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NICE MATIN
25/03/2023

A street artist helps the employees of a car park in Nice to redecorate it

Under the artistic guidance of urban muralist César Malfi, employees of the Parcs d'Azur company contributed to the decoration of the Gorbella park and ride in Nice on an antique theme.

César Malfi Décore le Parking Gorbella à Nice
Two people in the lift: an employee of the Parcs d'Azur company and César Malfi, and the colour is rolled onto the wall of the Gorbella park and ride site. Photo Jean François Ottonello

Poseidon, Amphitrite, Pegasus. Three figures from Greek mythology stationed on the wall of the Gorbella park and ride site. This triple pictorial appearance on a blue background is the work of César Malfi and employees of the Parcs d'Azur (RPA).

Indeed, under the rolling brush of the urban muralist painter, several employees of the metropolitan authority managing sixteen car parks between Nice and Cagnes became artists for an afternoon suspended on a mobile gondola.

César Malfi describes the process: "The project was to create a first work of art in the public space of Nice-Nord, a neighbourhood that has never had a work of art. After consultation with the Parcs d'Azur company, we decided to interpret the wall of the park-and-ride facility. The role of a car park, and this one in particular, is to provide security. It protects the cars and the environment because it favours the ecological circuit that is the tramway.

A plus for the neighbourhood

César Malfi Décore le Parking Gorbella à Nice
César Malfi: the rising urban painter. And not just on walls! Photo Jean François Ottonello.

With a capacity of 280 seats, "This space was designed to be a park and ride during the day and a park for active people in the evening and at weekends."adds Gaël Nofri, Deputy for Transport, Traffic and Parking.

 

Decorate it with several hands? « Idea, continues the elected representative, is also to create a business and cohesion project. This fresco gives a visual identity as well as an artistic vocation to the neighbourhood. It's a plus.

A car park that encourages the use of line 1 trains is in keeping with sustainable development. This is also the spirit in which César Malfi designed the fresco: "I drew on my mythological knowledge to tell a story through Neptune / Poseidon, Amphitrite his wife, Pegasus his son." Very important, the winged horse: "He was going to fight chimeras. Here the chimeras are pollution and greenhouse gases. So the mural represents the beneficial and clean role of this car park in the neighbourhood.".

Getting the message across

The realisation? Assisted by Louis Voisin, pilot of the gondola, César Malfi first tackled the background, covered with a low-solvent water-based acrylic paint applied with a roller.

Afterwards, markers were placed and the figures drawn. "In order to better convey the message of this pictorial work, employees from the control room agreed to climb into the gondola and work with rollers as well. It's a way of getting the message across to them.

Cohesion

César Malfi Décore le Parking Gorbella à Nice
Mythology on a blue Mediterranean background brought together a motivated team. Photo Jean François Ottonello.

Seven volunteers are there. At first, they were a little apprehensive at the idea of putting on a safety harness to climb, one by one, into the gondola. But then, finally, they feel very comfortable painting following César's advice.

 

Falone works at the Gorbella car park. She approves of this collective work: "We're part of the company and we managed the administrative side of the mural, so we wanted to participate and put our own spin on it. So we wanted to participate and put our little spin on it."

Mickaël continues: "I work at the headquarters. This is our car park and this job is good for the neighbourhood.

Magali analyses the situation lucidly: "In the control room, we work for cohesion and we organise workshops to create a united team. This very cool project, mixing modernity and mythology, goes in this direction with colours that are symbols of the Mediterranean. In addition, this is the first time that RPA has been involved in the beautification of a car park."

Published by Christine Rinaudo

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