It’s more than just a square, it’s a local heritage spot. Place Louis-Pradel, which was designed by architect Charles Delfante over forty years ago, has become one of the global temples of skateboarding . Current champions Jérémie Daclin, Jean-Baptiste Gillet and Aurélien Giraud all practised their aerial tricks at “HDV” as local skateboarders call it. And the story is not over; this space between Lyon’s City Hall and opera remains popular with skateboarders.
This artwork pays homage to their acrobatic feats and agility by showcasing three luminous tricks at three places on the square . Each trick embodies a generation of skateboarders whose silhouettes move one after the other to simulate their action. The variations are expressed in colour too, mutating slowly from white, red, blue or green. Ambient sounds feature in the 1990-2000s soundtrack accompanied by some of the hits from the very first skateboarding videos which HGV’s creator Rémy Bergeron had great fun unearthing.