Since an unexpected fire severely damaged the iconic Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris back in April 2019, restoration work has started and stopped for a number of reasons. First the site needed to be cleared of toxic dust that had potential to be harmful to workers and visitors near the site, then COVID-19 halted progress. But now, renewal efforts are concentrating on the cathedral’s beloved grand organ that was miraculously spared. With nearly 8000 pipes, restoration is expected to take up to four years as the organ is disassembled and cleaned.
I visited Laila Muraywid’s studio in Paris, it is the kind of place that rearranges your inner geography. A Syrian artist working between painting and sculpture, she creates objects that feel at once intimate yet cosmic, like relics from ancient times that pulse with contemporary pain and splendour.