Rives de Saône: Lyon's Riverfront Art and Urban Renewal

The first phase of the 'Rives de Saône' program, a large-scale redevelopment of 50 km of the Saône riverbanks in Lyon, debuted in autumn 2013 alongside the Lyon Biennale. Unlike typical urban projects where sculptures are added after landscaping, this initiative integrated contemporary artists and landscape agencies from the outset. Curated by Jérôme Sans, the project spans multiple communes including Rochetaillée, Fontaines-sur-Saône, Caluire-et-Cuire, and Lyon. Ten artists contributed site-specific works: Sabina Lang & Daniel Baumann suspended a staircase over the river that leads nowhere, evoking M.C. Escher; Le Gentil Garçon created a meteorite crash in a children's play area, along with chrome fish weather vanes and love knots on mooring rings; Erik Samakh installed rotating flood rocks and artificial fireflies; Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset placed a neo-classical marble-dust sculpture on a pylon in the Saône opposite the Palais de Justice, depicting a man carrying an identical man as if rescued from drowning; Tadashi Kawamata built treehouses and a belvedere, with additional piers and pontoons under construction. Other artists include Pablo Reinoso, Meschac Gaba, Pascale Marthine Tayou, and Jean-Michel Othoniel. Landscape agencies In Situ, HYL, and Ilex also contributed. The project aims to reclaim the neglected riverbanks for public use while preserving their natural character.