Amidst Pictures, Algorithms, and Methodological Reflections. Culture in Paris in Times of the Epidemic 

Paris is a city filled with art and home to some of the world’s most famous institutions offering unique cultural events, including exhibitions of priceless works of art and ephemeral performative phenomena such as performances and concerts. Due to the closure of cultural institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has completely changed. The city is deserted, while cultural institutions are focused on using the Internet to run their affairs and forge/maintain relationships with the audience without the possibility of meeting them face-to-face. Based on the author’s own research conducted in Paris in December 2020, the paper presents the analysis of public space in terms of the presence of traces of culture. For this purpose, a flexible methodological approach was designed, covering both the city space and the Internet, also understood as part of the public domain. Additionally, the author’s own research experience is taken into account, depending on the epidemiological situation and the ability to move around the city. The factors discussed in the paper have provoked a multifaceted reflection – starting from the privileges of researchers, through the sense of online culture, and ending with the future of cultural institutions. The aim of the paper is to document the situation of cultural institutions in Paris during the pandemic, with an emphasis on their presence, visibility, and accessibility in the city and the Internet.

* Tekst powstał jako efekt pobytu w Paryżu w ramach stypendium rządu francuskiego na zaproszenie Université Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Paris is a city filled with art and home to some of the world’s most famous institutions offering unique cultural events, including exhibitions of priceless works of art and ephemeral performative phenomena such as performances and concerts. Due to the closure of cultural institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has completely changed. The city is deserted, while cultural institutions are focused on using the Internet to run their affairs and forge/maintain relationships with the audience without the possibility of meeting them face-to-face. Based on the author’s own research conducted in Paris in December 2020, the paper presents the analysis of public space in terms of the presence of traces of culture. For this purpose, a flexible methodological approach was designed, covering both the city space and the Internet, also understood as part of the public domain. Additionally, the author’s own research experience is taken into account, depending on the epidemiological situation and the ability to move around the city. The factors discussed in the paper have provoked a multifaceted reflection – starting from the privileges of researchers, through the sense of online culture, and ending with the future of cultural institutions. The aim of the paper is to document the situation of cultural institutions in Paris during the pandemic, with an emphasis on their presence, visibility, and accessibility in the city and the Internet.