“We had no set plan; just hanging out, visiting parks and bike shops, drinking coffee, searching for new spots to discover.”
Resident himself only very recently, photographer and filmmaker Jean-Baptiste Delorme set out to explore his new neighbourhood with a revolving cast of characters. A weekend of riding through city centre Paris without recourse to planned routes or notions of distance and speed.
Illustrated with his beautifully observed images from the resulting photo essay for Pelago Bicycles, Jean-Baptiste took time out to discuss the inspiration behind this two-day urban odyssey, and what it means to move with Paris.
Jean-Baptiste—JB to his friends—is taking our call from Stolen Garage, the café-cum-community his friends have created to the northeast of central Paris. The last time we spoke he was living in Bordeaux after completing his architectural studies in Montpellier. But closer ties to clients have now prompted a move to the French capital.
“I only arrived in Paris two weeks ago. For work reasons really but I also felt the need to see a new city. There are so many interesting things happening here in cycling culture and I have lots of friends who also call Paris home.”
Click image to enlarge
Still primarily working in photography, film and video editing, Jean-Baptiste has also been busy with a few freelance architectural projects. But it was a shared passion for skateboarding that first connected him with Timo Hyppönen, co-founder of Finnish bicycle brand Pelago*.
*Derived from the geographical term archipelago
“I first bumped into Timo a little over a year ago. He was visiting Paris to promote a collaboration with Element skateboards and we got talking. It turns out that Timo was once a professional snowboarder and had his own skateboarding magazine back in the day. He then went on to found Pelago with his brother Mikko because he couldn’t find a cycling brand that fitted his own vision. So he decided to create one that did.”
With the pair keeping in touch, Timo reached out to see if Jean-Baptiste would be interested in creating a guest post for the Pelago web journal.
“Timo asked if I had any ideas for an urban story setting; suggesting that I could maybe start from a song, a book, or a movie. Anything really, that spoke to me and could be translated into a visual story. And that approach brought to mind a MASH film from 2015 that profoundly influenced my thoughts on how a bike can be used to move through, and explore, the city. This initial idea I then set against comments from friends about how Paris is too big and stressful to navigate by car or public transport. Never something that I’ve personally felt because I find it so easy to get from place to place by bike.”
Click image to enlarge
Viewing the bike as a way of making everything simpler—more spontaneous—Jean-Baptiste purposely didn’t plan the project in too much detail.
“It was a record of what I would do with my friends even if I wasn’t carrying a camera. Almost as if all the dots in my head joined together the moment we started to pedal. A casual exploration of the city with my friends Juliette and Izzy.”
Choosing to capture the ride with a mirrorless camera, Jean-Baptiste is keen to point out that a small handheld would work just as effectively. Anything, he suggests, that makes it easy to react instinctively to whatever is happening.
“As these things tend to do, it all happens very organically. We knew we wanted to eat lunch and dinner—to connect with friends—and link these activities with rides through the city. But the schedule was pretty light to allow for the unforeseen to happen. Personally, I don’t enjoy it when you’re just ticking off the sights and because Izzy was visiting from England, I didn’t want it to feel like I was acting as her tour guide.”
“The beauty of travelling by bike is that it encourages detours and last minute decisions. Like when a friend reached out over Instagram the evening before the shoot to say we should meet up for a picnic. So this arrangement simply slotted into our weekend. Everything very simple and easy. If we felt like going here or there, that’s where we went.”
Click image to enlarge
With Izzy eager to see the Eiffel Tower, Jean-Baptiste describes how they rode along the river embankment—counting off the bridges—as the tower got closer and closer.
“From there we left the wider boulevards; taking narrow residential streets to the bike shop Steel that’s run by friends of mine. And then, after lunch—a picnic by the river because that’s what people in Paris do—we headed over to a skatepark that I think was designed by Adidas. A lot of different places, quickly. Our mission more about moving through the city than stopping and staying at one particular space; that way giving Izzy an idea of how life is lived in neighbouring arrondissements.”
And Jean-Baptiste’s own response to riding through the city he now calls home?
“Riding with friends, carrying a camera, was the best feeling. Which is what I love most about bikes. When you’re sharing special moments with people you like, you create such strong connections. And let’s not forget, social rides are called that for a reason.”
Photography by Jean-Baptiste Delorme with kind permission of Pelago Bicycles
Feature image by Caroline Pauleau
cyclespeak 