The metal and mechanical horse, which crossed the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26, is exhibited in one of the courtyards of the Paris City Hall. And it is a real success.
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“The Cavalcade of Zeus”. It is one of the iconic symbols of Paris 2024 : the metal horse, galloping down the Seine on the evening of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The object, designed by the Blam workshop in Nantes, made millions of television viewers dream on July 26. The public can now approach it since, on the occasion of the Paralympics, the Paris city hall has decided to exhibit it in one of the courtyards of the Hôtel de Ville. The 35 000 slots put online by the Paris city hall were gone in just a few hours.
Among the lucky ones present in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Ville, there is Geoffrey. This Lyonnais, a big fan of the Olympic Games, was able to attend the opening ceremony on July 26 and see from afar the metal horse on the Seine. “We see it again up close, we see all the details of this magnificent sculpture. And what’s more, it brings back memories of a very nice time spent despite the rain.”
A successful seduction operation also for Xavier and Véronique, both admiring the work carried out by the Nantes workshop Blam. “We didn’t expect to see a horse riding on water. It was just magical”remembers Xavier.
“The person who came up with the idea of setting this up was a genius.”
Xavier, visitorto franceinfo
His wife also greets “mechanical performance and technical performance.” “It really felt like it was a flesh-and-blood horse galloping down the Seine. I think it’s a great idea that we can see it. It feels a bit like we’re touching magic.”adds his wife.
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In the crowd, Christine takes several photographs. This Parisian has come to prolong the magic of the Games. “It went so well,” she remembers. Especially since she recognizes that “Being from the Paris region, I thought I might leave. And in the end, not at all. The people are charming, the police officers too. I went to see the Olympic cauldron too, and it’s true that we don’t want it to end. Keep this Paris in celebration.”
There is a slight difference, however, with the cavalcade that took place on the Seine on the evening of July 26: this time, the metal horse is not moving. Which does not detract from its charm, according to Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“We asked the question, particularly to the Blam workshop, which built the horse. They told us that we could have, but it would probably have taken another two weeks or three weeks to be able to put it in perpetual motion. As a result, we would have missed the Paralympic Games slot. But I think that given the success, we made the right choice.”
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Paris City Hall to Put 8 Back Online 000 additional slots. As for where the horse will next be exhibited, discussions are underway with Sanofi, the sculpture’s owner.