Lost at La Plaine
Words and photography by Angus Piper
“In Australia, your animals are animals, but in Marseille, the animals sometimes are human.” Simon – La Plaine local.
I sit at La Plaine, skaters buzz around me like flies as I sip beer at the bar with red chairs, marvelling at an enigmatic haven.
La Plaine (also known as Place Jean Jaures), is the go-to plaza for skaters in Marseille, where marble ledges and wooden pads slide into smooth tiled ground, neatly perched atop the hill that caresses the graffitied Cours Julien. In the heart of Marseille nightlife, open space draws a beautiful crowd of people using the plaza for all purposes, giving the feeling that the essence of life is pumping through the thin gaps in the tiles.
This doesn’t feel like your ordinary plaza. It feels like the soup of Marseille, where old and young, foreigners and locals, the sane and the insane, come to converse over beer, hashish and pure public space.
In the afternoon, when the sun dances with the plaza, it seems there is no where else, like some alternate universe is thriving as the wind cleans up after the morning markets.
I interviewed a local who lurks around La Plaine, Asher, with the aim of knowing what makes this space so special.
How would you describe the community here at La Plaine?
“The first word that comes to mind is welcoming. I feel like the first time I came here I didn’t know anyone; I knew fuck all about the city, I arrived here randomly off the train, walked past, saw all the skaters and had my board. Instantly, I felt apart of something with new faces I now call my friends.”
Why is Marseille different to the rest of France?
‘It’s a city on the edge of the Cote d’Azur, you have Nice and Monaco, all these expensive places, and this city has all the advantages those cities have, but its extremely affordable and people are very willing to help and talk to you, which isn’t the case in other cities’.
Ethan Heaton. Oh to hear that grind.
An interesting aspect about Marseille and France on a whole, is the widespread use of ‘Chômage’/ otherwise known as unemployment benefits. Perhaps it was just the people of La Plaine, but it seemed as if the majority were not working, just simply living on these benefits, with a job being a thought of the future. This seemed to create an interesting whirlpool of people following their hearts desire, thus making Marseille a hotspot for artists.
‘Once you have worked for 6 months you are allowed to get a year of unemployment benefits. People are definitely abusing it, I mean, I abuse it!’
The chaotic nature of life in Marseille climaxes at La Plaine, so I asked Asher what was the craziest thing he had seen go down at the plaza, hopefully to give you an alternative perspective of a place known for its thieves and rowdy nights.
‘A few years ago I arrived at La Plaine and I saw 2 drunk guys fighting, it started to get very heated, pushing each other and one has his t-shirt off, and then this Russian guy, big soviet lad smashes a bottle, everyone looks and thinks he’s going to stab the other guy, but no he takes it and says ‘My names Z something and cuts a Z on his chest with the bottle and the other dude just ran off’.
So although I love La Plaine with all my heart and especially the people of it, you would be a fool to describe it as a completely safe and friendly place for everyone. This menacing air blows like smoke in the wind, sometimes carrying laughter and sometimes trouble.
I was in need of some new skate shoes, (the tribulations of a travelling skateboarder) so I wandered down to the only open skate shop in Marseille, ‘Apero Skateshop’ . I found the shop operating out of a bar, with a small collection of decks and hardware available.
I got to speak with Momo, the owner of Apero, about the skateboarding community and what the influx of travelling skateboarders has done for Marseille.
‘The skateboarding community is so welcoming, and although we have seen many skaters come to Marseille to make videos this year, there is still no events here, especially compared to Paris’.
It seems the skateboarding world is just catching onto Marseille, and the picture-perfect urban terrain it offers alongside an ideal climate, rich culture and quality beaches.
Maybe the next time you stare into where the sun is supposed to be, and wonder where to go, think of La Plaine, Marseille and remember each skater that goes will support the community in one way or another.
I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks meandering around Marseille, skating spots with new and old friends. Yet, with the endless marble of Marseille climbing up the hills and into the sea at our fingertips, we still managed to end up back at La Plaine every single evening.
It is simply the place to be, where there is always a conversation to be had, something to be consumed, something to be entertained by, as smiles seep through a prolonged blue sky.
