Public Project
Childrens of the Lake.
While France has been going through a serious political and social crisis for several months marked by a rise of the extreme right at the polls, the Grand Parc de Miribel-Jonage, less than 30 minutes from Lyon, offers a completely different face of the country. In this immense space of preserved nature where lakes intertwine, a rich and multicultural France is displayed. Here, we come across students who have traveled by bike to clear their heads, families from Vaulx-en-Velin or Décines-Charpieu, who have come to seek a holiday atmosphere far from the daily life of their suburban town, groups of friends gathered around a picnic...
But the park, created in the 1960s, is much more than a simple place for walking and swimming popular with city dwellers in the summer. Beyond the main beaches, the 2,200 hectares of lakes and greenery promise many enriching encounters. The Laotian community from the Rhone-Alpes region gathers every weekend near the Gravier Blanc parking lot, where they enjoy large, happy get-togethers, pétanque, dancing and gambling. Right next door, the Cambodians are a little more discreet but just as numerous. A little further on, you’ll find communities from Africa and North Africa. While the gypsy corner and their bar, «La petite camargue», offer a lively musical atmosphere punctuated by gypsy guitars, the atmosphere is more subdued on the Mama beach to the north: the out-of-sight area is reserved for naturists. Not far away, reckless teenagers in search of thrills jump from the A46 freeway bridge into the Rhône..
"Childrens of the lake" is a ongoing report on this timeless place in the Lyon metropolitan area, where all kinds of people meet and mingle. Through this work, photos and various testimonials, we hope to highlight a different image of France and its social fractures.
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