Member of L'UX, The
Untergunther is a French team whose activity
is to restore the invisible parts of the heritage in total clandestinity.
In November 2005, the Untergunther infiltrated the Panthéon of Paris
and, with the help of the professional clockmaker Jean-Baptiste
Viot, started to restore the abandoned monumental 1850 Wagner clock
before its irreversible state of defacement.
Once this restoration achieved, in October 2006, the UnterGunther decided
to meet Bernard Jeannot, the administrator of the Pantheon, in order to
show him this work and to connect the clock to the bells.
After an enthusiastic welcome, Mister Jeannot suddenly changed his
mind and decided to keep the silence on this clandestine restoration,
frightened that this fantastic action was the proof of the incapacity
of the French National Heritage administration, Monum, to preserve
the heritage it is in charge of.
On the night of the 24th december 2006, the Untergunther came back
to the Panthéon and fixed the bells to the clock which just rang for
Christmas and a few days after because Mister Jeannot decided that
this result of a clandestine restoration of an abandoned part of the
French heritage was intolerable and had to stop.
Bernard Jeannot can be the administrator of the Panthéon but he does not
seem to care about heritage.
No doubt that a real guerilla was suddenly declared between him, its inefficient administration
and the Untergunther.
This amazing restoration is the end of an adventure began with the clandestine transformation of a neglected part of the Panthéon as a design living room with wood furniture built onsite, electricity, and a computer connected to internet called the UGWK, for "Unter und Gunther Winter Kneipe", which could be translated as the Unter and Gunther Winter Boozer. A very pleasant workshop which gave also nightmares to Mister Jeannot and its so called Administration.
On the morning of friday November 23 2007, four members of the Untergunther appeared before the Paris Court of Justice, charged not of illegal intrusion and occupation of a national monument or use of false keys but for having detroyed a keeper of a lock located on one of the outside grids of the Panthéon.
This charge (qualified as "stupid" by Public Prosecutor Anne Benejean) being not provable, the indictment was the total release of the Untergunther members while Eric Gomez, lawyer for Monum, asked 48300 euros in compensation.
After twenty minutes of deliberation, Judge Eric Meunier confirmed the release.
Pascal Monnet, the new Administrator of the Panthéon after the retirement of the efficient Bernard Jeannot, and Ghislaine Santoni, in charge of the security of the building, left the Court of Justice with a very sad face and the Untergunther went to their new clandestine workshop to have a drink.
Interviewed by French newspaper Le Monde, Monum acknowledged the quality of this restoration.
One can now wonder why the administration does not decide to wind up the clock. It is impossible to think that for all these administrators in charge of the French Heritage a monument is something stated in the time and can not be changed, and especially not be upgraded by a clandestine restoration....
The members of L'UX are largely secret, but its spokesman is Lazar Kunstmann who just published La culture en clandestins. L'UX relating 25 years of clandestine cultural action.
The
150 year old Wagner clock and the Untergunther's clockmaker Jean-Baptiste
Viot ©
TF1
An
Untergunther repairing the old Wagner clock mecanism © UGWK
Inside
the Wagner clock - Before and after the Untergunther restoration © TF1
The
UGWK designed and built by the Untergunther in a neglected part of
the Pantheon © UGWK
UnterGunther's
clockmaker Jean-Baptiste Viot © UGWK
|
La
culture en clandestins. L'UX
25 years of cultural clandestine action by Lazar Kunstmann
the spokesman for l'UX.
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