Quai Branly

Today at work I wrote my summary and made a good start on my presentation.  Mélanie has kindly offered to listen to it when I know in detail what I'm planning to say, and I hope to be all set by the end of Monday, though I'll probably need to practice a few times on my own as well.  Public speaking still makes me flustered.

Lunch was fun.  Everyone chipped in five euro or so, and I went with Geraud and Yijia into the center of Cachan to bring back lots of pizzas.  It was actually the first time I'd seen the town of Cachan, as opposed to the outskirt-y bit that I walk through every day coming from and going to the Bagneux RER station.  It's a nice town, with lots and lots of flowers growing at the roadsides.  We picked some interesting-sounding pizzas that turned out to be quite good; my favorite was the raclette pizza with ham and potato chunks.

In the evening Linda and I went to Quai Branly, a museum near the Eiffel Tower that exhibits art/artifacts from non-Western cultures - the Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa, the (indigenous) Americas... It had been recommended to me several weeks ago by Iryna and lived up to the recommendation.  I'm fascinated by non-Western art because the aesthetics are so very different from the styles to which I'm accustomed (and also, I think, because such exhibits tend to be less popular and hence less crowded, allowing for a much nicer and more personal Museum-Going Experience).  The Polynesian masks in particular seem alien to me, and I wonder what exactly they meant to their makers and wearers.  Sure, there are little cards with a paragraph or so purporting to explain, but somehow they don't do the trick.  With the wonderful internet and its knowledge, there's no reason I can't find the answers on my own - I just hope I remember to look.

This museum managed the atmosphere effectively, whether intentionally or not.  Many areas were dimly lit, and the windows covered in decal-patterns that made the surrounding Parisian streets look exotic and unfamiliar.  Samples of traditional music played in the background.  Without broaching the topic of possible heavy-handedness, I'll submit that the exhibits certainly had the feel of a very different place than Paris.

Linda and I enjoyed the visit and left a bit before the museum's closing at 9:00 pm.  (By the way, Quai Branly can be added to the long list of museums that are free with a Paris student ID card.)  We decided to walk back to Notre-Dame along the Seine before catching the metro back to the dorms, which was a good decision.  It was the nicest time of the evening, with sunlight slanting down and clouds being moderately dramatic.  Now for a good night's sleep and a full day tomorrow.