Maurienne Valley, June 2013 This photograph was taken with a “new iPad”, a digital Swiss Army knife which sophistication has obsoleted its predecessor, which was still at the forefront twelve months earlier. Both have in common one component, sand, essential […]

I don’t remember what I used to draw when I was her age. I’m not sure I ever drew any device or any technology. A TV, a radio, a phone, perhaps? I doubt it. I was really surprised when I […]

Visiting an unknown city in a limited time often leads to prepare or even simulate the journey ahead, relying on multiple devices: tourist guides with photos and addresses remarkable site bringing together fellow travelers opinions or a software to view […]

Public lettering, to use Petrucci‘s term, has been an essential element of the graphic ecology of cities for a very long time. Actually, they are crucial parts of the city itself, of what dwelling together in an organized, politicized, place […]

One of the most visible aspects of globalization is not “made in China” on the back of many manufactured goods, but the geographical extension of what was once attached to a territory, and its infinite reproduction in always different places. […]

You’ve been regularly back in this station for thirty years. The first time that you stopped at Centraal Station, it was during a trip with friends a summer at the beginning of the nineties. For five days only, you appreciated […]

For a long time, there has ben very few concert halls in Paris compared to other European capitals : failing sound equipment fails, lack of prefecture authorization, too few market intermediaries or even banned musicians, rock fans had to go […]

In Elevators, you’re bored, you’re scared, you look buttons leading to different floors whether you arein a station or this hotel. Could we find a better place to catch the eye of captive and stressed passengers for a few moments […]

I remember the poster that used to be stuck up the wall of these lavatories. It was a painting, which I always found pretty ugly, autographed for your wife, my grand-mother. It had remained in place several years after she […]

Elevators are often experienced as specific sites. In such confined spaces, feelings are as various as the fear of suddenly failing down, the anxiety of getting stuck for a long time, or being visited by a ghost girl, sexual arousal […]

In the past, things were simple: to stay healthy while eating, it was enough to avoid too rich foods that give an upset stomach, undercooked meat that transmits parasites, raw milk cheeses can cause listeriosis, eggs always suspected of harboring […]

Great events always represent opportunities for exchanges. They are like objects on the skyline, big enough to be seen by almost everyone. At least discussed by almost everyone. These last days, approaching Apocalypse was one of them, a quite huge […]

When participating to a discussion or being involved in any kind of interaction, one is supposed to know and endorse the basic code of conduct: to be respectful and polite in any circumstances. That is what everyone expects! More: what […]

The tale of the failing train has become a very stabilized narrative figure : passengers left to themselves for hours, no station agent present to answer them, locked in their steel vehicle unless they decide to get out and walk […]

The food industry has learned to manipulate our senses: taste enhancers, thickeners, dyes and artificial flavors regularly deceive our eyes and palate. It has set new standards on the appearance of products: strawberry ice cream should be a sparkling rose, […]

We already stated that urban settings are graphical ecologies. Numerous species struggle to occupy specific places. Some get killed ; some come back to life again and again ; some others, quite rare, are officially supported and claim their role […]

Facing the shelve, she compares colors and chooses a blended shades of blue. Then, she puts spay cans on the counter, and waits to pay the bill. Yet, the salesman does not tell her the price. Beforehand, he grasps a […]

She’s got her own keys now. Once in a week, she gets back from school after lunch, alone. You tried to imagine her, organizing the few hours she got before she takes her bike to attend her tennis lesson. Doing her […]

Recently bicycle has been an object of reinvestment as a green technology of mobility. In numerous cities around the world, bicycle usage has dramatically increased in the last decade, notably through bicycle-sharing systems. As a consequence, various dedicated infrastructures have […]

Recently, there has been lots of discussions about names and their presence on the Web. Anonyms, pseudonyms, patronyms. A real Nymwar has been declared. Could companies such as Facebook or Google impose the use of a real name? Is there, […]

How can we investigate an organism? How can we look inside a material object? According to situations and technical innovations, several technologies of vision are at one’s disposal to conduct such inquiries. The use of corporal sensations and of abilities […]

Some sociologists showed a great interest in the ways day-to-day work is accomplished, notably insisting on its collective nature. But not as a result of their analysis (they were sociologists, they already knew everything is collective), but as one of […]

Prices are quite strange things. In the mind of some people, they are supposed to crystallize the result of an encounter: the one of supply and demand (strange things too, but this is another story). The fact that prices are […]

Among public lettering, epigraphical inscriptions are particular. They are generally used to qualify settings in an explicit or metaphorical way. Inscriptions in the pediment of numerous monuments may be a kind of a store sign: “National Parliament”. But they are […]

“Please, do not disturb, thank you in advance”. This was her first drawing. A few hours after entering her new bedroom for the first time. I had figured out that this kind of poster would arrive after screams and tears, […]

One of the key features of our times seems to be a certain kind of reflexivity. Not our capacity to mentally examine our own actions ex-post (we have been able to do that for a long time), but the ability […]

To go always faster, always farther. Similar injunctions are regularly heard, and one knows the principle of competition that grounds them: even when taking part of the leaders, one has to fight against oneself to excel. Here stands the quality […]

Issy-Les-Moulineaux, july 2011. Thanks to email, one is free from numerous constraints that stand in the snail mail system. From now on, exchanges are faster and more fluid. No need to wait several days before receiving an email : the […]

Toulouse, april 2011. In everyday life, nothing seems easier than pushing a button to turn on the light, start a computer, or run a washing machine program. It is so simple, as is a double-click, that one acts naturally without […]

Boston, june 2011. Among the various domains of scientific knowledge, anthropology is surely one that matters. It raises fundamental questions: who are human beings ? What are the structural features of human nature beyond cultural diversity? What are the main exchange […]

La Rochelle, july 2011. As one looks for a flat, one usually pays attention to specific details. Its price, its location in the neighborhood, its surface and the arrangement of different rooms. Once the choice is made, simultaneously starts the […]

What is music? Where does it lies? What kind of commodity can it be? How can we « buy » music, « steal » it? When you’re dealing with inscriptions and their materials, these are particularly intricate, though fascinating, questions. […]

Back in the days, to buy fishes or sea fruits, one could estimate its waiting time in a glimpse. Looking at the number of people in front of the stall was sufficient. Once in the line, one had to be […]