The Hymn of the Pavement
2024
The Hymn of the Pavement, Albert School of Business & Data, Paris. 2024 © Daniel Nicolaevsky Maria
The Hymn of the Pavement offers a poetic and social reflection on the visible and invisible borders that divide urban centers and their peripheries. In the era of decarbonization, which populations suffer from the lack of mobility in major metropolises?
Exploring the tension between the promise of mobility offered by urban infrastructure and the reality of a periphery often left behind, this installation is composed of recycled tires—symbols of movement and industry—yet frozen in silent immobility, where only faint echoes of peripheral noise can occasionally be heard. The plants emerging from the gaps in this structure, while decorative, evoke the journeys of migrants who, like these species, are often displaced and integrated into new environments, highlighting the dynamics of mobility and adaptation in urban spaces.
The work resonates with the challenges faced by Parisian suburbs, where mobility is both a dream and an obstacle. Tires, typically in motion, here become barricades, blocking the breath of change. This contrast between industrial rigidity and organic softness invites reflection on the invisible barriers that hinder access to the city and its promises.
Technical Sheet:
Title: The Hymn of the Pavement
Materials: Used tires, living vegetation, steel structure, sound installation
Dimensions: 400 cm x 280 cm x 300 cm
Created by: Daniel Nicolaevsky Maria
Assistance by: Casa93 (Gïtroina, Eva-Louisa, and Loreny)
Sound Design: Alonso Martinez
Steel Structure: Ronan Masson
Support: CUFA France
Presented as part of: The first international edition of Expo Favela at 18 Rue du Paradis, Paris
Year: 2024
Presse
“Upon arrival, visitors to this first international edition were greeted by a towering structure made entirely of tires, reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower in its form. This installation, conceived by the event’s artistic director, Daniel Nicolaevsky, symbolizes the challenges peripheral areas face in gaining access to major cities’ economic and social centers—whether in Paris, New York, or São Paulo.”
““We worked with Casa 93, a solidarity-based fashion organization born in Rio de Janeiro’s [Morro do] Vidigal, through a French founder, Nadine, who is now based here in France. Together with an all-black female team from the periphery, we lifted heavy materials, punctured tires, and cut them to create this four-meter-high installation, as well as all the road signs for the event. These signs reference the wheel that encircles Paris, symbolizing both access and the barriers that often restrict the periphery’s connection to the city center,” explains Nicolaevsky.”
