Monday 2nd July 2018
12:30 / 13:00 AGORa
I stayed 15 minutes under the sun and I was feeling sick; besides, obviously, the inhuman temperature of the benches that makes your behind sweat, a lot.
I am sitting on the vases now, and it’s not so difficult climbing up on them.
The trees here are losing leaves and they fall near you; there is shade, the one of the light filtering from the vegetation, uneven, nice, iridescent. Neither cold, nor hot.
12:30 STATION
It’s the second time I see the security kindly bringing someone out who momentarily found a shelter over there and fell asleep, messed-up.
They want the Station to be "clean" inside. The places chosen to sleep were often in conflict with other practices. There is no room.
19:00 P. DU LUXEMBOURG
The lawn, its condition of filthiness, is such that makes me uncomfortable. There is not a single quiet spot without dirt, not even near the statue: it’s invaded by ants eating I can’t imagine what.
20:43 PLACE JOURDAN
A guy taking a seat on a metal barrier which fell on the ground , eating French fries
20:00 P. JOURDAN 20°C
The sky is so covered, it’s not hot in spite of the temperature and it’s not very pleasant staying outside for a drink.
Anyway, almost every bar is full, except for the one I am sitting at.
I wouldn’t stop in this square if it weren’t for my research.
20:30 P. JOURDAN 19°C
Some people don’t have a jacket, others are wearing shorts.
Sometimes rains a little bit. The winner is the bar with the largest covering (against sun or rain): having more tables is useless.
Tuesday 3rd July 2018
20:00 AGORa
There was a moment today when for a few minutes it was just he and I, sitting in the square.
Looking at each other (?).
And for physiological needs okay, one can find a way.
What about desires?
You are like a stray dog, who adapts to his situation, or do you still have any preferences?
Will you like the sandwich I left you ?
You might be like a hermit, always sitting and thinking, in the very same place.
Or, that’s more likely, you don’t have a home, and I wonder why.
Where do you wash yourself?
What do you talk about with the security guys at the end of the day? What is your relationship with them?
At the bars, do they make you use the toilet?
And so…I still have a lot of questions.
11:30 AGORa SIMONE VEIL 20°C
One of the soldiers violently says not to take pictures, I think because he was photographed too.
They get closer to read the flyers of the event, they clearly didn’t know about it.
12:00 AGORà SIMONE VEIL
The square is quite lively. It doesn’t give me bad feelings in spite of its greyness.
The granite bench today is cool – pleasant – but it’s not made for a long staying because it’s too hard. My coccyx hurts and I am using the pillow.
There’s an event for the World Refugee Day.
13:30 – 14:00 AGORà
This square is always different.
I don’t know if I’d stop here if it weren’t for my research but I’d surely take a closer look at such a strange place – so different from the rest but at the same time not so "beautiful" for the role it has. It’s probably cooler in picture than in real life.
Every time I get out of the dark tunnel and enter in the “hug” of Agora Simone Veil something has -temporarily- changed.
Wednesday 27th June 2018
15:00 AGORA S. V.
Very hot.
People sit in the sun only if they have no choice.
The granite of the bench is BURNING HOT. There is no way of touching it with your bare skin (shorts) otherwise you get burned. No kidding!
At this time almost all the places are in the sun.
I think if I’ll stay here in the sun longer than half an hour I’ll feel sick. HOW CAN PEOPLE WEAR A SUIT AND TIE?!?
15:30-16:00 LUX 26°C
The only shelter in the shadow (without having to consume) is the one under the statue: and here I am.
I have the feeling that people here have an aperitif at every time of the day.
Today then, which is hot as hell, and this lawn only gets worse (dirty and yellow), everybody is staying at the bar. But it’s true. That’s not an area to get too relaxed.
Wednesday 4th July 2018
PLACE LUX 28°C
----MONOTONY----
Dull.
Hot, dirty.
Exki is the only safe haven-even though it’s a franchising.
Did they go on holiday, at the Parliament? Or they’re just pretending to and entering from the back door? So there’s no need to put a lot of security here in front of the main entrance?
PLACE JOURDAN almost 14:00
17°C - scattered clouds
It is not very pleasant staying in front of a building site, when it’s active. There is so much chaos, there’s not the best weather, sometimes it’s really cold and sometimes really hot. The pigeons pass among the feet.
By now, at least, the wind hasn’t raised the sand.
What is interesting, though, is watching the large number of people passing by the designated path on the sides.
Actually, there are not lots of other squares with so many terraces and different cafés/restaurants. The offer is so extended it’s impossible being unsatisfied.
15:00 – Léopold 16°C
It feels like the city is distant, even though it’s really close. Could be the complex space, the topography that don’t make the park look so urban, designed.
Thursday 28th June 2018
How does one judge a place?
How can one say that it works or doesn’t work?
As usual, everything turns around the French fries (Friterie), which kept everything going in spite of the big chaos. Same for the many culinary attractions.
What’s not working right now, the flows, maybe will work with the pedestrian area. (?)
PARC.
The park…works. But the installations, like the red one, need to be incentivised.
There is a lot of space. It is both its strong and weak point. It needs to be used, and frequently, better.
This fu**ing lawn is so disgusting. Is it a privatized place? Maybe. It’s a habitable roundabout, not bad. But it needs to be inhabited better. monofunctional -> aperitif
18:30 LéOPOLD 24°C
They mounted an “installation”/sitting place.
Very cool.
The children are barefoot and so am I. The “peace” of the Friday.
Everyone walks calmly. Wearing short sleeves is not that bad.
Traffic, animals and water.
Depending on the direction of the wind, I can smell French fries.
Sunlight is strong, but it’s fading.
19:00 23°C
The sun went behind the House of European History.
Friday 22nd June 2018
A. SIMONE VEIL -> LUX -> PARC 14-17°C
Friday has a different touch from the other days. Every place looks more relaxed, in spite of the usual traffic, people walk at a slower pace.
Many schools are closed for the holidays and the children play in the street.
It doesn’t feel like summer at all, it’s windy and when a cloud blocks the sun it’s very cold. Anyway, the people here seem not to care that much about it.
Sitting on the grass is much more comfortable than in the Parliament, but makes me sleepy.
When I tried to get to Exki to work indoor, I found a huge queue (12:00), so I opted for the Park.
Friday 29th June 2018
11:30 JOURDAN 24°C
It’s a moment of preparations. The square has reawakened, but just for those who work here.
Cleaning, throwing away the bottles of the day before, emptying out the trash bins, fetching the used frying oil, buying ready-to-eat salad for the sandwiches at the Carrefour.
The suppliers’ trucks are crowding in double and triple park, or in the pedestrian zone. === C A O S
12:30 LéOPOLD
It’s break time for everybody. In the shade of the tree, despite it’s quite crowded, there’s room and it’s nice.
What’s annoying?
The continuous sound of car honks. A traffic that not only is present, but hyper-present, a prima donna.
A crossroad full of traffic lights and pissed off drivers.
Everything (almost) normal. I see the differences; I do know the characters of this story.
One thing, though: yesterday there was the afterwork and when I passed by – on the bus, around midnight - it still wasn’t over. In fact today, in some points there’s smell of pee and vomit.
13:00 JOURDAN
It’s hot. It’s pleasant at first but after a while it makes me feel a bit shocked.
The vibe is good however, in spite of the odd waiters dressed up for the football match. There is even someone sitting by himself, he’s relaxing, smoking and reading.
Anyway, the heat comes and goes, obviously. Now that they have turned up the volume of the TV it’s not so nice.
13:56 PARC LéOPOLD
Two people sitting on the big red wooden bench;
one sitting on the normal small metal bench;
one laying in the grass.
Saturday 30th June 2018
There’s a very strange and very wonderful calm.
But the square is an oven. Seats in the shadow are so insufficient.
Now that the shadows are stronger is even harder to glimpse the residence of that homeless.
What are you thinking?
What do you do over there all day?
What do you say, to the air?
Do you see me?
Do you recognize me?
20:00 PLACE DU LUXEMBOURG
I asked a friend about her impressions, she says “Massiveness of the parliament, light, relax at the bars and carefreeness”.
Sunday 24th June 2018
14:00/30 AGORA S. VEIL
Sun-breeze-clouds 19°C
There is a peace that this square doesn’t know so often in this very time of the day.
There is some space in the shadow but the sun is prevailing for the most part. The only place always in the shadow is the one of the right-side homeless man.
There are just tourists but it’s nice resting here in the sun, on a cold bench (well, it’s freezing)…if it weren’t a so hard bench.
Sunday 1st July 2018
RESEARCH
ABOUT