Something for the Weekend (3rd – 5th September)

Architecture, history and football. These are some of my favourite things. I hope they interest you too, because they form the basis of my recommendations this weekend!

A residency at Le Corbusier’s Cité refuge de l'Armée du salut
A collective of artists going under the name of Abawé are currently in residency at the Cité refuge de l'Armée du salut (Salvation Army refuge), a Le Corbussier building dating from 1933. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the collective, the artists have set themselves up for a month in a 1000m2 space which at certain times of the week is made accessible to the public who can come and observe them at work.

The collective have promised paintings, sculptures, and other installations as well as concerts and a debate during the Journées du Patrimoine (18th and 19th September), but beyond the quality of the art itself, this event is surely a good excuse to visit a rarely accessible Le Corbussier building in Paris.

More details on the collective can be found here: http://www.abawe.com

Cité refuge de l'Armée du Salut
12, rue Cantagrel 75013 Paris, M° Bibliothèque
Thursday to Sunday, 3pm to 8pm.

150 ans des 20 arrondissements parisiens
2010 marks the 150th anniversary of the last expansion of Paris and the creation of the 20 arrondissements that still exist today. To celebrate this anniversary, several events are planned this autumn, notably an exhibition at the Galerie des Bibliothèques in the Marais.

The expansion took place on the 1st January 1860, with eleven towns and villages surrounding the old city walls (the fermiers generaux) being absorbed into the new city. These towns (Auteuil, Passy, Les Batignolles, Montmartre, La Chapelle, La Villette, Belleville, Charonne, Bercy, Vaugirard and Grenelle), still retain some of their original village features today, and the exhibition will explain how and why this expansion took place.

22, rue Malher (4e), M° St Paul
From September 2nd to October 24th
Entrance: €4

Keep a note in your diary also for a series of nine very interesting and informative walks that will be run by an association called Les Promenades Urbaines throughout October in association with this anniversary. These day-long walks, which cover architecture, urbanism and history, have been designed to investigate these ancient villages as well as the old and new city limits.

Full details on the dates and itineries can be found here: http://www.150ans-promenades-urbaines.com

Football : France v Belorus
France will play their first competitive match on home soil after the débâcle at the World Cup in South Africa when the players went on strike, both on and off the pitch. The question before this game is what reaction the players will get from supporters at the Stade de France, a set of fans who have never been slow to show their displeasure in the past. The French football federation expected the worst, going even as far as producing a ridiculous ‘mea culpa’ poem to promote the match, but although tickets as low as 10 Euros can still be bought, at least 60,000 people will nevertheless be present for this first qualifying match for the 2012 European Championships.
Friday 3rd September, 20h45
Stade de France