Another idea I began to push in my work this week was my documentation of the so called “non-pretty” side of Paris, that is, the evidence of actual life with its waste and sometimes unclean look. I wanted to look again at places where garbage or waste might be, but I also wanted to push this idea. So I decided I would not limit my search for the unclean to just garbage, but expand it to allow for the many images and places I have come across that one might not expect of Paris.
As I have said before, I am not a fan of the idea that we should continue to image that Paris is not just a “picture perfect” place. Living in a place should definitely show one this. For me living in Europe, and in a city with such distinction as Paris, I have come to realize, as many do, that Paris is not the place of the Eiffel tower, or Notre Dame. It is a live, moving city with real people livin
g real, non-movie-like lives. When I think of my home Chicago I am not only thinking of the Sears Tower or Navy Pier, so why is it that it takes someone so long to realize the fantasy around Paris that is built up by so many images of the past? Books, movies, and pictures, have all impressed upon our minds that Paris is “the city of love” and that it is beyond beautiful. I wanted to challenge the notions of what Paris really is in my work.
This is all of course not to say that Paris isn’t beautiful or “picturesque.” I love Paris, I love being here, and I still really enjoy seeing things like the Eiffel Tower, but I have also seen normal
life here. I have come to love Paris despite seeing graffiti, dog poop, garbage, and other images that might be considered “not picturesque.” I believe that I can truly appreciate this city even more when I am able to look past the pretty Paris as it is supposed to be represented, and see the whole picture. So I h
ave documented what I think people might think of as the uglier side of Paris. But to me these images are beautiful because they are a reminder that I am not falling head over heels for Paris without thinking. I am challenging Paris just as 
I would challenge Chicago, and this makes me feel even closer to my work and Paris itself. It is only by critiquing notions that we have that we are able to learn more, or else we would all just keep our stubborn ideas. I challenge myself and others to look at Paris in a new light with this weeks work.
As I have said before, I am not a fan of the idea that we should continue to image that Paris is not just a “picture perfect” place. Living in a place should definitely show one this. For me living in Europe, and in a city with such distinction as Paris, I have come to realize, as many do, that Paris is not the place of the Eiffel tower, or Notre Dame. It is a live, moving city with real people livin
g real, non-movie-like lives. When I think of my home Chicago I am not only thinking of the Sears Tower or Navy Pier, so why is it that it takes someone so long to realize the fantasy around Paris that is built up by so many images of the past? Books, movies, and pictures, have all impressed upon our minds that Paris is “the city of love” and that it is beyond beautiful. I wanted to challenge the notions of what Paris really is in my work.This is all of course not to say that Paris isn’t beautiful or “picturesque.” I love Paris, I love being here, and I still really enjoy seeing things like the Eiffel Tower, but I have also seen normal
life here. I have come to love Paris despite seeing graffiti, dog poop, garbage, and other images that might be considered “not picturesque.” I believe that I can truly appreciate this city even more when I am able to look past the pretty Paris as it is supposed to be represented, and see the whole picture. So I h
ave documented what I think people might think of as the uglier side of Paris. But to me these images are beautiful because they are a reminder that I am not falling head over heels for Paris without thinking. I am challenging Paris just as 
I would challenge Chicago, and this makes me feel even closer to my work and Paris itself. It is only by critiquing notions that we have that we are able to learn more, or else we would all just keep our stubborn ideas. I challenge myself and others to look at Paris in a new light with this weeks work.
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