From Paris With Love from sPACYcLOUd Team Rider Coco! - by Coco
Helper Dodo - photo by Corinne Séguin
It
was August perfect time to have an outdoor project with little
disturbance. Most of Parisians are out of town for their summer
vacation. August is kind of the best to be in Paris for that reason,
empty of people and a lot less cars.
Hydrane & Coco - photo by Grambe
My friend Hydrane Lo and I knew each other from common friends in the skateboard community. We’ve connected back when I lived downtown Paris prior coming to NY.We
both are into art: I’m a graphic designer, she’s an architect. We both
create art on our spare time. Talking we found out we both have been
wanting to paint that Jemmapes Skatepark downtown Paris 10.
Jemmapes skatepark before face lift - photo by Corinne Séguin
Back in NY I got into what I didn’t know yet, a very serious injury. I wanted to enjoy street skating sessions prior coming back to my country but it was very painful. At home doctors told me to take a two years off from skateboarding for the recovery. I admit I have teared many times. My last skateboard session was in May at my friends skatepark, La Halle du Val d’Orge, in the suburbs of Paris. They had their annual remodeling for the World Cup Contest called Far N’High. I volunteered for the contest as a judge and also created art for a booth they allowed me. I was stoked about that redesign I couldn’t help it I tried to skate one more time but the pain in my arm was unbearable.
Hydrane preparing the wall - photo by Corinne Séguin
All that to say I needed something as an escape and luckily I have art. I have motivated my friend who was on vacation for a week that it was now or never. We parted to get the supplies and met up at night to start the process of giving a painted face lift to the skatepark.
Hydrane & Nancy B. painting - photo by Corinne Séguin
It
was such a great experience. We both went from paper straight to
wall/urban space size. I usually paint on used skateboards, used glass
bottles, small canvas or paper and she usually works on paper of various
but still small size.
Coco painting - photo by Hydrane
People would all of the sudden stop, compliment us and/or take photos. They were actually paying attention for once.
Hydrane & Coco work done - photo by Grambe
The skatepark became a piece of art not just a concrete spot full of tags. The guys from the basket ball court next door would bring us ice-creams and water.
Nassaire board slide - photo by Corinne Séguin
The guys at the skatepark had to bare with us as they couldn’t skate. They stayed patient for the most time and respected what we were creating. When we finished they all went crazy like they had a new skatepark.
Stéphane Mercurio, French woman film director interviewed my friend and I. The skatepark is by a water canal called Canal Saint Martin. She was doing a documentation about what’s going on along the canal Saint Martin in August called “Les Parisiens d’août” (August Parisian). She edited 2 minutes short movies. She filmed the skatepark and others people that day too.
Big Thank You ("Merci") to our helpers - photo by Corinne Séguin
We thanks all the people who came around helping: Grambe, Nancy B., Paulo, Dodo, Cuban, Khalid Chhiba and the basket family.
Spacycloud at Jemmapes skatepark - photo by Corinne Séguin
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