The Street
The street is a meeting place. With loved ones, windows, eras, ourselves. On the same street, commercial or residential, crowds rush along and individuals make their way, alone. The street also serves as a passageway between two buses, two alleys or two homeless people. The street is a part of our cities and of our lives. It even circulates through our vocabulary: we hit the road, we put someone out on the street, we admire street art. We take to the streets to protest, or we go down the street to take a closer look at a mural or at graffiti. The street is alive. It has character. At times urban, at times rural, it is replete with odours, colours and moods that vary with the neighborhood and the season. And then the changing light heralds a different atmosphere. The street during the day is a world away from the street at night. And if it’s true that the street, a public space, belongs to everyone, where does civicism fit in? Are sharing and respect a dead end? How do we recognize a street that’s inhabited by responsible citizens? Whether it’s winding or straight, the street is practical, political and… poetic. Streets from here and elsewhere have always provided inspiration.
