On December 1st, 2018, Gilet Jaune, the yellow vest movement has happened for the third time. The massive protest was originally motivated by rising fuel prices and a high cost of living. It was claimed that the French government’s tax reforms were a burden to the middle class, and it escalated the destruction in the city as the fact. As one of the biggest damage was around the Champ-Elysee area, as arc de Triomphe was vandalized. The total cost of damage raised as 3 – 4 million euros and more than 100 cars were burned in Paris on this day.
The Champ-Elysee area is one of the most popular and famous touristic destinations in Paris and also recognized as one of the most expensive areas. On the street of Avenue de Champs-Elysse, there are many luxury brand shops; in fact, the shops such as Hugo Boss, Bulgari, Celio, Foot Locker, Tara Jarmon, Lacoste, Longchamp, Nespresso, Nike, Yves Rocher, Samsung, Swarovski, and Weston were attacked on the street, and protestors were shouting “Revolution!” and “To the Elysee!”
Deconstructivism is considered a part of the post-modernist movement, and it destroys the original form of architecture, and recreate the shape. Bernard Tschumi is an architect who reconstructed la Villette to such an artistic environment, and it gives a completely different mood from the old slaughterhouse. Nowadays, it is logical to call arc de Triomphe as the symbol of rich since it stands on the hill of the avenue de Champ-Elysee, and it makes sense that the protestors targetted this place. It is a battle between the one who fed on the tax and the one who is eaten by the tax. Rich and Poor.
For this project, I want to design a symbol of liberal, which rich and poor can finally become fair; it is a part of the concept of pop art. As the process of deconstruction, I want to combine the elements of soccer. Soccer is a sport that has been played all over the world, no matter how much money you have nor what country you are from. The geometric shape of a soccer ball and basic movement of the player can fairly become the element that I can mix with the arc de Triomphe within the context of deconstructivism.
Progressive mood board
