On Monday 26 February, 36 first year students from our BA (Hons) Carving and BA (Hons) Conservation courses embarked on the annual Paris Medieval Study Trip. Our Conservation students were accompanied by Jim Bloxam (Head of Book Conservation), Sophie Barton (Conservation Tutor) and Sophie Ambelas (Conservation Technician), and our Carving students were joined by Tom Young (Head of Carving) and Ghislain Puget (Senior Stone Carving Tutor).
This study trip, generously supported by the Stuart Heath Charitable Settlement, greatly enriches the learning experience of our first year students by contextualizing their studies and enabling them to engage directly with the art and architecture of Paris.
Day 1
After checking into accommodation, the trip’s activities started straight away. Our Carving students walked to Île Saint-Louis, stopping at Notre Dame on the way, to look at the baroque churches Église de St Louise and Église de Saint Paul. Later in the afternoon, they visited Places des Voges, one of the oldest squares in Paris, and the nearby Hôtel de Sully. The day ended with a trip to see the contemporary art at Palais Tokyo. Meanwhile, our Conservators spent the afternoon at the Louvre, where our BA (Hons) Conservation: Books & Paper students discussed the restoration of The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Veronese.
Photo credit: Sophie Barton
Photo credit: Sophie Barton
Day 2
The first full day in Paris began with our Carving students visiting the Gothic church Église St-Séverin and the medieval church Église Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre. Afterwards, they walked to the Cluny Museum, where our BA (Hons) Conservation: Stone, Wood and Decorative Surfaces students had spent the morning. Meanwhile, our Books & Paper Conservation students visited the Conservation Studio of the Sorbonne School of Art History and Archeology, kindly hosted by conservator Dr Élodie Lévêque.
In the afternoon, our Carvers visited the Pantheon and the 17th century Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. The group then headed over to the Parc du Luxembourg, where they saw the Carpeaux Sculpture and the Bartholdi maquette for the Statue of Liberty. Afterwards, they visited the nearby Musée Zadkine, dedicated to the 20th Century sculptor Ossip Zadkine, and the Musée Carnavalet, a museum of the history of the city.
Our Stone, Wood & Decorative Surfaces Conservation students also visited the Musée Carnavalet, in addition to spending time at the Musée Rodin, the Places des Vosges and the Hôtel de Sully. Our Books & Paper Conservation cohort went to the Bibliothèque nationale de France for the afternoon, where they visited the Manuscripts Conservation Studio with Nathalie Trion, Head of Conservation. The rest of the day was spent at the conservation study and library at the Mazarine Library with conservator Alizée Lacourtiade.
Photo credit: Lottie Ellery, BA (Hons) Carving: Architectural Stone
Photo credit: Lottie Ellery, BA (Hons) Carving: Architectural Stone
Day 3
Our third day in Paris began with a trip to the Musée d’Orsay for our Carving students, whilst our Stone, Wood & Decorative Surfaces students visited the conservation studios of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, stopping en route at Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle. Our Books & Paper Conservation students headed over to the Palace of Versailles, where they spent the whole day.
In the afternoon, our Carvers visited Musée Rodin to see the work of 19th Century sculptors including Camille Claudel. This was followed by visits to the Musée Bourdelle and Musée Maillol. Our Stone, Wood & Decorative Surfaces conservators spent the afternoon at the Musée Guimet, followed by a visit to the exhibition ‘From Builders to Restorers’ at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine on the construction and restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Photo credit: Sophie Barton
Day 4
The morning started with a visit to the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine for our Carving students, where they saw architectural casts by Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, before heading over to the Musée de la Marine. Our conservators across both courses spent the morning at Institut National du Patrimoine.
Our Carvers then visited Villa La Roche, designed by 20th Century Architect Le Corbusier, before ending the day at the Louvre. The students admired Lead Stone Carving Tutor Ghislain Puget’s sculptural heritage in the Cour Puget! Meanwhile, our Stone, Wood & Decorative Surfaces Conservation students visited the Conservation studio at the Musée National d’ Archaeologie, and ended the day at the Musée d’Orsay. Our Books & Paper conservators spent the afternoon at the Sorbonne Conservation Studio with Sylvie Struyve.
Photo Credit: Lottie Ellery, BA (Hons) Carving: Architectural Stone
Friday
For the final morning in Paris, the students had time for independent exploration. There was an optional visit for all students to École Boulle, a college of fine arts, crafts and applied arts, and our Carving students were also given the opportunity to visit Père Lachaise Cemetery and Josef et Fils toolshop.