Originating in the 1950s and continuing through the 1970s, Brutalist architecture is a style that has lived up to its name. It undoubtedly inspired several generations of architects, some of whom have become a source of reference (see note at the end of this analysis). This trend, its aggressive forms, whatever one may think of it from a strictly aesthetic point of view, the dimensions with which it was associated, often inhuman, were really a form of brutality done to the inhabitants of the cities in which it was deployed. There was a world between Christopher Foss’ colourful, futuristic visions on the covers of science fiction novels of the time and the massive, grey, crushing, cold reality of concrete. Brutalism will undoubtedly have materialised the gap between the vision of the architectes and the stark reality of the achievements left as a legacy to the ‘passers-by’.
Skateboarding, that little plank on wheels, born of Californian coolness, was and still is an urban vehicle by nature. It allowed and still allows you to create movement, your own movement. To free yourself from the city, which isn’t systematically brutal, let’s not exaggerate, but sometimes disarming, sometimes confusing, dehumanizing. Skateboarding was a way of appropriating public space, the very architecture of the city, of creating a link with one’s own living space. This is what the film suggests, and precisely what the developers, and even less the local authorities, did not understand at the time. Yet skateboarding was the best way for young people to free themselves from the “brutality” of the city. It was also a way to love it, to discover it, to appreciate the architecture itself, and even to learn about it.
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Lumières de la Ville poses the question: “In what way can street sport be a tool for urban planning?”, Clearly, we need to anticipate how a city will be inhabited, not to massively prohibit spaces as is the case today, but to integrate activities. It should be remembered that the period of brutalism was also the period when public space was given over to the motor car, with pedestrians being given the smallest share, and that the time has come to rethink the city in terms of neo-mobility. Giving space to human movement. Between the foot and the wheel.
But it’s not going to be enough to park skateboarders in one particular place, BMX enthusiasts in another, to sprinkle dedicated “parks” here and there, but to think of the city as a global living space. Time past, sport was in a stadium, but now, sliding and outdoor sports have replaced the stadium with nature, tomorrow’s sport will be in the city where three quarters of humanity will be living by 2050.
The sport of tomorrow is in the city. Let’s not miss this opportunity twice.
Brutalism: Brutalism is an architectural style that emerged from the modern movement and was very popular between the 1950s and 1970s, before gradually declining, although various architects still draw inspiration from the principles of this movement. It is distinguished by the repetition of certain features such as windows, the absence of ornamentation and the “raw” character of concrete.
The first examples of Brutalist architecture were inspired by the work of the French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, in particular his Cité Radieuse (1952). Parallel to the pop art movement, Brutalism was expressed in institutional buildings and universities in the UK, France, Eastern Europe and the USA. Typically featuring imposing dimensions, these buildings emphasise their verticality and the harshness of concrete, constituting a reaction to earlier architectural trends (the Beaux-Arts style in particular), which were marked by much greater frivolity.
The term brutalism has sometimes been used to refer generally to massive concrete buildings, which were becoming unpopular by the late 20th century. The main representatives of this movement are Marcel Breuer, Erno Goldfinger, Jacques Kalisz, Bertrand Goldberg and Fernand Boukobza.
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