The public space belongs to everybody, and as such, it is in fiction, a magnificent play ground on which we impose strange systems, clan behavior, and even rules of the game which we strive to present as if they were inherent to it. From Grand Theft Auto to Tony Hawk Pro Skater, everyone has his own manner of exploring and to have others explore the street, its developments, its universe and its inhabitants.
The street has thus become, since the 80s, a fantasy world, especially for those who see it on their screens, from the sofa. But turning the street interactive is also to let it off, to provide players with good reasons to act and react, to obey urban rules and to identify themselves to a personality who acts, who accomplishes, rather than waiting passively for a book or a film to unfold a story.
Games have this capacity of investing familiar spaces with dynamism and interactive systems. A capacity which la Gaîté lyrique's Arcade Space will explore via a thematic and evolutionary look at the games, the city, the street, the skateboard and its culture. 28 tailor-made games form part of the Public Domaine – Skateboard culture program at la Gaîté lyrique to help explore all the alleys and byways of the subject and to draw up a complete and detailed plan of the urban fabric and the games being played out on it.
