Versus

In 1780, French architect Mathurin Crucy became the city architect for Nantes, responsible for the transformation of the Graslin Quarter. Crucy’s time in Italy in the 1770s influenced his subsequent neoclassical architecture, including the Théâtre Graslin – complete with eight Corinthian columns, each topped with a sculpture of a muse. Inaugurated in 1788, the theatre was destroyed by fire eight years later, but restored for a visit from Napoleon in 1811. Edged by the theatre and the faded stone walls of surrounding buildings, two hundred years later the paved centre of the Place Graslin is annually enlivened by arts and culture festival Le Voyage à Nantes.
The installation Versus is a a skating rink in the center of Nantes, designed by TITAN for the annual festival Le Voyage à Nantes. The project is inspired by the relationship between form and balance established by architect Mathurin Crucy, who designed both the square and the theater in the late 18th century. The rink has been adapted to the irregularities of the ground and plays with its natural slope, giving the square a renewed sense of centrality, and opening it up to hours of fancy-free skating. Measuring 38m in diameter, the main structure is made of prefabricated white concrete, while the rink track is poured-in-place white concrete.

Amblers and athletes alike can meet on the track inside the rink, which offers an opportunity to honour a lively and effervescent sport that has made a comeback in recent years: Roller derby. Spectators can sit on the steps of the theatre – conveniently turned into bleachers – for an openair match. The public can also sit at the edge of the installation, where benches invite everyone to contemplate and discover Place Graslin in this new light.