One evening in July, a brilliant silver horse with a rider wearing shiny, silver armor galloped along the Seine. It is an image that I can still see. I remember asking myself two things: were they real? And how did they make this happen? The answers were revealed over a course of events: press briefings and reality. In the courtyard of Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) was a special exhibition. This exhibition gave me a chance to see the two icons up close. I also spoke with the designer.
How to See Zeus
The city of Paris knew others wanted to see this special horse. The city of Paris offered 35,000 free entry tickets to see Zeus in the city hall courtyard. The tickets were scooped up within six hours. Don’t despair! You still have a chance. Make a visit to Versailles where the mechanical horse is on show from October 1 until November 24, 2024. Zeus will be exposed in the main courtyard between the two main wings of the palace. The Versailles exhibit “Horse in Majesty – At the Heart of a Civilisation” (Cheval en majesté – Au cœur d’une civilisation) runs until November 5. You can see them both.
Before visiting other areas of France organized by its owner, Sanofi, the creation will be on display in Nantes. Nantes is the home of Blam where it was designed and produced.
The Designer of Zeus
The exhibition Cavalcade of Zeus mixes art, technology and design. Zeus was designed and produced by Atelier Blam. The founder, Aurélien Meyer, designed the armored horse. He was inspired by the feudal class of samurai who wore the armor called Yoroi. He wanted a reflective material that would shine in any kind of weather or time of day.
You can watch a video of its production from the City of Nantes on YouTube. Choose their video settings to autogenerate in English. Zeus had some strong testing grounds, in secret, of course. Zeus was tested in the Atlantic, in Brittany and on the Seine in Paris. Thomas Jolly, the Olympics artistic director, imagined a strong woman galloping along the Seine in the dark. The French designer, Jeanne Friot, was chosen and given a free hand to develop the design.
Designer of the Rider’s Costume
Jeanne Friot recycles luxury brand fabrics. Her design of the horsewoman was six-month project working with the idea of Thomas Jolly and Daphné Büki.
The idea was to represent Jeanne d’Arc riding the horse. She designed a “ceinture” (armored) outfit for Madonna. That idea was incorporated into the “cavalière” (rider). Although the outfit looks metallic, it is a mirrored leather.
In an interview with the City of Paris assistant Mayor, Pierre Rabadan, Ms. Friot credits her co-designer, Robert Mercier. She explains the background of the armored design and materials used to make the costume flexible. English subtitles interview with Jeanne Friot and French with French subtitles.
