7th
August
2004
Inscriptions in the catacombs of Paris
“Below the streets of Paris lie 285 kilometres of dark, subterranean galleries that wind their way through the limestone and gypsum quarries on top of which the city is built. These galleries have been in existence since 1777 and for over 250 years an extraordinary, incalculable and ever growing collection of visual material has been amassing on their walls: incised inscriptions, handwriting, graffiti, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, cartoons, sketches, directional signage, art installations and ephemeral paper tracts.”