What I’m listening to: I’m surrounded by old, rare books and feel I need to show them respect, which is why I play a lot of Johann Sebastian Bach in the bookshop. The sonatas and concertos of this master match the peaceful atmosphere.
What I’m watching: any good documentary on a Southeast Asian country – Siam, Indochina, the Dutch Indies – will transport me through space and time. But I’m just as happy looking at a row of leather-bound books, antique maps and ancient photographs.
What I’m reading: I read a lot of travel books and tales of explorations of China and Indochina. Francis Garnier’s account of his explorations of the Mekong in the 19th century gives the reader the feeling of real travel and discovery.
What artists I’m following: painters from colonial times, such as Andre Maire, Jean Launois and Jean Bouchot, who all celebrated the charms of Indochina. And I’ve been following the artistic creations inspired by the umbrella revolution – the street art, drama and poetry.
Where I’m surfing: plenty of sites of bookshops and auction houses in order to find new treasures. I always keep an eye on the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers – ilab.org – and when searching for a nugget of gold I’ll check out livre-rare-book.com.
(As told to Kate Whitehead)