You Learn Something New Every Day

No matter what my destination in Paris, I seem never to get there without passing through the Métro station at place de la Concorde. Aside from making fun of the sing-song woman's voice trilling "Attention à la marche en déscendant du train," my favorite activity while held in captivity at M° Concorde is trying to pick out words or phrases from the millions of tiles, each printed with a letter of the alphabet, that cover every square millimetre of the tunnel.

Thanks to my friend, and fellow Our Paris blogger, Luc, I now know what it is that I'm supposed to be reading, but have never been able to make out. The letter tiles spell out the text of la Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen--the French constitution adopted by the Assemblée Nationale in 1789.

It is the brainchild of artist, architect, and urban planner Françoise Schein. She states, "I discovered how human rights principles were a geological bed on which societies had transformed into permanent, physical democracies: that is, the conception, expression and recognition of human rights was an integral component in defining the physical form that cities, societies, and communities ultimately took. By inscribing this and other fundamental expressions of the rights of man in artworks throughout the world, we leave behind indelible reminders to all who see them."

Mme Schein's work now appears in cities throughout Europe, as well as in the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. She partners with local non-profit organizations and volunteers to develop site-specific projects that relate to the historic and ongoing struggle for human rights around the globe. In some sites, local women have learned to produce and handpaint tiles--skills that have resulted in ongoing economic opportunities for women in fragile societies. In Afghanistan, ceramic craftsmen who only recently had few opportunities for creativity, are today working on a tile project that expresses their hope for the future.

So, the next time you're in Paris and stopped at M° Concorde, take a moment to ponder the beliefs inscribed on the walls. Take a moment to thank those who so bravely voiced those ideas more than 200 years ago...and take a moment to thank Françoise Schein who has found a way to daily remind us all of their signifance.