Angouleme, not just another French city? But reading through the Wikipedia Page on Angouleme just writes a load of statistics which portrays Angouleme as ‘Bland’. ‘Angouleme Comics’ is far from ‘Bland and Boring’!
The fact is the old town is beautiful. If this is not enough for you to visit Angouleme for its annual festival. It should tickle your fancy at the International Festival of Comics!
International Festival of Comics in Angouleme
As somebody who is interested in the arts having this event only an hour away from our shutter fabrication workshops makes me very excited every January. This major comic strip event attracts over 220,000 visitors every year.
This event gives you the chance to have your own comic art creations evaluated by professionals. This is such a cool event and not to be missed if you have any interest in ‘Comic Art’ or just curious.
Ever since the festival started in the Angouleme Museum during 1974, the Angouleme International Comics Festival has had every January in its calendar. This Fantastic Comic-Con-like event is the second biggest in Europe.
The Festival is spread all over Angouleme. Twenty plus sites are dedicated to a myriad of displays encompassing almost 6,000 comic strip cartoonists, writers and publishing houses.
What Else is there in Angouleme?
If Comic Art is not enough then stroll through the town and you will be presented with some great Wall Art. I don’t mean Graffiti but real works of art depicting scenes of misdirection!
Is a window with wooden shutters and a lady watering her window box flowers as a child plays below real? No just a painting on the wall showing a depth of perspective tricking our perception.
Angouleme has Historic links with Paper
Since the evolution of this digital age, the use and need of traditional paper have demised. This affected the old local paper production industry of Angouleme. Now it seems we doodle on our tablets and occasionally the computer. As a result, the need to paper has reduced and our connection to art has shifted to online media.
Angouleme is Surviving the Revolution!
Paperless statements and online newspaper subscriptions such as the Telegraph and the Guardian have contributed to the lack of paper demand across the work.
Luckily since the rise of comic drawing in Angouleme France, the paper production industry has survived after it looked like it could disappear. At least Art Conception is still sketched with pencil and parchment.
Like our Shutter and door Industry which utilises wood is at risk of being damaged if the desire for real wood is taken over by PVC or other man-made materials. I feel it is so important to embrace the skills of the past.
Practical Trade War on Tech?
Many practical skills such as masonry or typesetting have already been taken over by new technologies. It won’t be long before the paper itself will become a thing of the past. And when we tell our grandchildren about this ‘material called paper’ we will visit the ‘Museum of Paper’ in Angouleme in remembrance. Paper, unlike masonry, does not fair well with age and remnants of this medium will be found, only where it is protected.
Unfair Interest rates Set by Bankers in Angouleme became Defendants!
A major Legal battle was made against these capitalists who were seen to set unfair interest rates on business loans. 1979 was the date that this landmark case took place involving several courts including Paris, Limoges, Cognac and not least Angouleme.
The defendants were the Alderman of the Municipal Government and the receiver for the Taille. 7 years later these capitalists by court ruling were vindicated. This case has set precedents for deregulation. In reflection, I am sure the likes of Donald Trump would approve of such capitalist deregulation.
Grab a Camera
Angouleme with its historic buildings and wall art peppered all over town and comic scenes murals are painted on buildings. So it is a great place to collect images of wall paintings and some superb panoramic scenes.
I also owned a Wista 5 X 4 Field camera with a Schneider lens. A great camera that produces great images and slowed you down so you fully appreciate the scene. Andreas Gursky used a 10 X 8 field camera for his famous images such as Rhine 2.
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Why Do I Write these?
We write these articles for fun and hope you find them of interest. The topic of the Nouvelle Aquitaine is a large one so I will be updating this topic on a regular basis so please return to keep a check on things.
About Us, I Suppose You Might Be Interested?
We have lived and worked here in the Limousin Nouvelle Aquitaine since 2010, building window shutters and external doors. Our Volet manufacturing business is based at our home property as a ‘Cottage Industry’. We are a small business operating partly off the grid and try our best to practice our woodworking ethically.
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