honorable mention
victor micoud france
title
La cité idéale
These photos were all taken in the surroundings of Disneyland Paris amusement park, between 2014 and 2016. The corporation made a deal with the french government back in 1987, allowing Disney to have a strict control over the construction of the urban area. The predictions indicate a 60.000 inhabitants in the area by 2030, an unprecedented scale in the creation of urban space by a private actor.
This serie was exposed twice in Santiago de Chile (2014 Espacio la cochera, 2016 Galeria Madhaus). It was also the subject of a conference in the Museo de Bellas Artes of Santiago in july 2016 ("Political Imagination and the City, 6th July 2016). It was also published in Phroom Magazine in 2017.
Since 2014, I started to focus on the urban landscape as a representation of the development of our societes. It started with my first project "La Cité Idéale" that focuses on the urban development surrounding Disneyland Paris. That development, made under strict control of Disney, is a key element of their communication. It cannnot evoluate in a way that would harm Disney's image. Therefore the urban space answers mercantiles needs, creating a confusion between reality and a fantasy of an ideal city. It questions if the magic world of Disney does indeed stop at the limits of the park or if it extends further out.
In 2017, I started another project called "Excedent", that focuses on the real estate crisis that happened in Spain. Here the mercantiles needs overwhelmed any other consideration, eventually creating the conditions to a collapse that still marks the cities of Spain. After analysing an exemplary case of success with Disney and Marne-la-Vallée, I found a counterpoint there.
In the future I will keep analysing the urban development, how the global culture enters every territory, erasing cultural differences, and the resulting dichotomy between reality and the scenery.
back to gallery
entry description
This serie presents the scenery of an ideal city, where the magic world of Disneyland Paris seems to go over the edges of the park. For the corporation, the identity of the city is bound to the brand's image: a comfortable, clean, ordered, calm world, following the guideline of Walt Disney's ideal city. Ideal for who? On the larger perspective, these photos talk about the creation of urban space under mercantile needs, where the creation of value prevails over any other consideration, and make us think about the dynamics of the creation of future city.These photos were all taken in the surroundings of Disneyland Paris amusement park, between 2014 and 2016. The corporation made a deal with the french government back in 1987, allowing Disney to have a strict control over the construction of the urban area. The predictions indicate a 60.000 inhabitants in the area by 2030, an unprecedented scale in the creation of urban space by a private actor.
This serie was exposed twice in Santiago de Chile (2014 Espacio la cochera, 2016 Galeria Madhaus). It was also the subject of a conference in the Museo de Bellas Artes of Santiago in july 2016 ("Political Imagination and the City, 6th July 2016). It was also published in Phroom Magazine in 2017.
about the photographer
I am a french freelance photographer, based in the suburbs of Paris. After graduating in business studies, I started to deviate from the predicted path after multiple journeys, and dedicate myself to photography when it became clear that it was more than a passion, a way to locate myself in the world.Since 2014, I started to focus on the urban landscape as a representation of the development of our societes. It started with my first project "La Cité Idéale" that focuses on the urban development surrounding Disneyland Paris. That development, made under strict control of Disney, is a key element of their communication. It cannnot evoluate in a way that would harm Disney's image. Therefore the urban space answers mercantiles needs, creating a confusion between reality and a fantasy of an ideal city. It questions if the magic world of Disney does indeed stop at the limits of the park or if it extends further out.
In 2017, I started another project called "Excedent", that focuses on the real estate crisis that happened in Spain. Here the mercantiles needs overwhelmed any other consideration, eventually creating the conditions to a collapse that still marks the cities of Spain. After analysing an exemplary case of success with Disney and Marne-la-Vallée, I found a counterpoint there.
In the future I will keep analysing the urban development, how the global culture enters every territory, erasing cultural differences, and the resulting dichotomy between reality and the scenery.
back to gallery
