Perec's Bench Paris
Jun 14, 2025

Perec's Bench Paris

A place for quiet contemplation

""Perec's Bench" in Paris is thought to be the viewpoint from which Georges Perec sat and wrote his text about 'what happens when nothing happens...'"

Newly inaugurated as Perec's Bench, this place is thought to be the viewpoint from which author Georges Perec sat and wrote his lesser-known Oulipo text about 'what happens when nothing happens'. Recently translated into English as 'An Attempt At Exhausting a Place In Paris'.

His observations of Place Saint Sulpice from over forty years ago drew me into revisiting the place a couple of years ago (October 2014), and remarkably it remains a time-piece. A notable feature is its original mid-1800s decorative fountain which on approaching hits you with its monumental roar of cascading water; possibly the sound-fix for animating the structure's stunning stone-carved lion figures.

Discovering Paris through literature can take us to places otherwise left untrodden, and this spot fits the brief perfectly. A great spot, where on a crisp autumn day, you can sit and contemplate in the heart of Paris's 6th district. A unique stopping-off point for an eventful day people watching, maybe? Priceless.

There's also a virtual visit which soaks up the sights and the sounds of the place's people and architecture, loosely written in Haiku texts. It's something I put together in homage; retracing Perec's original footsteps, that same October weekend, but 40 years later. So 'what happens when nothing happens'? Check in with 'An(other) Attempt At Exhausting a Place In Paris', an immersive and offbeat tour around Place Saint Sulpice.

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About this spot

Perec's Bench, Place Saint Sulpice

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