VAHRAM MURATYAN INTERVIEW

Photo by Nicolas Gazzola

CF:
Tell me about Paris vs New York

VM:
This book is a conversation between two cities that I love. They are cities that I am obsessed with. I’m also interested in with how their differences actually make them similar.

CF:
How much time each year do you spend in each city?

VM:
At the beginning of writing this book, I spent about 1/3 of my time in New York and the rest in Paris. Now I am trying to spend 1/2 of my time in each city.

CF:
Are there any secret locations to New York or Paris that you love?

VM:
In Paris the neighborhood Belleville because it’s not quite gentrified yet, it still has a bit of a rough quality. Its park has the most amazing view on Paris. It’s not a common place for tourists yet you can see many parts of Paris from the gardens.

In New York I have recently fell in love with Bake House, in the West Village. The food is really good and atmosphere is comfortable.

CF:
Were there any challenges in translating the cultural touchstones of Paris when comparing them to New York?

VM:
Yes. When producing my blog, I had to make my comparisons a bit more universal, however things changed a bit when I put together the book. I ended up making an edition for France and an edition for the US. This allowed me to make some comparisons that are a bit more personal. For example, I compared the group “Téléphone” to “Blondie” in the French edition, however that comparison did not make sense for the US. The paper, the index, the cover, the colors, the layout are different… very subtle differences. Otherwise 90% of the book is the same.

CF:
As someone who has made the leap from digital to print, where do you see the future of printed media?

VM:
I love the precious quality of paper. Books and paper are an exercise of the senses, therefore I think that it still has its place.