Hommage à Nicolas Ledoux

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“Hommage à Nicolas Ledoux” by Anne & Patrick Poirier, 1989
“Le Ponant” office building by Olivier Clement
Rue Leblanc
Quartier de Javel, 15th arrondissement
Paris, July 2002

“Erected amidst mirrored buildings, Anne and Patrick Poirier's column ‘Homage to Nicolas Ledoux’ is reflected on the multiple panes of glass and appears to dislocate a second time. The polished steel shafts, in turn, reflect the modern decor of this new office complex designed by architect Olivier Clément Cacoub. The lopsided column by Anne and Patrick Poirier highlights the loss of tradition in the modern architecture of the 1980s. These ‘modern’ buildings already displayed outdated architecture even before their inauguration in 1989 by Jacques Chirac, then mayor of Paris. In 1990, ‘Urbanismes et Architecture’, a professional journal, cited the Ponant district as an urban disaster. In Toronto, Canada, there is a broken column quite similar to the one at Ponant. It is titled ‘Memory of the Future’ (1992). While Anne and Patrick Poirier give contradictory titles to very similar works, the artificial ruin ‘Homage to Nicolas Ledoux’ is not merely an echo of the past. It is as much an archaeology of the future as it is a trace of an ancient civilization; times intertwine. Like the past, the future is fragile and can vanish into chaos.” (Les fausses ruines d'Anne et Patrick Poirier au quartier du Ponant, archéologie du futur / archéologie du quotidien)