Temporary Autonomous Penthouse

“Travel happens in the mind. It means complying with a complex ritual of space, with a drastic simplification of existence. It is a moon-landing at the most diametrically remote point from rest. Travel is anamorphosis.” ( Jean Beaudrillard, Cool Memories) The space Jane pulled a book from her handbag and started reading. At the intersection between fragments of landscape, text and strange encounters made in the train, she took the opportunity of this moment of calm to have a chat with her window seat neighbour. They discussed travel, art exhibitions, architecture and dietary habits. When the travellers stopped at Saint-Charles station, they found themselves in a rather ordinary concourse that faced one of Marseille’s landmarks: the hundred and three steps leading down to la Canebière. If you stayed up at platform level - the easiest option when you are carrying heavy luggage - you just had to take the exit to the coach station towards rue Honnorat and it was only a five hundred meter walk straight on to the accommodation on rue Guibal. Straight ahead. Outside, the light was burning the ground. It baked the shade into a simmer along the city walls and boulevard National, all around the sun’s fearsome glow. It shone all the way to the upper regions of the mind, until it reached this roof terrace. The terrace belongs to a studio flat, which is an extension of the creative house located close by. Both are connected in spirit, although the studio offers an independent, “on the side” space. This is a place where Marseille appears as a vast territory whose complexity can only be grasped by the human mind. The myth can only be explored through personal experience, through what enters our field of vision. From the heights of the “Temporary Autonomous Penthouse”, from this very perspective, the view opens up on a vast expanse of indigo sky. A source of light in this diverse, industrial city with its diverse spaces and the beauty of La Belle de Mai’s multicultural community. Culture has brought a new momentum to this melting pot, with the perspective of a dynamic future. Free, easy and intrepid. According to an old psychological rule, Jane had to be literally spoken down to – that is, from a higher point in space. From this position, it was sometimes possible to make up for one’s failings in their knowledge of contemporary art. Jane stretched, happy as a cat in the sun, on the terrace of this love nest. “Travel happens in the mind. It means complying with a complex ritual of space, with a drastic simplification of existence. It is a moon-landing at the most diametrically remote point from rest. Travel is anamorphosis.” ( Jean Beaudrillard, Cool Memories) == Location: In Marseille’s 1st Arrondissement, 5 min from the central train station, 15 min walk (or bus) from the city centre (la Canebière, le Vieux Port), 30 min from the MuCEM museum (musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée), 5 min from la Friche de la Belle de Mai (arts centre dedicated to emerging creation, with exhibitions, theatre, concerts, open air cinema in the summer, farmers’ market, skate park, café all year round, the archives of the MuCEM, the INA media centre, etc), just opposite from the café-restaurant L’Île de Beauté, rue Cavaignac. Events organized by the FID (international documentary festival, 1-7 July 2014) in the city’s venues and galleries; Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse on Boulevard Michelet… Guest access The studio (23 m2) and its terrace (30m2) are laid out as follows: -Entrance straight into the living space with its US kitchen -Separate bedroom with double and single bed -Bathroom with toilet -Bed sheets and towels are provided and included in the price -No smoking inside -Terrace with table, chairs, deckchairs and plants -Wifi internet access -Access by elevator from the 6th floor Registration Details 13201000058HT