Apr

A Paris Cultural Experience: Auctions by Candle

by Meredith Mullins on April 4, 2013

Lighting of the candle at the Chambres des Notaires auction by the candle, a Paris cultural experience that mixes old with new.

Paris auction “by the candle”
© Meredith Mullins

A Melange of Centuries

Many of us have a soft spot for nostalgia. We may admire the work of artisans who make quality long-lasting products with loving hands, or we may marvel at how early cultures invented what was needed to survive and sometimes made their tools so beautiful in design that they became, for us, works of art.

We can appreciate the elements of the past that make us slow down and focus on the simpler things in life.

The Oh, I see revelation, for me, is that the most rewarding moments are when nostalgia can be interwoven with modern life so that we have the best of all worlds. A cultural experience that is lost in time.

Starbucks coffee in the shadow of Notre Dame, a cultural experience that blends the old with the new.

A Starbucks birthday toast to Notre Dame (happy 850th!).
© Meredith Mullins

Everyday Life: The Old with the New

In a city like Paris, so richly layered with history, I have memorable time-warped OIC moments everyday, as old and new thread together.

I can walk from my 17th century apartment and look up at the 850-year-old Notre Dame, with a Starbucks latte in hand.

Young man texting in the Arenes de Lutece, a cultural experience that mixes old and new.

Hangin’ out at the Arènes de Lutèce
© Meredith Mullins

I can watch teens texting as they lounge on ancient stone in the Arènes de Lutèce, the amphitheater in the Latin Quarter built in the 1st century AD by the Gallo-Romans for gladiatorial combat.

I can look west from the obelisk at Place de la Concorde toward the Arc de Triomphe and see the skyscrapers of La Défense in the smoggy distance (ugh!).

And, I can go to a real estate auction at the Chambre des Notaires, where the “going once, going twice” rhythm of the auctioneer’s gavel is replaced by . . . who would guess? The lighting of candles.

Chambres des Notaires building, a Paris cultural experience that mixes old and new.

Chambres des Notaires Building, housing the auction “by the candle.”
© Meredith Mullins

Vente à la Bougie

The “vente à la bougie” (sale by the candle) dates from the 15th century, where waiting for the candle to burn out after each bid was meant to give everyone a fair chance at thoughtful buying.

Today, it remains a charming tradition . . . and adds a certain elegant (and humorous!) quality to the auction.

The auction room is modern, with a huge flat screen that projects photos and details of the buildings, houses, and apartments that are up for sale. Then, on the stage platform, amongst the computers, microphones, and wires, is a silver candle holder and candelabra.

For the “sale by the candle,” a candle is lit at the beginning of the auction. When the bidding seems to be coming to an end for a particular item (that is, when all is quiet), another candle is lit and placed in the candelabra to indicate a call for last bids.

Lighting the first candle at the auction by the candle, a cultural experience that mixes old and new.

The beginning of the waiting period before the “last fire” and the bidding is closed.
© Meredith Mullins

If no one bids, a final candle is lit and the auctioneer announces “le dernier feu” or “the last fire.” When this candle goes out, the auctioneer announces “éteint” or “extinguished,” which signals that the bidding is closed for that item.

During this process, the potential landowners and apartment magnates have plenty of time to reflect. Impulse buying is controlled, and buyer’s remorse is almost nonexistent.

Of course, if someone bids again before the last candle goes out, a new candle must be lit. And, if someone bids before that candle goes out, another new candle must be lit. And so on and so on.

The room of anxious bidders learns the true meaning of patience. Drama builds, flames flicker, time passes. And, for those few timeless moments, the room lives in the 15th century.

How long will a cultural experience like this be part of our everyday life? How long can we hold on to these charming vestiges of the past?

Time will tell.

But, sadly, I imagine they will soon be going, going . . . gone.

What remnant from the past will make you sad when it’s gone?

If you’re thinking of going to this auction “by the candle,” visit Chambres des Notaires, and for more information on buying property in France, note the second article in this piece by Adrian Leeds.

Special thanks to Maureen and Christian Anouge and Rayan for their photo assistance.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/France (Paris)

Feb

Life Changing Moments: One Billion Rising in Paris

by Meredith Mullins on February 21, 2013

One Billion Rising in Paris
© Meredith Mullins

Stop Violence Against Women

A convergence of forces.

Start with . . .

An ongoing annual event on Valentine’s Day to stop violence against women and girls (organized since 1998 by Eve Ensler, women’s rights activist and creator of “The Vagina Monologues”).

Fuel it with . . .

Recent brutalities, including the gang rape of Jyoti Singh in India, the shooting of Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, and the alledged gang rape of a young woman in Steubenville, Ohio, by members of the high school football team.

Punctuate it with . . .

A world cry that enough is enough.

Decide . . .

To make this year’s Valentine’s Day a global day of action.

Add . . .

Media momentum and star power (Jane Fonda, Anne Hathaway, Anoushka Shankar, Rosario Dawson, the prime ministers of Australia and Croatia, the Queen Mother of Bhutan)

The result: One Billion Rising—Life Changing Moments for the World

Flash Mob at One Billion Rising, a life changing moment to stop violence against women

Flash Mob at One Billion Rising in Paris
© Meredith Mullins

Valentine’s Day: One Billion Rising

What were the goals of One Billion Rising as it staged a global flash mob, dance, and revolution on Valentine’s Day 2013?

To raise awareness
To bring people around the world together with one voice, in one act of solidarity
To demand an end to violence against women and girls

And, indeed, One Billion Rising met its goals.

We delivered facts to raise awareness: One in every three women in the world will be raped or beaten—one billion women. This is an atrocity.

We came together, in countries all over the world. We danced. We talked. We smiled as if we’d known each other for a lifetime. We grew stronger with numbers.

We, in Paris, felt a bond with those who “rose up” in India, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazil, Somalia, the U.K., Nepal, South Africa, the Philippines, the U.S. and every other country in the world, all of which had group action set for the day.

With our voices strong, we asked for an end to violence against women and girls.

Dancer at One Billion Rising, a life changing moment to stop violence against women

Rise up and dance
© Meredith Mullins

Oh, I See

It is possible to raise awareness with a global event. It is possible to feel a unity, a bond, across vast physical and cultural distances, with song and dance and justified cause. The reward was a joyful OIC moment, but there was need for more.

Oh, I Wonder

At the Paris gathering, I asked people why they were there and what would come next. I was relieved to hear that most had a plan.

Many were already a part of organizations active in women’s rights issues. Many vowed to continue the fight for strong legislation. Many said they would take action every day to transform the world. All were committed to justice, equality, and respect.

Who wouldn’t be, you ask? Too many. That’s why we have to make our voices heard.

Participant in One Billion Rising raises the one billion sign in a life changing moment to stop violence against women.

One World; One Billion Rising
© Meredith Mullins

Oh, I Hope

The V-Day roar was loud and clear. For one brief shining moment our voices amplified the message. An energy emerged—worldwide—and it was powerful. Life changing moments occurred. But the news cycle is short.

Now, one week later, the voices are a little fainter. Where will they be one month from now . . . one year from now?

Was One Billion Rising enough?

No.

But it’s a start.

Now . . . it’s time to change the world.

Others involved in the movement to stop violence against women: One Billion Rising, Eve Ensler, RAINN, Amnesty International, The Advocates for Human Rights.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 3 Comments

France (Paris)/Making a Difference

Dec

Creative Inspiration in a Paris Bookstore

by Meredith Mullins on December 6, 2012

Creative inspiration from Shakespeare and Company, a Paris bookstore

Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris
© Meredith Mullins

Paying Tribute to Shakespeare and Company and George Whitman

“Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise.”

As you climb the sunken wooden stairs to the second floor of Shakespeare and Company bookstore, close enough to feel the vibrations of the Notre Dame belltower just across the Seine, you are confronted with a carefully lettered moment of philosophy . . . and a reminder of how owner George Whitman lived his life.

There are plenty of stories about the wild-haired and eccentric George and about the legacy of creative inspiration at Shakespeare and Company—the most famous English-language bookstore in Paris (and perhaps the world).

Whitman’s Inspiration

Most people would agree that George lived life exactly how he wanted. He created his bookstore in 1951, and it soon became a literary haven and creative inspiration for some of the best expat and visiting writers of the time (including Lawrence Durrell, Samuel Beckett, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Anaïs Nin, Henry Miller, James Baldwin).

He supported writers and readers with access to English-language books and good conversation, hosted readings and book launches, and gave writers a kick in the pants when they needed it.

Creative inspiration from inscription above Shakespeare and Company door

He lent books, cared little about money, had a tyrannical temper, but most of all was a socialist at heart, with a generous spirit at his core. He called Shakespeare and Company “a socialist Utopia disguised as a bookstore.”

He had a beautiful daughter when he was 68 (who now runs the shop, with charisma and charm), and he enjoyed the company of friends and admirers (young and old) until he died. He cut his hair by setting fire to it (easier and faster, he said). Every Sunday, he hosted conversation and tea in his top floor apartment and often held impromptu gatherings on the terrace outside the shop.

Even at his 97th birthday party, he sat in a throne-like easy chair amidst his friends and admirers and read the paper (his favorite pastime), oblivious to the hoopla around him.

George Whitman's 97th Birthday Party at Shakespeare and Company, a Paris bookstore offering creative inspiration

Inside the Legendary Bookstore

The hard benches in the antiquarian room and other cubbyholes throughout the maze of books became beds for more than 50,000 aspiring writers and rambling adventurers over the years, although this “open house” came with rules.

You had to write something before being allowed in.

You had to read a book a day.

And you had to work a few hours in the shop.

Mostly, you had to think—keep your mind alive and curious.

Creative inspiration from Shakespeare and Company steps saying Live for Humanity

The labyrinthian store winds its way around many messages that lead to Oh, I see moments:

The time-layered steps to the back rooms deliver the subtle inspiration “Live for Humanity,” if you happen to be looking down as you step up.

The wishing well—a place for coins tossed with hopes and dreams— says “Give what you can, take what you need.”

Outside the store, George told his story on a chalkboard that says, “Some people call me the Don Quixote of the Latin Quarter because my head is so far up in the clouds that I can imagine all of us are angels in paradise.”

Whitman’s Legacy

George’s birthday is next week (December 12). He would have been 99 this year. He passed away last year, two days after his 98th birthday.

“I may disappear leaving no forwarding address, but for all you know I may still be walking among you on my vagabond journey around the world.”

Creative inspiration from Sylvia and George Whitman at Shakespeare and Company

George left more than a personal legacy of individuality and dedication to an ideal. He left an inspiration for living life with generosity and meaning. He believed we have certain inalienable rights: friends, paper pages, the smell of library (and liberty), and the incredible journeys that thoughtful conversation and good writing can take us on.

Long live bookstores that give life to the written word, inspire thoughtful conversation, and embrace the creative spirit.

Long live the idea that strangers may be angels in disguise.

Long live the legacy of George Whitman.

Happy Birthday, George! Thank you for so many OIC moments. May you walk among us for a long time to come.

One of my favorite YouTube videos of all time is George “cutting his hair” with a candle, accompanied by his own poetry (“the good, the beautiful, the true” . . . and, of course, the smell of burning hair).

Read the George Whitman obituary in the NY Times from December 2011.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.