally give freedom to to create your own uniform.