Toulouse: the incredible fresco painted on the roadway of the Saint-Pierre bridge, closed to cars
Toulouse artists draw a fresco on the Saint-Pierre bridge reserved for cyclists and pedestrians for the summer.
Since Monday July 18 and until August 22, the Saint-Pierre bridge is closed to traffic. Toulouse Métropole has decided to create a meeting place on the bridge, picnic tables, deckchairs, foggers have been installed there. But to make the place more attractive, they got in touch with two artists from Toulouse to paint a fresco of more than 2,500 m2 over the entire length of the bridge. Benjamin Stoop and Nicolas Delpech are both part of the collective atelier deux mille. They were entrusted with this project at the beginning of June and since Monday they have created their fresco directly on the ground “we used a decoupage technique, we cut out shapes then we recomposed them on a table to create this work” confides Nicolas Delpech.
A monumental work
In addition to being pleasing to the eyes, this fresco has an interesting function for the summer: it allows the ground to be cooled, because the light paints allow the sun’s rays to be reflected. The work is called “crossing” because “we have a workshop in Saint-Cyprien and the bridge takes us across to the city center, it’s a kind of consecration for us” explains Benjamin Stoop.
The two artists did not have much time to imagine their work but “we started with an abstraction with waves and bright colors, we wanted to try to bring a little life, to change the daily lives of passers-by and to do something attractive”; “it’s a kind of abstract Garonne which crosses the Garonne”. testifies Benjamin Stoop. These two graphic designers are regulars in supermarkets “most of the time we create patterns that we put on town planning for projects or exhibitions. We create kinds of graphic gardens that become meeting points, living places through art and colors. Another of their work is currently on display at the Musée du Castelet in Toulouse.
A public anime
Passers-by seem conquered, tourists and Toulouse residents seem to be delighted with such an initiative. Maria is visiting the city for the first time with a friend and for her “this fresco is grandiose, it makes you want to sit on the deckchairs and enjoy the facilities”. For his part Mathis, eight years old admires the work of the artists “it’s great there are lots of colors, I’m disappointed that it doesn’t last forever”. The work will be completely finished this Friday evening and everyone will be able to enjoy this ephemeral installation.