Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
La Suisse
Switzerland
La culture de la Suisse est marquée par plusieurs grands pays européens
qui ont influencé ses quatre langues et ses quatre cultures. En effet, la
Suisse a quatre langues officielles : l'allemand (64%) au nord et au centre,
le français (19%) à l'ouest, l'italien (8%) au sud, et enfin le romanche,
qui est une langue romane parlée par une toute petite minorité (1%) dans le
sud-est du canton des Grisons. L'allemand parlé en Suisse est un dialecte
nommé suisse allemand. La plupart des Suisses parlent plus d'une langue, et
les résidents et travailleurs étrangers représentent plus du 20 % de la population
active, chiffre en forte augmentation en raison de l'introduction de la libre
circulation des Européens de 15 pays dès 2006. La Suisse est pourvue de grands
architectes qui travaillent dans le monde entier comme Mario Botta, un architecte
tessinois, ou les architectes associés Herzog & de Meuron. Cet Album photo
tente d’illuster cette diversitée
The culture of Switzerland is influenced by its neighbours, but over the
years a distinctive culture with strong regional differences has developed.
A number of culturally active Swiss have chosen to move abroad, probably given
the limited opportunities in their homeland. At the same time, the neutrality
of Switzerland and the low taxes have attracted many creative people from
all over the world. In war times the tradition of political asylum helped
to attract artists, whilst recently low taxes seem predominant. Strong regionalism
in Switzerland makes it difficult to speak of a homogeneous Swiss culture.
The influence of German, French and Italian culture on their neighbouring
parts and the influence of Anglo-American culture cannot be denied. The Rhaeto-Romanic
culture in the eastern mountains of Switzerland is robust. This photo Album
tries to illuster this diversitée.
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Les Alpes - France - Suisse
The Alps - France - Switzerland
Les Alpes font partie des chaînes alpines péri-téthysiennes, formées pendant
le Mésozoïque et le Cénozoïque, qui s’étendent du Maghreb à l’Extrême Orient.
Une partie des ces chaînes de montagnes (les chaînes péri-méditerannéennes)
est issue de l’ouverture, puis de la fermeture de bassins océaniques du système
téthysien. L’existence de ces orogènes est liée à la convergence des plaques
africaine et européenne et à l'interposition de blocs ou de microplaques.
L'histoire du peuplement alpin commence à la fin du dernier maximum glaciaire
(il y a environ 15 000 ans). L'importante calotte de glace qui recouvrait
la majeure partie de la chaîne fond, découvrant de vastes étendues vierges
The Alps arose as a result of the pressure exerted on sediments of the Tethys
Ocean basin as its Mesozoic and early Cenozoic strata were pushed against
the stable Eurasian landmass by the northward-moving African landmass. Most
of this occurred during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. The pressure formed
great recumbent folds, or nappes, that rose out of what had become the Tethys
Sea and pushed northward, often breaking and sliding one over the other to
form gigantic thrust faults. Crystalline rocks, which are exposed in the higher
central regions, are the rocks forming Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, and high
peaks in the Pennine Alps and Hohe Tauern. The landscape seen today is mostly
formed by glaciation during the past two million years. At least five ice
ages have done much to change the region, scooping out the lakes and rounding
off the limestone hills along the northern border. Glaciers have been retreating
during the past 10,000 years, leaving large granite erratics scattered in
the forests in the region. As the last ice age ended, it is believed that
the climate changed so rapidly that the glaciers retreated back into the mountains
in a span of about 200 to 300 years. Little is known of the early dwellers
in the Alps, save from the scanty accounts preserved by Roman and Greek historians
and geographers. A few details have come down to us of the conquest of many
of the Alpine tribes by Augustus. The successive emigration and occupation
of the Alpine region by various Teutonic tribes from the 5th to the 6th centuries
are known only in outline, because to them, as to the Frankish kings and emperors,
the Alps offered a route to other places rather than a permanent residence.
It is not until the final breakup of the Carolingian Empire in the 10th and
11th centuries that it becomes possible to trace out the local history of
the Alps.
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Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre - France
Le Havre France
La ville du Havre est une création relativement récente (elle fut fondée
le 8 octobre 1517 par François Ier). Elle connut un fort essor démographique
grâce au dynamisme de son port. Les bombardements de 1944 marquent une césure
importante dans l'histoire de la ville et dans l'esprit de ses habitants.
Aujourd’hui, les projets urbains et portuaires se multiplient pour faire face
aux défis économiques et sociaux du XXIe siècle. Le Havre a obtenu le label
« Ville d'Art et d'Histoire » en 2001. Le Havre possède deux fleurs pour le
label du Comité National des Villes et Villages Fleuris, la Clef verte pour
le camping (4 étoiles) de la forêt de Montgeon attribuée par l'Office Française
de la Fondation pour l'Éducation à l'Environnement en Europe (OFFEEE) et a
été désigné en 2003 et 2004 « meilleur site Internet de France » pour le site
de la ville avec le label Ville Internet @@@@@. En 2006, Le Havre accueille
la première Biennale d’Art contemporain et invite le sculpteur Jean-Pierre
Raynault
The city was founded in 1517, when it was named Franciscopolis after Francis
I of France, and subsequently named Le Havre-de-Grâce ("Harbor of Grace";
hence Havre de Grace, Maryland). Le Havre simply means the harbour or the
port. Its construction was ordered to replace the ancient harbours of Honfleur
and Harfleur whose utility had decreased due to silting. The history of the
city is inextricably linked to its harbour. In the 18th century, as trade
from the West Indies was added to that of France and Europe, Le Havre began
to grow. During the 19th century, it became an industrial center. The city
was devastated during the Battle of Normandy: 5,000 people were killed and
12,000 homes were totally destroyed. The center was rebuilt in modernist style
by Auguste Perret. It was designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2005.
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Les Calanques
Les Calanques
Les Calanques
Les Calanques - France
The Calanques - France
Une calanque ou calanche (en Corse, voir Discussion) est une formation géologique
particulière se présentant sous forme d'un vallon étroit et profond à bords
escarpés, en partie submergé par la mer. Creusées dans un calcaire résistant
ou dans la roche granitique, les calanques composent de nombreux paysages
des côtes méditerranéennes. On peut les rapprocher, quant à leur forme, des
rias ou des abers bretons. Pour les calanques du Sud de la France, la mer
a exploité des failles géologiques dans la roche calcaire, donnant au littoral
un profil si découpé. La grotte Cosquer est située dans la calanque de la
Triperie qui est en fait un cirque rocheux ouvert au sud dans la falaise de
la presqu'île séparant Morgiou de la calanque de Sormiou (voir le plan). Son
entrée se trouve par 37 m sous la surface. Ses parois sont ornées de peintures
et de gravures datant de 27 000 à 19 000 ans avant J.-C., et représentent
des animaux aussi bien terrestres (bisons, bouquetins, chevaux...) que marins
(phoques, pingouins...)
The calanques between Marseille and Cassis are popular amongst tourists
and locals alike, offering several vantage points (such as the Corniche des
Crêtes and Cap Canaille) allowing spectacular panoramas. A great number of
hikers frequent the area, following numerous pre-marked trails. The cliffs
are also used as training spots for rock climbers. However, this excessive
use has posed problems of potential damage to this delicate microhabitat.
Most of the calanques are also closed to the public during the summer (typically
July through September) due to the risks of forest fire that often happen
during the dry season. The best time to visit calanques is probably March
through May, when temperatures are still quite fresh and, unlike autumn and
winter, rain is usually quite rare. As no fresh water sources are available
in the calanques, it is advised to carry large supplies of water, especially
during the hot summer to prevent serious dehydration. Boat tours are also
available starting either from Marseille, Cassis or La Ciotat, which can provide
for some spectacular sightseeing. The Cosquer cave is an underwater grotto
in the Calanque de Morgiou, 37 m underwater, that was once inhabited during
Paleolithic, when the sea level was much lower than today. Its walls are covered
with paintings and engravings dating back to between 27,000 and 19,000 BC
and depict many terrestrial animals such as bison, ibex, and horses as well
as sea mammals like seals and penguins.
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Marseille
Marseille
Marseille
Marseille - France
Marseille - France
Sa fondation, qui remonte à 600 avant J.-C., est le fait de Grecs venus
de Phocée (ville aujourd'hui disparue située en Asie mineure). Les conditions
exactes de la fondation de la ville font défaut à l'histoire de la ville,
on ne retient aujourd'hui qu'une légende peu précise. Le territoire aurait
été occupé par une tribu, les Nams, qui se seraient implantés vers le village
actuel d'Allauch. Le jour de l'arrivée des Grecs, le chef des Nams organisa
un repas pendant lequel sa fille Gyptis eut à choisir son époux en lui tendant
une coupe. Les Grecs furent invités à se joindre au banquet et le jeune chef
de ceux-ci, Protis, fut choisi, scellant ainsi la fondation d'une nouvelle
cité. Les Phocéens se sont rapidement implantés et ont construit une cité
résolument tournée vers la mer et le commerce. Ainsi, tout au long de la longue
histoire de Marseille, c'est le commerce (et les commerçants) qui décident
du sort de la ville : guerres, paix et alliances. La légende de la rencontre
et de l'alliance entre le marin Protis (phocéen) et de la belle Gyptis (massaliote)
établit fermement sa tradition de ville commerciale. Maurice Béjart et le
Ballet national de Marseille pour la danse, Fernandel, Raimu, Robert Guédiguian
pour le cinéma mais aussi sa compagne Ariane Ascaride, Marcel Pagnol pour
le cinéma et la littérature, IAM (groupe de rap) pour la musique. La musique
ragga est très présente, notamment grâce au Massilia Sound System. Également
Élie Kakou, Patrick Bosso et Titoff, comiques locaux aux carrières nationales.
Et parmi les nombreuses salles de spectacles de la ville, les théâtres de
la Criée, du Gymnase, et la friche de la Belle de Mai où sont installés depuis
2004 des studios de tournage de France Télévision
Marseille was founded in 600 B.C. by Greeks from Phocaea as a trading port.
(Massalia; see also List of traditional Greek place names). Facing an opposing
alliance of the Etruscans, Carthage and the Celts, the Greek colony allied
itself with the expanding Roman Republic for protection. The association with
the expanding Roman market saw the city thrive by acting as a link between
the interior of Gaul, hungry for Roman goods and wine (of which Massilia was
steadily exporting by 500 B.C.), and Rome's insatiable slave markets. Under
this arrangement the city maintained its independence until the rise of Julius
Caesar, when it joined the losing side in civil war, and lost its independence.
It was the site of a siege and naval battle. During the Roman times, it was
called Massilia. It was the home port of Pytheas. The French national anthem
"La Marseillaise" got its name because it was first known as sung on the streets
as a rallying call of the French Revolution by troops from Marseille. The
most widely circulated tarot deck comes from Marseille; it is called the Tarot
de Marseille, and was used to play the local variant of tarocchi before it
became used in cartomancy.
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New York City
New York City
New York City
New York City - NY -USA
New York City - NY -USA
L’expansion économique de New York a été rendue possible par sa situation
géographique exceptionnelle : établies sur un port naturel au débouché de
l’Hudson, les activités portuaires ont induit le développement industriel
de la métropole. L’industrie textile se développa tout au long du XIXe siècle
avec l’arrivée des migrants d’Europe centrale et orientale. La crise des années
1960-1970 a engendré des friches industrielles dans le Bronx et le Queens.
Pendant cette période, les usines ferment à cause de la concurrence internationale,
déménagent ou se délocalisent à l’étranger. Ainsi, le chantier naval de Navy
Yard ferme ses portes en 1966. Entre 1953 et 1992, New York perd quelque 700
000 emplois industriels1. Au milieu des années 1970, la désindustrialisation
et le déclin démographique poussent la ville au bord de la faillite. Depuis
les années 1990, plusieurs opérations de réhabilitation ont été menées dans
plusieurs quartiers de la Grosse Pomme. Plusieurs zones industrialo-portuaires
sont reconverties (Brooklyn) en lofts, en ateliers d’artistes L'école de New
York inaugure l'expressionnisme abstrait pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
Les premiers représentants de ce courant artistique sont Willem de Kooning,
Clyfford Still, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko ou encore Ad Reinhatdt. Ces artistes
sont suivis par une génération de femmes comme Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler
et Lee Krasner. Viennent ensuite le Pop Art et l'art conceptuel qui montre
la vitalité de New York dans le domaine de l'art contemporain.
The region was inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans at the time of its
European discovery by Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano. Although Verrazzano
sailed into New York Harbor, his voyage did not continue upstream and instead
he sailed back into the Atlantic. It was not until the voyage of Henry Hudson,
an Englishman who worked for the Dutch East India Company, that the area was
mapped. He discovered Manhattan on September 11, 1609, and continued up the
river that bears his name, the Hudson River, until he arrived at the site
where New York State's capital city, Albany, now stands. The Dutch established
New Amsterdam in 1613, which was granted self-government in 1652 under Peter
Stuyvesant. The British took the city in September 1664, and renamed it "New
York" after the English Duke of York and Albany. The Dutch briefly regained
it in August 1673, renaming the city "New Orange," but ceded it permanently
in November 1674. Writer Tom Wolfe said of New York that "Culture just seems
to be in the air, like part of the weather." Many major American cultural
movements began in the city. The Harlem Renaissance established the African-American
literary canon in the United States. The city was the epicenter of jazz in
the 1940s, abstract expressionism in the 1950s, and the birthplace of hip
hop in the 1970s. Punk rock developed in the 1970s and 1980s, and the city
has also been a flourishing scene for Jewish American literature. Wealthy
industrialists in the 19th century built a network of major cultural institutions,
such as Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, that became internationally
established. Artists are drawn to the city by opportunity, as well; there
are 2,000 arts and cultural non-profits and 500 art galleries of all sizes,
and the city government funds the arts with a larger annual budget than the
National Endowment for the Arts. The advent of electric lighting led to elaborate
theatre productions, and in the 1880s New York City theaters on Broadway and
along 42nd Street began showcasing a new stage form that came to be known
as the Broadway musical. Strongly influenced by the city's immigrants, these
productions used song in narratives that often reflected themes of hope and
ambition. Today these productions are a mainstay of the New York theatre scene.
The city's 39 largest theatres (with more than 500 seats) are collectively
known as "Broadway," after the major thoroughfare through the Times Square
theatre district. The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which includes
Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the
New York Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet, is the largest performing
arts center in the United States.
New York City Melting Pot
New York City’s special flavor and hard-edged beauty are captured in the
kaleidoscope view. Furthermore, this photo album tend to translate the high
speed fascinating atmosphere of the city as well as the specific Big Apple
urban activity…
The following photos have been taken from every part of the city (1994/2005).
This urban travel photo album is composed of the following subjects:
- Details on towers architecture
- Queens and Brooklyn old industrial site
- Zoom on funky antiques left in the streets of Lower East Side and Soho
- Zoom on wall graphic compositions all a round the city… (Spray can art
and scratch commercial billboards)
New York City in Black and White
This specific album is based on a "retro vision" of the city with the "shadow"
of the XXI century in background. This series is dedicated to photographers
who lived at the time when the Chrysler and ESB were under construction. Also
this collection of shots is a special trip between Brooklyn height architectural
composition and the more popular district of Williamsburg.
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Paris - France
Paris - France
Paris est un centre culturel de premier plan. Destination touristique visitée
chaque année par quelque 26 millions de touristes étrangers, Paris propose
notamment plus de 150 musées, tels Le Louvre, et des sites exceptionnels,
comme les Champs-Élysées ou la tour Eiffel. Capitale mondiale des salons et
conférences (5 % de l'activité mondiale des congrès sur près de 600 000 mètres
carrés), de la mode et du luxe, de la gastronomie et de l'amour, Paris propose
également un choix conséquent en matière de spectacles, théâtres ou opéras
notamment, et présente à un public particulièrement cinéphile un choix sans
égal de films en provenance du monde entier.
Three of the most famous Parisian landmarks are the twelfth century cathedral
Notre Dame de Paris on the Île de la Cité, the nineteenth century Eiffel Tower,
and the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe. The Eiffel Tower was a "temporary" construction
by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Universal Exposition but the tower was never
dismantled and is now an enduring symbol of Paris. It is visible from many
parts of the city as are the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper and the Basilica
of the Sacré Cœur on the Montmartre hill. The Historical axis is a line of
monuments, buildings and thoroughfares that run in a roughly straight line
from the city centre westwards: the line of monuments begins with the Louvre
and continues through the Tuileries Gardens, the Champs-Elysées and the Arc
de Triomphe centred in the Place de l'Étoile circus. From the 1960s the line
was prolonged even further west to the La Défense business district dominated
by square-shaped triumphal Grande Arche of its own; this district hosts most
of the tallest skyscrapers in the Paris urban area. The Invalides museum is
the burial place for many great French soldiers, including Napoleon, and the
Panthéon church is where many of France's illustrious men and women are buried.
The former Conciergerie prison held some prominent ancien régime members before
their deaths during the French Revolution. Another symbol of the Revolution
are the two Statues of Liberty located on the Île des Cygnes on the Seine
and in the Luxembourg Garden. A larger version of the statues was sent as
a gift from France to the United States in 1886 and now stands in New York
City harbour. The Palais Garnier built in the later Second Empire period,
houses the Paris Opera and the Paris Opera Ballet, while the former palace
of the Louvre now houses one of the most famous museums in the world. The
Sorbonne is the most famous part of the University of Paris and is based in
the centre of the Latin Quarter. Apart from Notre Dame de Paris, there are
several other ecclesiastical masterpieces including the Gothic thirteenth
century Sainte-Chapelle palace chapel and the Église de la Madeleine.
This album is in a way dedicated to the Photographer Doisneau who used to
work in popular neighborhoods of Paris. The following shots are mainly inspired
by urban compositions. Furthermore this photographic report takes a closer
view on the city rehabilitation and mutation at the beginning of this century.
The active compositions of those photos tried to catch the acceleration of
the Parisian modern tempo.
The following photos have been taken in the northern part of the city as
well as in the pop district of Bastille. (1995 - 2006) This urban travel photo
album is composed of the following subjects:
- Façade under rehabilitation
- Quiet Bastille backyards
- Lost object left in the street
- City spots under constructions
- Parisian specific architectural detail
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Venezia/Venise
Venice - Italy
La ville a été fondée par un afflux de réfugiés dans les marais de l'estuaire
du Pô, après l'invasion de l'Italie du Nord par les Lombards en 568. Elle
fut au départ un avant-poste de la civilisation byzantine, mais au fur et
à mesure de son développement, la volonté d'autonomie s'accrut jusqu'à aboutir
à l'indépendance. Venise est une ville-État établissant son pouvoir par la
proximité maritime, en italien Repubblica Marinara. Les trois autres exemples
en sont Gênes, Pise et Amalfi. Le chef de l'exécutif portait le titre de doge
(duc), et était théoriquement élu à vie. En pratique, les doges démissionnaient
souvent prématurément et se retiraient dans une vie monastique sous la pression
des oligarques, quand ils étaient discrédités par leur action politique.
According to legend, Venice was founded in 422 by Roman refugees fleeing
from the Goths. However, no historical records exist about the origins of
Venice. The city was probably founded as a result of the influx of refugees
into the marshes of the Po estuary following the invasion which ravaged northern-eastern
Italy starting from that of Quadi and Marcomanni in 166-168, who destroyed
the main center in the area, the current Oderzo. The Roman defenses were again
overthrown in the early 5th century by the Visigoths and, some 50 years later,
by the Huns led by Attila. The last and most enduring was that of the Lombards
in 568: this left the Eastern Roman Empire a small strip of coast in the current
Veneto, and the main administrative and religious entities were therefore
transferred in this remaining dominion. New ports were built, including those
of Malamocco and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon. The Byzantine domination
in central and northern Italy was largely wiped out by the conquest of the
Exarchate of Ravenna in 751 by Aistulf. In this period the seat of the local
Byzantine governor (the "duke", later "doge") was located in Malamocco: the
settlement in the islands of the lagoon increased probably in correspondence
with the Lombard conquest of the Byzantine territories. In 775-776 the bishopric
seat of Olivolo (Helibolis) was created. During the reign of duke Agnello
Particiaco (811-827) the ducal seat was moved from Malamocco to the best protected
Rialto (Rivoalto, "High Shore") island, the current location of Venice. Here
were subsequently built the monastery of St. Zachary, and the first ducal
palace and basilica of St. Mark, as well as a walled defence (civitatis murus)
between Olivolo and Rialto. In 828 the prestige of the new city was increased
by the stealing of the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria,
which were placed in the new basilica. The patriarchal seat was also moved
to Rialto. As the community continued to develop and as Byzantine power waned,
an increasingly anti-Eastern character emerged, leading to the growth of autonomy
and eventual independence.
This special photos collection tended to illustrate the essence of the Renaissance
dream city of Venezia in Italy. A city “spot” on an aquatic mirror. The following
pictures capture the romantic old atmosphere of this secular cultural melting
city. The general atmosphere of this travel album is essentially based on
a "retro style" photographic translation.
The following photos have been taken from all around the city. (2000) This
urban travel photo album is composed of the following subjects:
- General street atmosphere
- Specific architectural details in relation with constructions on water
- Sweeping basilica skyline
- Illustration of the accumulation of different historical periods on the
wall of the city (From Renascence to the XXI century)
- Tiny Canal behind the usual tourist highways
- The presence of the modern life in this city directly imported from the
paste
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