Ahhhhh… Paris in the springtime. The quaint outdoor cafes, the wine, the romance, the Eiffel Tower, and the Helvetica. I rolled into Paris for two sold-out screenings at the Palais de Tokyo, a sprawling contemporary art gallery and performance space overlooking the Seine. Just before the first screening it started raining so hard that the PDT started to flood, and they had to close the galleries! There was an installation that consisted of large blocks of sugar laid out on the floor, and it was a sight to see all the PDT curators frantically trying to move the giant sugar cubes before they got wet. Luckily the rain subsided and the first screening was only delayed a few minutes.

The Experimental Jetset were in town on business and came to the screening, it was the first time they’d seen the film. Brigid also came over for the weekend, and the next night we all went out for burgers and then to see Battles at a small underground club, packed to the gills with 300 feverish French kids. Awesome.

Another exciting French development is that I’ll be curating a Helvetica exhibit at the Colette Paris gallery, September 3 to 29. The exhibit will feature prints and posters from designers in the film, historical materials related to the typeface, new work from French designers, and lots more. And the exhibit will close with an exclusive advance release of the DVD… stay tuned for details.

Merci beaucoup to Mark Alizart and everyone at PDT, and to Alex and Veronique at F7. Also, when in Paris, stay at the Hotel Le Quartier Bastille, Le Faubourg. Sleek little rooms, cheap, good location, free wi-fi, and 60’s French pop in the elevator.