The Wall of Je t’aime in Paris
I love you because you make me smile, I love you because I wake up with you every morning, I love you even if you´re not there, I love you, je t´aime, te quiero, ti amo, Ich liebe dich, ik hou van je, jag älskar dig… In how many languages can we love?
This message is the one that Frédéric Baron wants to transmit on the wall of je t´aime (I love you wall) in Paris. Located in the garden of the Square Jehan Rictus, on Place des Abbeses in the picturesque district of Montmartre, this wall contains 311 declarations of love that come from over 192 countries.
Normally, a wall is a symbol of division, of a frontier, of a separation of land and people. However, this one is a symbol of union, of the power of love, of the dream of a world without conflicts. It´s a wall that distances itself from all war-like connotations because it doesn´t exclude but rather includes anyone in the world who wants to manifest a message of love in any language, on its 40 square meters of surface and 612 tiles of enameled lava, with shines of red that seem like pieces of broken hearts.
This work was born from the collection of words of love that Frédéric Baron classified for many years in three big folders labelled with the phrase “I love you”, written 1000 times in more than 300 languages. Baron dreamt about going around the world in 80 days but since he couldn´t travel, he did a chain so that people from different parts of the world sent him an “I love you” message. Daniel Boulogne is the one who built the wall and Claire Kite, a Far Eastern calligraphy artist, is who was in charge of assembling the different phrases.
And so, the Wall of je t´aime is an act of love, an allegory to world peace, a place that despite not being well-known amongst tourists is worth seeing, even if it´s just for its positive message.
They say that Paris is the city of love, so what better place to hold a wall where it says “I love you” more than 300 times.
If you visit the City of Lights, you cannot miss out on visiting the Wall of je t´aime, a place of reconciliation, romanticism, unity, peace and love.
A wall that makes an impression on everyone due to its grandeur, both physical and spiritual. A great metaphor that shows that the world doesn´t have to be divided. because us human beings aren´t so different from one another because even if we talk different languages, there´s a universal language that all of us understand: the language of love. What would be do without love? That´s why I want to say something to you all: I love you, je t´aime, te quiero, ti amo, Ich liebe dich, ik hou van je, jag älskar dig!
If you´d like to know more about this project, you can visit its website where you can find more information about the author and the wall itself: http://www.lesjetaime.com/english/index.html
Cinta Blanch
If you find apartments in Paris city , don´t forget to say “I love you” to the person you love on the Wall of je t´aime.
