Category Archives: Over-the-top Love

Over-the-top Love

A Bridge Too Far

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photo-60I hadn’t been paying attention to the bridges in the center of the city; I was too busy building a life in the 11th arrondissement. Then in November, I saw what had become of the Pont de l’Archevêché, a tiny bridge that connects Notre Dame with Quai de Montebello. In what seemed like mere months, it had been inundated by an infestation of locks, a dense metallic clump of “love,” that crept over the side of the bridge like a fungus. And the size of some locks was shocking—huge, some up to four inches across (10cm). Heavy bike locks had been attached to the bridge, seemingly to create an additional surface for hanging more locks since all the available meshing was used up. Graffiti had sprouted on the stone wall where locks were unable to be attached. People had taken to scratching messages in the paint on the railing. This wasn’t love. It felt like madness, like an invading army had seized the bridge. I’d known the Pont des Arts was falling prey to this mania, but now this bridge? I became like a crazy person. This was a bridge too far.

I dashed off a post on my blog, My (Part-time) Paris Life, which went viral, lighting a fire under my friend Lisa—and the rest is history. No Love Locks was born.

Uh, it's Pont de l'Archevêche last I checked folks.
Um, what now? It’s Pont de l’Archevêche last I checked, folks. (Google)

We’ve since discovered that Pont de l’Archevêché is known as “Lovelock Bridge”—say what?—and is touted as such by tour guides and Google maps alike. That’s hair-pulling stuff. Were Lisa and I the only ones who thought this was a bad idea?

Seems not. Our followers are increasing faster than we would have imagined, and we’ve already been tweeted and re-tweeted, blogged and re-blogged just a few weeks into our project. Now, the press is taking notice. Our petition (ici en français), launched on 9 March, has garnered more than 1,000 signatures in just over five days. In our latest effort, we’ve sent an open letter to the candidates for the March municipal elections in Paris, asking them for their position on the issue. We await their responses.

It’s official: We’re a movement. For those not convinced, or on the fence, stay with us; what you will see in coming posts may surprise you—and change your mind. We’re not kooks or love-haters; we’re reasonable human beings who want to protect historic structures—and the beauty of our cities—from what’s sadly become rampant vandalism. Join us, will you? Sign our petition today.
—Lisa Anselmo

Here, a few photos of what turned Les Deux Lisas into accidental activists:

Whoa, folks. Give it a rest, huh?
Whoa, folks. Give it a rest, huh?
Oh, come on now. That's a tad too far.
Oh, come on now. A bicycle lock? Really?
DSC_0106
Well, it was a pretty view…once. Locks creeping over the side like fungus.
Damage, Over-the-top Love

Say It, Don’t Spray It

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DSC_0037One of the most odious side effects of the Love Locks is the graffiti that has begun to appear on the bridges—the surrounding stone walls, the railings, and even on the wall of locks themselves. While graffiti artists, like Banksy, arguably have a solid place in the world of art, in the case of the Pont des Arts (and other bridges), this graffiti is less about individual artistic expression and more about a mob out of control. It’s as if the very presence of the locks has breached an invisible boundary of social restraint and respect, of human decency, and has released the feeding frenzy. We are at a critical tipping point between dignity and savagery, like William Golding’s boys in Lord of the Flies who, once they put that pig’s head on a stick, surrendered to their baser selves.

DSC_0102
Removing graffiti from stone is an expensive proposition. Is the Pont Neuf, Paris’s oldest bridge (1578), safe?

That the locks seem to have beget the graffiti is proof that the act of putting a lock on a public structure is mentally akin to vandalism. Proof, too, that the locks need to be treated as a nuisance, and regulated. Even those pro-lock can easily see how the graffiti defaces and disfigures the bridges, and in turn the entire center of Paris. What were once elegant and stately structures, now look more like train trestles in an abandoned section of Detroit, Michigan, USA—where these are signs of a city in decline. Is this also true of Paris?

Municipally-funded public spaces belong to everyone, but they are a privilege for all, not a right of the individual, and if we permit their degradation, we risk degrading ourselves. When communal structures are well cared for, it sends a message of wellbeing and prosperity to the collective subconscious. The negative visual impact that these ravaged bridges will have on the psyches of the citizens—already struggling in an economic recession—will take a generation to erase, even after the locks are gone. —Lisa Anselmo

The wall of locks create the perfect solid surface for graffiti. You can make out the letters R-A-T-R and some others sprayed over top the locks. It took someone a significant amount of time to do this. That this is is able to happen unchecked—so close to police headquarters—is bewildering. How bad does it have to get before the government takes action?
The wall of locks create the perfect solid surface for graffiti. You can make out the letters R-A-T-R and some others sprayed over top the locks. It took someone a significant amount of time to do this. That this is is able to happen unchecked—so close to police headquarters—is bewildering. How bad does it have to get before the government takes action?

SIGN OUR PETITION & HELP US BAN ‘LOVE LOCKS’