Paris Promenades Book Pouch – Cœur d’Ours

A date with a bear

There he was.

Sitting at a table.

Very large. Very pink. Very furry.

And apparently not at all surprised to see me.

At moments like this, you have two choices: keep walking and pretend that encountering a giant teddy bear at a Paris café is perfectly normal, or reach for your camera.

I chose the camera.

That is how Cœur d’Ours found its way into my Paris walks and eventually onto this book pouch.

These unexpected encounters are one of the reasons I photograph Paris. Everyday streets can suddenly turn into little stages. A chair, a green storefront and an oversized teddy bear are enough to create a story.

Who is he waiting for?

Has he ordered yet?

Will somebody sit opposite him?

I have no idea.

The photograph stops here. The rest is yours.

A book pouch for readers on the move

The pouch itself came from a very practical request: my customers wanted something large enough to carry a book and protect it inside a bag.

Readers know that leaving home without a book is always a gamble. A delayed train, someone late for an appointment, a café table in the sunshine — suddenly there is time to read.

At 28 × 20 cm, the pouch can hold many novels, books and notebooks, while its generous flap helps keep them separate from the assorted adventures happening elsewhere in your bag.

Of course, it is perfectly capable of changing jobs.

Papers, accessories, cables, a travel notebook or everyday essentials can all move in.

I like objects that are not too bossy.

This one simply says: “Your book can live here. What else you put inside is entirely up to you.”

Paris outside, a story inside

The generous flap also gives the photograph room to play.

Closed, you see one composition. Open it and the Paris scene continues.

The image is no longer simply something to look at. You touch it, fold it, open it and take it with you.

Cœur d’Ours is made in Paris in small series, using an original photograph by Maron Bouillie.

The bear is waiting outside.

Your book is waiting inside.

Time for a walk.