F lor ian r iv i r e7 2 d ay s o f P l ay

Flo

ria

n r

ivir

e: 7

2 d

ay

s o

f P

lay

F LOR IAN R IV I R E2013 TEDxIndianapolis artist in residence

made possible by the Efroymson Family Fund,a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation,

and Big Car

photos by Big Car and Florian Riviredesign by Andy Fry

for him. Turns out he couldnt have been more right.

This publication highlights the plethora of Florians projects here in Indianapolis and during a quick trip we took to Detroit with fellow Big Car Collaborative artist Kipp Normand. For me, the highlights were many from the discovery of all of the signs in the world that could easily be altered (temporarily or with a camera) to

include the word ass to Florian taking a quick nap on the red TEDx rug in front of 1,300 people.

When Florian flew out of Indianapolis, he left us with lots of great memories like these, with games people can play, and with a refined philosophy that will further set Big Car on a path to help make art in our city playful, fun and free.

F lorian Rivire doesnt like to sit around. Hes always on the move: playing, discovering, inventing, turning the world and the things that fill it upside down (often literally). In Big Cars 72 days with him as a TEDxIndianapolis artist in residence, Florian helped shape our perspective, helped further our vision for an art that is for the people and by the people, an art that is outside of the shackles of commodity and the traps of marketing. By spending time with Florian, by talking with him about his philosophy and practicing it with him, we were able to join the hundreds of people he encountered on the streets of Indianapolis and the stage of Hilbert Circle Theatre in discovering just how much is possible if you pay attention.

Florian and I began corresponding in May of 2012 (one of those emails is included here) after I saw an online

article on Florians mini parking lot tennis and soccer courts and thought hed be a great fit for our work in the sprawling Lafayette Square area. In the meantime, we began organizing with several partners the TEDxIndianapolis conference. The 2013 theme would be Mix it Up, a perfect fit for Florian. So, I invited him as a speaker. He said sure, but why not make it a three-month visit? I was surprised, but figured we could make it happen. And, thanks to the vision of Jeremy Efroymson and the support of the Efroymson Family Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation, we were able to bring him here.

This was Florians first time working in the United States. So that was part of the draw of coming here. And, as a member of an artist collective in the past, he saw Big Cars approach of taking art to people with the goal of improving communities as a great fit

AN IN TRODUC T IONBY JIM WALKER, BIG CAR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Florian in the Lafayette Square Mall parking lot, and in the media

So we need to enlarge the possibility of world expression now used by a specialized elite. The expression of the world belongs to everyone. We dont need institutions to say us what is beautiful, what to buy, what to think. We can do it by ourselves if we listen to us. And, of course, thats the same for everything even urbanism. The question is simple what do you love to do in public space (or in life)? So do it. And I think behind games,

furniture, lunch, seats ... its all the time the same answer: Communicate, meet people, express yourself.

The most important is to listen people and allow them to do what they love to do by their own way. Because we need a world made by love, not frustration or building the dream of someone else which exploits us. How? By giving the autonomy to use the world as a tool in a free perspective. And I would love to do that with you.

Most of the time when I go into a museum I dont look the painting but the wall behind it, or a pavement, and every detail surrounding me, which makes me happy and feel something. I just listen the world and express what I feel thousands of ways. Ill be happy to help people to get this way of free expression with you. Because we dont need this art created for an elite, we need to open all the other way of expression than our specialized education doesnt allow us to use.

Im in Dussedorf at the moment. Joseph Beuys comes from this city and he said: Everyone is an artist. But it doesnt mean than everyone has to paint or to dance or to do theatre but to find the best way to express themselves with their hearts and emotions connected to the world. And for that we have to learn alternative and flexible way of expression, how to listen to the world and us through emotion, not a new closed discipline but something very open, just an inspiration.

This is from an email Florian wrote about coming to Indianapolis. He had read an article in Idiom magazine online about Big Car and its work in social practice: Kipp Normand & Flo in Detroit, September 2013

Florian Rivire is a French urban hacker. Since 2007, he has explored urban experimentations through different initiatives in cities around the world. By his experiences, he opens perceptions and connects spaces, objects, and actions to create new interactions with his urban living environment. His many impromptu interventions have the particularity to be spontaneous, fun, resilient, reversible and raw exclusively made by accessible resources that surround him. As a lifestyle

philosophy, he uses his 3D motto Drift, Divert, DIY that allows him to meet the unexpected, see the invisible, and achieve autonomy. Much like a child free of one way conditioning vision, he looks at the world as modeling clay we can transform by our hands and our intuition without any specialized tools, concepts or other intermediaries. Play, furnishings, maps, instructions, poetry ... all of these tactics can reconnect us to the free and infinite possibilities of our immediate reality.

This is how Florian began to describe himself after his time in Indianapolis:

(this page) Free & fun at Fiesta Indianapolis Sept. 21, 2013.

(this page) Family Harvest Fest at Service Center, Oct. 12, 2013.

Tire GamesI worked on a special series of Tire Game to make a modular playground around service center.

I think that idea can be done for a long term period around service center rather than for the family event, then we have time to clean the tire, and bring them to service center without being in a hurry. and we can just let the pill of tire outside to let people play all the year.

I like to use this object for the playground because it make sense with big car name, its a easy resource to use, and free. and maybe we can paint the tire in green like big car logo...

> material : I think around 10 - 20 car tires, (green paint) and maybe some instructions design on card, or print on a billboard outside.

The Ass Project The idea is that looking for ass leads to being more observant. It is something silly that helps you pay attention to the world, discovering the asses that were always there (on signs at least!).

magic face : how to transform everything into a facerule : one or several people, make faces with everything they find (object, stone, pen, grass, clothing...) when you finish a face you say abracadrabra. and take pics. and maybe we can print every picture and stick them on a wall during the day.

*very easy and simple. The objective is to show the possibility to transform your surrounding and play with everything.

>> material needed : a camera (and maybe paper and printer, adhesive, wall), maybe a sign to explain that, the chalkboard is a good tool for that.

Florians series of photos for the Indy Eleven indy football trip a mix of a soccer ball with the urban environment of Indianapolis to explore the city through a new eye. A vision of playful city, a vision of football experience. An accessible and fun opportunity to create new interaction with our immediate surrounding. TEDxIndianapolis, Oct. 22, 2013.

in your hand is a new guidethis dice is a compass that only affects your chance

it will extract you from blindness and illusionsgo north (ahead), south (back), east (right), west (left)

and launch your anchor to observe, breathe your surrounding

first cut the rope that pulls you onto a prefabricated roadbe ready to discover unusual landscapes

at the beginning you will navigate by winds and tidesand through icy & silent oceans without anybody

only those who make efforts to overcome these obstacleswho have learned to expand their vision and their heart

will be able to reach the shores of a new worldwhere the power of your senses and your body is under your control

where your perception and your attention have no limit

then you can chart your own path, free.Are you ready for this trip? Tomorrow will be too late! TEDxIndianapolis, Oct. 22, 2013.

i think this website will make a revolution in the city (or in your pocket).

Florians prototype

Florians prototype .

Final card game. given to 1,000+. TEDx attendees.

Final website (designed by SmallBox)

in an office

place this card on the right

in the subway (or on a bus)

place this card on the right

WHATHOWANDWHERE .com

Florians top 20 books Because, for me, the why is most important than the how there are more book about philosophy and understanding society than art techniques. And, as you can see, there is nothing about urban, or art movements because, for me, its just about freedom (inside you, then everywhere), the way of expression is free.

But i tried not to list very complicated books, like the German philosopher I like are around 1000 pages. Its all accessible, and short versions.

So there are 20 books and I add a * on the one very very important.

The rest without a *, its up to you.have fun !flo

*1. Tools for Conviviality, Ivan illich*2. Fantastic Things, Carelman*3. Science, Liberty and Peace by

Aldous Huxley*4. The Theater and Its Double by

Antonin Artaud*5. Understanding Comics: The

Invisible Art by Scott McCloud*6. T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous

Zone, Hakim bey7. 1984, Orwell*8. Brave New World, Huxley*9. Walking + Civil Disobedience,

Thoreau *10. Discourse on Voluntary Servitude

by Etienne de La Boetie*11. Essay on the Freedom of the Will,

Arthur Schopenhauer

12. What is Property? JP Proudhon13. The Slavery of Our times, Tolstoy*14. The Kingdom of God Is Within

You, Leo Tolstoy15. Man, Play & Games, Roger Caillois16. On Complexity, Edgar Morin*17. Society of the Spectacle, Debord18. Utopia, Thomas More19. Tao Teh Ching, Lao Tzu*20. Art of War, Sun Tzu

(this page, next) Far Eastside Family Fun Day Aug. 24, 2013.

Florians top 10 films I just did a list, a top 10, of movies. Its not especially the best movies. Its more movie I like that speak about societys system, TV. These are very useful to help us be aware of whats going on today.

Network :: Fahrenheit 451 :: They Live :: Idiocracy ::Green Beautiful (La Belle Verte) ::lan 01 :: 1984 ::Thx1138 :: Brazil ::Metropolis

a seaman with new bag, new cap. direction usa. meeting actors playing roles in a story with lies and hope. addict to their function as machines. surrounding by signs

and instructions. follow the arrows. please eat yourself. Welcome in the big car where live the last dreamer. In the middle of concrete we dream secretly about nature you

Florians personal photosso i watched each of the pics i took with my camera and try to write a fun text (with fluxus method). sometimes it doesnt make sense but i like that...

gave clerverness and freedom to humans, a treasure forgotten. a center to dream together. a dream without dreamer. eyes glued on spectacles, fears, power... lets

bury our problems, we will think about before to die. Give me two rolls of paper toilet to lose some weights of pumpkins soup. Hello, hello, nice to meet you, im a duck im

a rabbit. can you have a real talk ? come on stage and share a song, i will applause. lets eat without limit with the crowd and cows in a row. Please put your ass here and

wait to be eated. where are the people ? dont open the window i turn on the air conditioning, never to hot, never to cold, my prison is perfect. some are exploring the

tunnel under the city with rats. Can you stop to read your text ? and play as a free actor ? a chair can be a table, forms are just illusion which enclose spirits. i love to

play with my friend, i love to read on a tree. too much make up to wake up. Time to dance under the lights. Chairs can be table. A place without cars is a place with more

humans. as an ocean withtout boats is an ocean with more fish. cars you are the caries of our cities. are we rat of laboratory playing chess ? one way ! together we

can dream, but chairs are empty. So lets move into the nature untill only the nature remains. Its time for the big show, and say goodbye to guns and girls.

The Big Car staff bids Florian farewell with an American dinner at Ponderosa, Oct. 23, 2013.

FlorianRiviere_PhotoBook_HardCover_FinalFlorianRiviere_PhotoBook_Content_Final_Spreads