SHARING WITH ME

  Late afternoon on our first day, we went by the « Maison de l’Artisanat et Des Métiers d’Art ». It was closing. 6pm. Two women coming out informed us that the exhibition on at the moment was to be prolonged until the Friday. "It was a MUST", they both said. With those few words, the centre closed very firmly. It’s strange in these southern countries. Closing time is closing time. Opening time can be variable. 

So of course, we came back to see it. Absolutely nothing about the exhibition being prolonged and there we were until ten minutes after the official opening hours, waiting….. THE ADVERTISING POSTER The women were right, it was a fascinating experience. In many parts of Asia, Shadow theatre and marionettes are part of the cultural heritage. From Hinduism, to Islam, Buddhism….the art is celebrated with systems of worship which are destabilized by puppet and shadow theatre. Sometimes the Royal court, sometimes from the streets where the locals play

I had been look forward to this exhibition since we had booked our trip to Marseille. Going back to the Vieille Charité is more than a pleasure for me. Nostalgia as I said in my previous chapter is not really part of my way of being and yet the Vieille Charité seems to live inside me. But looking at all the Blog chapters since I started some in 2012, I had not apparently been back to this peaceful spot. La Vieille charité is a former almshouse, now a museum and cultural centre, situated in the heart of the old Panier quarter which I talked about in the first chapter. It was constructed between 1671 and 1749 in the Baroque style following designs of the architect Pierre Puget. When Pierrette and I stopped to look at a statue of Puget, some long lost historical memories came to my mind.  The building comprises four ranges of arcaded galleries on three floors surrounding a space with a central chapel surmounted by an ovoid dome. The idea of an almshouse for the poor, dedicated to Notr