Of all the participatory projects I did with Isabelle Mayaud (see the head in the hole cutout), this one is my favorite: simple and efficient !
The idea came from a participant to our previous project Bonjour, which consisted into imagining devices to put on the terraces of 4 cafés of the East of Paris, in order to « trigger communication between the customers. »
We submitted it to the Off program of La Nuit Blanche but it wasn't picked. We then decided to do it as an Off-off event during this night. 3 times. In 2007, 2008 and 2010.
Each time we would borrow the 20-metre long rope to the firemen who worked in the museum we both worked at. We gave it back the day after, on Sunday, when we went to work.
We set our event on the itinierary of La Nuit Blanche and the response was immediately positive. The teams were formed as the arms were inevitabely drawn by the streched rope. I've never seen so many people laughing together (thanks to me, I mean). The hands would quickly get sore so that participants turnover would happen naturally.
I would love for the Tug of War to become an official U.L.D: an Urban Leisure Sport. There would be playgrounds dedicated to it, in gardens, on large petanque grounds, on the central boulevard median... It makes people so happy.
Most of the pictures below were taken by Stéphane Epaillard.
