Responding to the brief of creating a portable pétanque set, French designer Antoine Chauvin was inspired by a nautical aesthetic to create his traveling playing ground. Part of swimwear brand Vilebrequin’s new series of summer-infused games (which includes beach paddles and a bilboquet among other items), this set is imagined as the frame for a game of pétanque, to take place in a Parisian park or on a beach in Saint Barthelemy (and anywhere in between). Through its products, the French brand has been championing the ’art of living in the sun’ mixed with a sense of togetherness ever since it first launched in 1971, and these new pieces add a further playful element to its history.
The collapsible kit features aluminium and nautical rope in varying shades of green and blue. The 12-meter playing field is marked by flags bearing the brand’s traditionally summery motifs and patterns, and the brand’s turtle logo is stamped on the blue and silver boules. ‘Trough the tense structure I tried to phrase the fragile feeling of freedom, of creating intimacy in a public space’ explains Chauvin, an ECAL graduate whose work has been recently celebrated by Toulon’s Design Parade.
His flat-packed design is intended to be universal, to be used, sent or moved by anyone, and his design approach was informed by the universality of the game: ‘Pètanque can include everyone, of all ages. It has a sense of meeting between people, of discovering your neighbourhood and make friends’ he continues. Including two telescopic masts, stackable edging, rigging, a fastening kit, and fold-away flags, the kit is ready for a spontaneous summer game.
A version of this article originally appeared in the Summer 2020 Issue of Wallpaper* – which is available to download for free here
INFORMATION
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel deskWallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
Misfires and Monstrosities: three vehicular design disasters that show taste is in retreatFrom a multi-million dollar piece merchandise to a wretched Rolls-Royce, these are the low points of the year in transportation design
-
Thirty years after Dog Man Star, Brett Anderson looks back on Suede's album coversBrett Anderson talks cover art, photography and iconic imagery
-
Formafantasma’s biodiversity-boosting installation in a Perrier Jouët vineyard is cross-pollination at its bestFormafantasma and Perrier Jouët unveil the first project in their ‘Cohabitare’ initiative, ‘not only a work of art but also a contribution to the ecosystem’
-
First look: ‘Christofle, A Brilliant Story’ is a glittering celebration of silver across two centuriesA landmark Christofle exhibition opens today at Paris’ Musées Des Arts Décoratifs and is the first monographic show dedicated to French silverware house
-
Mosaic Factory and Zyva Studio’s new furniture collection is inspired by cartoonsThe Mosaic Factory x Zyva furniture collection is an ode to cartoons and the 1980s, its terrazzo tiles’ confetti-like detail nodding to the Memphis design movement
-
A new exhibition looks at preparing for a post-apocalyptic landscape (and other catastrophes)‘We Will Survive' at Mudac in Lausanne, introduces us to the ‘prepper movement’, and demonstrates that we are a resilient species. Or we are doing our utmost to be as prepared as is humanly possible for disasters of all scales
-
Politics, oil crises and abortion rights infiltrate the optimistic 1970s interiors of Villa BenkemounFor the 50th anniversary of Villa Benkemoun in Arles, a new exhibition critically explores the year of 1974 through contemporary and historic artworks that antagonise the optimism of its design
-
Marion Vignal on curating sensation-oriented experiences in 20th century French interiors at Maison BernardMarion Vignal's non-profit Genius Loci seeks to discover new insights and reflections on heritage through artistic site specific experiences
-
Ora ïto expresses his design language in an artistic alphabet he calls GrammatologyAbstraction and functionalism inform two exhibitions from the maverick multidisciplinary French designer Ora ïto at St-Paul de Vence and Marseille
-
Design Parade is the South of France's annual design extravaganzaIf you're heading to the South of France this summer, don't miss Design Parade Hyeres & Toulon 2024, the annual creative extravaganza spotlighting emerging talent in historical locations
