Trip to France for the New Year Holidays ⑧ Renzo Piano, Iris van Herpen, and Jiří Kylián

I went to breakfast at 9:00 this morning, which is later than usual, and although there were many people, they were all French.
There was a different lady working than usual, and she looked busy, so I missed my chance to order eggs, but the usual lady came by later and asked, "Eggs?" so I was able to have scrambled eggs again.
Since a different lady made them, they were different scrambled eggs.

Today is a busy day with three things planned.
I left the hotel a little early and walked through the nearby Palais-Royal Garden toward the metro station one stop away.

First, I went to the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé.
This is a museum-like place for the Pathé film company's archives, and it was designed by Renzo Piano.
I signed up for an architecture tour because I heard you can see things like the offices.
However, it seems the tour is in French.

There were about 30 participants, and the female guide explained the architecture in great detail, but since it was all in French, I didn't understand a thing.
However, I think you should definitely take the tour because you can actually enter the office areas used by the Pathé Foundation.

There is also an exhibition room, and the special exhibition was a Fellini feature.
Many costumes, stills, and sketches were on display.

There is also a mini-theater in the basement, and it seems they screen films about twice a day.
Also, there are many movie theaters around the foundation, so it seemed convenient for hopping between films.

After the Pathé Foundation, I watched Jiří Kylián's modern ballet at the Opéra Garnier starting at 14:30.

I arrived at the Opéra Garnier an hour early.
The exterior seemed to be under construction, but the interior was as beautifully decorated as ever, which really lifted my spirits.
It is famous for having the Chagall ceiling painting.

My seat today was in the third row from the front of the orchestra.
The theater was almost full.

There were four performances, and every piece—not just the choreography, but the music, stage design, and lighting—was so wonderful that it is hard to express in words.

The final piece, "SECHS TÄNZE," was a comical work, but the production was very elaborate and fitting for welcoming the new year; it ended with a curtain call amidst a shower of rainbow-colored bubbles.

The ballet finished at 16:40.
After this, I had tickets reserved for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from 18:00.

I hadn't eaten lunch, so I decided to have an early dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant near the Opera House.

It was vegan pad thai.

It contained plenty of vegetables like zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms, and the sweet and sour sauce was delicious.

After leaving the pad thai shop, I walked for about 15 minutes to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which is next to the Louvre Museum.
The permanent exhibition closes at 18:00, but the special exhibition stays open until 21:00 at night.

My goal was the Iris van Herpen retrospective.
Iris is a Dutch designer who uses design technology, including 3D printers, to create sculptural clothing.

It is a very popular special exhibition, and I thought it sounded good, so I booked a ticket, and it was a huge hit.

This is beyond the realm of design; it is art.
It doesn't feel like clothes for people, but rather people existing to make the beauty of the clothes possible.

Wait a minute, me.
I forgot to breathe.
Oh, and to blink, too.
God, please forgive my shallow self, who can only think of the word "amazing."

It was so incredible that I never thought I would remember the meaning of the word "astonishing" in France, but it was truly amazingly wonderful.

Between Jiří Kylián and Iris van Herpen, people named "Jiří" (Iri) are amazing...
I'm going to go by Iri starting today, too!
Iri Kaori.

On the way back, I was also able to see the sparkling Eiffel Tower.
I feel like I've reached the climax of my trip.