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Vibrant Basketball Court Pops Up Between Two Buildings in Paris

By Jessica Stewart on June 28, 2017

colorful basketball court paris ill studio

Photo: Alex Penfornis

Why play basketball on a normal court when you could shoot hoops inside a technicolor escape? French fashion brand Pigalle recently teamed up with creative agency Ill Studio and Nike to create this unique basketball court in Paris' 9th arrondissement.

Sandwiched in a narrow strip between two apartment buildings, the court is covered in striking gradients of color. The bright punches of violet, yellow, and fluorescent pink give a 90s vibe to urban environment, as it was inspired by that era's basketball aesthetic. Revealed to coincide with Pigalle's new collaboration with NikeLab, the court greets visitors with vibrant pink and blue gates, setting the tone from the street.

“Through this new court, we wish to explore the relationship between sport, art and culture and its emergence as a powerful socio-cultural indicator of a period in time,” states Ill Studio. “We aim to establish visual parallels between the past, present and future of modernism from the ‘avant-garde' era of the beginning of the 20th century, to the ‘open source' times we live in today, and our interpretation of the future aesthetics of basketball and sport in general.”