09/29/08
Text: Cheyne Nadeau
I really do love taking the red eye flights over to Europe, especially on Air France. Completely comfortable and relaxed, you just think of all the fun things you'll be doing there and all the wonderful people you're soon to meet. That is, until you actually get to your destination and it is already 7 PM. Major bummer, considering you’re just waking up from a four-hour slumber on the plane and thrown into a rather cold fall setting in Paris. But it’s fashion week here and the whole town is going full force getting ready for the week ahead.
I got to catch up with Xavier Veilhan at his studio on Friday to talk about his recent visual art project Furtivo that features the current symbol of romanticism Sebastian Tellier. The short film shows Sebastian conceptualizing 3-D objects that later come to life and become a part of the real life story in the film. Shot on location in Turin at the Fiat factory and aboard the auto tycoon family’s private yacht, the film is every artist’s wet dream, at times prompting you to mentally check in with yourself to make sure you can keep up with the story.
Xavier and his staff were very welcoming and quick to point me in all the right directions for the rest of my stay in Paris. Stay tuned for the next issue of Anthem where we get some insight into his next big undertaking at the Chateau de Versailles in 2009. With a follow-up to Jeff Koons 2008 installation, it shows Xavier taking on something a lot bigger and quite unique.
While in Paris, you must visit Paris Paris, a Parisian club staple at which I met up with our Amsterdam-based editor, Femke who was rotating behind the decks for the night. Good tunes and great décor, which I would reference when I stepped into Andre & Lionel’s new recently opened club Le Regine. Once owned for more than thirty years by Regine herself, this club gave off like it played host to some serious disco action in its day. Madame Regine is still a celebrity in Paris, frequenting their equivalent of the Surreal Life reality shows here & there but according to the new owners her clubbing nights are long over.
Brainchild of Paris elite Andre & Lionel of Le Clique, the club now houses world class DJ talent that includes people like DJ Falcon, Pilooski, Midnight Juggernauts, and yours truly this past weekend. We also saw the European premier of Parra’s new band Le Le while Tekilatex and Leo Fitzpatrick controlled the decks with the beautiful Uffie on the mic.
I have had a very busy weekend thus far and it is about to get a little crazier with all the shows starting up this week, it should be nothing short of amazing. Until we meet again...
