But where have the clock hands gone?

“The coming and going of the trains has fallen silent. It’s been a long time since a traveller looked up at my hands, so …. What is the point of keeping them?

Why and for whom should I continue to tell the time?

No, no… time has stopped here and my hands are only the memory of a time lost forever. I might as well forget them too.

Today, visitors have replaced travellers and instead of running after time, they come to lose the notion of it by wandering from one sculpture to another.

No, no… it is better to leave them in this bubble outside of time and not to disturb them. The incessant ticking of life’s clocks will catch up with them soon enough.

Extract from a conversation between Loedi and one of the clocks in the Musée d’Orsay.

But where is Loedi ?

A shepherd’s hut made of dry stones with a wool blanket as a door… a small wood stove where Choco and Loedi warm up and prepare their meal, a duvet on the ground… and that’s all.

This morning, the sun’s rays have remained hidden behind a sea of clouds. The wind blows and the hills are soon wrapped in a white cottony blanket.

Then the first snowflakes fall. Timidly at first, they soon give way to a real snowstorm.

Loedi goes outside and welcomes the wind, the snow, the storm. She receives all this energy, this wild force that carries with it all the past wounds and imbues her with a new strength.

Invigorated, her soul soothed and comforted, Loedi feels again in every part of her being how beautiful life is…

Dialogue of the deaf between Loedi and Victor Hugo

On a sunny Sunday in January, Loedi sits in the garden of the Rodin Museum facing the imposing statue of Victor Hugo.
Suddenly, the statue starts talking…
“What are you doing, Loedi?
– I’m trying to draw you Mr Hugo.
– It’s not a very good likeness.
– But I told them I don’t know how to draw sculptures…
– Couldn’t you choose another model? Why me if you’re going to draw me badly?
– That is to say… the steps in front of you allow me to sit and settle down comfortably…
– What a cheeky girl! I thought it was to honour me, out of admiration for my person and my work!
– Sorry…. Yes, of course! Don’t get angry Mr Hugo, my drawing is not so bad after all, look!
– Um… what is this coloured background you have put behind us?
– Those are the decorations for the Dior fashion show that took place in the museum garden: large embroideries made by Indian artists featuring Shiva and …
– Shiva? I don’t know… but I like the colours. Why didn’t you put colours on me?
– Because you’re all marble, Mr. Hugo… white marble.
– I want colours.
– On the drawing? But…
– Of course not…. I want colours there for real! Paint me! I’m tired of being in white! Take your colours and get to work right away!
– But… I can’t… it’s forbidden!
– Forbidden? Forbid me, the great and famous Victor Hugo? What an affront! I demand colours right away!
– But ….
– Colours! Stop answering and get to work!
– …
– Loedi? Where are you going? Come back right now! Loedi? Loedi!!! I want colours! Come back! Loedi!!!”

The sign board

-What are you painting Loedi?
-Our own sign board !
-Wow… so cool ! Do you think they’ll let us hang it in the museum with all the other signs in Paris?
-I don’t think so, but anyway… it doesn’t belong in a museum, at least not for the moment.
-Where then?
-At the entrance of our own workshop of course!
-Our workshop? But we don’t have one Loedi !
-Well… this sign board is the first step in the construction of our own workshop and soon it will be hung there!
-Wow… so cool ! I can’t wait…
-Me too Choco… me too…

Loedi and the coco’s birds

Do you know the coco’s birds? No ? Have you never seen one in the sky of Paris ?

What a pity… they are so incredible!

Let me explain how Loedi does it. If you follow these tips…. maybe you will see them one day!

First, you should know that coco’s birds hate cold and bad weather. In Paris… this limits the opportunities, but don’t despair: the best time of the year is in July and August, during those two to three weeks of heat wave, when we dream of a cocktail on a beach surrounded by coconut trees… and we have nothing else but our dear Haussmann buildings.

Secondly, to optimise your chances, you should know that coco’s birds are great gourmets: they love fruit of all colours, preferably ripe. They can eat a lot in no time! If you want to have the chance to see them up close, do like Loedi and bait them with a huge basket of fruit!

Third and last important point, coco’s birds have only one leg and two very large wings. They are therefore not very agile and cannot land anywhere without damaging their delicate wings. To make them want to land next to you, add some long and stable poles near the fruit basket to give them an ideal perch. Like Loedi, you can also opt for real coconut trunks, but this is a little more difficult to set up.

Now that you know everything… think of climbing on the roofs of Paris next summer and discovering the coco’s birds!