1913issue6online

2 mosque’s effort gained its ground in deference to the 70,000 Muslims who died for France at Verdun. We think we hear the distant notes of an organ-grinder: “À l’arrêt d’la rue Larrey / La mère Larret vend d’la raie.” For clues, we’ll start with the obvious: footprints, fingerprints, hair. Paris between wars: an eerie, notorious, romantic, oblivious, underbelly of anxiety. Everywhere a Janus looking out for themselves in cafes—god-of-doors just re-reading the news, or punning for the bartender, ignorant of, or just ignoring, the swallow at the table d’à côté. We’ve got to ask: did Duchamp marry money instead of Mary? For six months he nuptialed Lydie Sarazin-Levassor, half his age and the daughter of a car scion. We’ve got the case-history: a boxed-in case. They say a fool and his hair are easily parted. At the notary, Duchamp discovered the money was short and so then was the marriage. “He hates hair” we have her saying. Maybe hair, but not heiresses. But for a moment he lived the marriage as any small square footage, in need of a good carpenter, i.e. when the door in the studio is closed, there is one communication, a grey-area: (communication—O false friends, there’s no false friend—What do I mean? How do you say, “two rooms communicate”?) When the bath is closed, the studio and bedroom communicate. When the studio is closed, the bedroom and bath communicate. Or the door—impossible target—can stay open on all sides, compromised.

1913issue6online

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