For two years, Eric La Casa has been recording the urban sonic environment of Paris from the windows of his own apartment. Between a temporary inventory and a musical documentary, Paris Quotidien is the result of this long experiment. Includes a 60-page documentation booklet with photographs.
*Limited edition of 300 copies*
“Inhabiting: A story of an ordinary environment
In contrast to a virtual address (email…) what is the significance of living here at this address, in this building, said to relate to my existence, to my life, in this time of listening?
Living in Paris
When we raise questions about sound in or of Paris the archives generally provide a series of motifs that depict typologies of wholly stereotypical events: the metro, the bells of Notre Dame, la Place de L'Étoile, waiters in the café, etc… Like many Parisians my daily environment is the object of no representation found in these sound librairies. My premise therefore involves an exit from these emblematic constructions, from these commonplaces that participate in the major historical accounts of Paris.
Starting with only my immediate environment, one which possesses weak symbolic value, my project is to explore its sounds from my apartment's windows. It represents a kind of temporary and deeply localized inventory that, when given a narrative form, solidifies the impression of my listening, which is the listening of an inhabitant.”