By Laurent P. Photo by Laurent P. Posted 25 October 2022 at 21:45
Do you know the Defender of Time in Paris? This automatic watch gave you the time with its globe watch and its soldier fighting a chimera with his sword and shield movements … But that was before it was removed from the watch quarter, near the Center Pompidou, in 2003, due to its condition and the city’s refusal to restore it, due to its excessive cost. A watch that will return to the neighborhood in early 2023. Discover its history!
He made the good days of clock districtthen he disappeared during the night … The defender of timework of the French artist Jacques Monestier, has long marked the life of the inhabitants of the neighborhood that gave it its name, between the streets Saint-Martin, Rambuteau, du Grenier Saint-Lazare and Beaubourg. A work of art, automatic watcha real beating heart that delighted residents until 2003, the year of his death 8 rue Bernard-de-Clairvauxwhere he resided in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.
The watch measures 4m high and weighs one ton. This includes, next to the spherical dial, a man, a kind of soldier with a sword and a shield in each hand, who defends the clock from three creatures: a crab, a bird and a dragon. The three animals represent the sky, fire and sea. Each hour, from 9:00 to 22:00, the soldier took turns fighting one of the three creatures. On the other hand, at 12:00, 18:00 and 22:00, the three creatures attacked him at the same time.
A work commissioned in 1975 by the company Cogedimproduced by Jacques Monestierwith the help of the artists Louis Desuches for the scales of the dragon e Alain Moirod for the steel structure. This is installed rue Bernard-de-Clairvaux in September 1979, then inaugurated on 8 October 1979 by the then mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac. A first restoration took place in 1995, with a technique revised from top to bottom. Thus, the quartz clock is replaced by a radio-controlled clock, as is the sound installation, passing from the recorder to the CD player.
And then one fine day in 2003, July 1st, more precisely, without a watch. The reason ? Too expensive to restore. Jacques Monestier he thus decides to disconnect his work, due to lack of means to carry out the maintenance necessary for its operation. But don’t say goodbye too quickly … And for good reason: the artist Cyprien Gaillard he completely restored it to make it the main piece of his exhibition a Lafayette previews, HUMPTY / DUMPTYwhich runs from 19 October 2022 to 8 January 2023.
HUMPTY DUMPTY exhibition at Palais de Tokyo and Lafayette Anticipations – our photos
The Palais de Tokyo and Lafayette Anticipations are hosting an exhibition by Cyprien Gaillard, HUMPTY DUMPTY, from 19 October 2022 to 8 January 2023. An art project that is then exhibited in two places at the same time, in two different chapters, one of ‘Altro. [Lire la suite]
A work that will then be reinstalled in its neighborhood, in its original location, immediately after the exhibition, between January and March 2023. This will be operational again, will make the heart of the neighborhood beat again, thus giving it a new breath. The opportunity to rediscover this curious work, and to save its memory!
