This installation is based on Raymond Queneau’s novel Zazie, originally published in French in 1959. In the novel, the small-town girl Zazie visits her uncle who leads a colourful life in Paris. Away from her protective mother, she wants to experience everything the metropolis has to offer: the metro, the famous streets, the sights, flea markets and bars. During her trip Zazie changes from a decent little small-town girl into a poised and wild Parisian in jeans.
I took my first trip to Paris in the summer of 1994 and made it my mission to conquer the city like Zazie had done. Queneau’s book was a starting point for the project, which I began by systematically getting familiar with the city; in a list of Paris streets, I underlined all that had names referring to a country or city outside France. Once I found one of the streets, I looked for a detail that would have something to do with the place in the street’s name. The result was an adventure in a strange city and a symbolic trip around the world.
