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Hope and the “Viaduc des Arts”
12th District
by Barbara Bode
Artisans, craftspeople and other blue-collar
workers laboring in workshops and smithies: that describes the
neighborhood around the Gare de Lyon in the 12th arr. of Paris ever since the Middle Ages. Today the recently restored Viaduc des Arts reflects that history.
Built in 1859 to support the railway
connecting the Bastille to Vincennes, the trackbed has been transformed
into a linear park with trellises and an array of botanical beauties.
The green walkway stretches on --
commerce-free -- for nearly three miles along but above the Av.Daumesnil.
It offers a steady counterpoint to the
creative energy generated by the restorers, designers, jewelry makers
and other craftspeople working below. Housed in each of the viaduct's
arches is a mélange of ateliers, workshops and design studios.
What goes on inside each is constant change.
Every so often something pops up, however, that is totally unpredictable and grabs attention.
Polka-dotted light bulbs with beads and
silicon wire horns, for example. They stand out amid the velvet
cushions and general opulence of the Viaduc, also known as the "temple
of arts and crafts." They are showcased in the atelier of designer
Cyrille Varet (67 Ave. Daumesnil, 12 a.). In their glow is a poster
promoting condom use.
They signify an extraordinary humanitarian
effort. Designer Varet is bringing these lights made by women with HIV
and AIDS in South African townships to a network of boutiques and
prestigious department stores like Galleries Lafayette in Europe and
Africa.
A chance encounter with a South African
designer at the World AIDS Conference in Barcelona last year led Varet
to this new mission. The South African was working with seropositive
women to produce the decorated bulbs. Varet plumbed his network of
upscale retailers to promote them. Forty-five
agreed.
World AIDS day December 2002 was the launch
date. They named their effort "Ithemba," meaning "hope" in Xhasa.
Within the first two months some 3500 decorated bulbs sold. Profits
from sales return to the women crafters.
Given the initial success, Ithemba is
expanding the product line and the number of women involved in
production. More retailers also are joining the network.
The spirit of the medieval artisans and
craftspeople from this Gare de Lyon neighborhood is alive in the modern
light bulb designers of the townships. They have arrived at the right
marketplace.
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