Built in 1988 (architects URQUIJO, MACCOLA and WILLERVAL) and renovated in
2000, Tour Descartes houses the IBM headquarters.
Tag - Tour Descartes
Saturday 26 May 2007
La Défense #11: Tour Descartes
By Hans-Josef Jeanrond on Saturday 26 May 2007, 16:16 - La Défense
Saturday 17 February 2007
Saisir l'Ephémère - La Défense #2
By Hans-Josef Jeanrond on Saturday 17 February 2007, 14:18 - La Défense
Saisir l’éphémère ?
What is ephemeral about office towers?
Nicht so sehr „Vergängliches festhalten“, sondern „die Vergänglichkeit des
Subjekts erfassen“.
"Saisir l’éphémère”, catching the ephemeral, may seem like a strange concept
in conjunction with buildings constructed for eternity - at least in the
intentions of their proud creators. Of course, if you had a chance of looking
at some of the sources cited in the previous posting on the history of La
Défense, you realise how things changed there over time. And if you take a look
at the many sites under construction today, you will see quite dramatic changes
happening right now, destruction and (re-) construction.
But my notion of the ephemeral is not so much centred on the long term
evolution of La Défense (or that of my other subjects) – I am rather interested
in showing the ephemeral nature of my subjects in a single image (or in very
few images showing different aspects of a subject).

