THE DOORS OF LA RIVE GAUCHE

The Silent Language of Doors

 

Door near Montparnasse

The door is a universal symbol.  Seen in infinite shapes and colors.  In every culture it represents the physical or symbolic portal or passage way that crosses from one reality into another.

There are customs and signals of entry as well as warnings and signs of danger.

Having a code or a key  given to you - to the doors of a friend's home or that of a family member can be regarded as sign of confidence  and trust.  It is a welcoming gesture inviting one to be a witness to the inner world of another ;  acknowledging that you may be trusted to be responsible within their intimate space.

(Or - at least trusted enough to be asked to dog-sit in their absence then to get the hell out when they're back).

Here is the the word 'Door' in a few world languages starting with my Father-tongue 'Temne'

Temne: Ka Daray
Arabic:  باب 'Bab'
Hebrew:   דֶּ֫לֶת
Chinese:  门 'Men'
English: 'Door'
French: 'Porte'
German: 'die Tür'
Russian: Дверь  'dvyer'
Hieroglyph: \_/
Italian: 'Porta'
Japanese: ドア 'Doa' (English adaptation)
Spanish: 'Puerta'
Swedish: 'dörr'



The area of  La Rive Gauche (The Left Bank) between Montparnasse and St Michel is arrayed with doors of varied color and character. The photos here represent my summer-long passage from my tiny 6th floor room near the Jardin  du Luxembourg  through St Michel to Bastille, Republique and Oberkampf.

The majority of the images are from the residential areas around Rue D'Assas, Rue des Rennes, Rue Vaugirard and the many  side-streets that surround Montparnasse.



 CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO VIEW AS SLIDESHOW

The door has a role in Indigenous initiation rites. When you cross the threshold, you abandon old, emotional ideas, concepts and plans which are no longer appropriate; the familiar horizon is enlarged.    

Nadia Julien, The Mammoth Dictionary of Symbols.

                      





                                                  (CLICK ON ANY IMAGE FOR GALLERY VIEW)

ENTRY DOOR TO ART SCHOOL ON BOULEVARD RASPAIL 6TH ARRONDISSEMENT

Standard Parisian Street sign on Blvd Raspail identifies the thoroughfare and historical origin of the name

 The door of an Egyptian temple was seen as giving access to the “Amenta, where the soul was united with the immortal spirit and where, from then on, it remained.” 

 

As an access to a refuge or the warmth of a hearth, a door also symbolizes communication, contact with others and with the outside world. An open door attracts because it signifies welcome, invites discovery, but a door can also signify imprisonment, isolation. A closed door signifies rejection, exclusion, secrecy, but also protection against dangers and the unknown.

Stone-walled Wooden Door On Rue D'Assas (6th Arrondissement)
Has since been replaced

More Door images from the greater Paris area soon to come!