Place Pradel: a skateboarding spot

Are you involved in the project HDV - 40 years of skateboarding in Lyon?
Fred Mortagne: Rémy Bergeron asked if he could include some of my photos in the Festival of Lights artwork on place Pradel which shows illuminated silhouettes of skateboarders performing tricks. It is the first time that there has been a direct link between the square, the Festival of Lights and skateboarding. It’s highly symbolic because it confirms the indelible link between the sport and the square!

What is your connection with skateboarding?
It’s a long story starting when I was in primary school. It soon became clear that I was not good enough to become a pro skateboarder but I felt a strong bond with the culture. A few years’ later, I started filming top Lyon skateboarders. So I guess you could say, my first job was on place Pradel.

Has this skateboarding culture evolved since the eighties?
Yes, it has, for example with the Olympic Games. Skateboarding is more respected and more international. But the DNA remains the same: skateboarding in the streets with your mates, tailoring your technique to an urban environment which isn’t custom-built for the sport. I think that this creative dimension - having to adapt to the existing space - is what makes it interesting.But the local culture hasn’t really changed. Jérémie Daclin, one of the pioneers, still skateboards every day and pursues the same lifestyle as he did forty years ago. It’s a very stable culture which remains true to type.

Is HDV an iconic spot?
Yes, it has been THE spot in Lyon since 1994. The videos and photos spread Lyon’s reputation far and wide. The square has the ideal configuration for skateboarding: the street surface, the pyramid and benches. It’s a central spot, right in the heart of the city. What is important in skateboarding is not so much the actual sport, but the sense of community spirit with people all coming together.

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