2KM3 – when a car park becomes ARTWORK! (SAINT-GERVAIS)

A few years back, a contingent of the MBFF team (the youngest member and myself) headed off on 🎨 a voyage of art exploration and discovery . . . to 🅿 the newly painted multi-storey 🚙 car park in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains: 🎨 2KM3.

This art project really is a masterpiece: an alternative museum of street art, a FREE museum, a museum open every day of the year! 🅿 Parking one’s car has never been so much FUN (it is also quite challenging, as the parking spots are quite tight!).

*2KM3* in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc © montblancfamilyfun.com

MBFF’s visit

We went with a 🚲 draisienne (push bike). There was 🎨 art, and there were some steep descents (and ascents on the return journey) for the little one! What a marvellous destination to bike! We loved it so much that we decided to bring back the rest of the family at the weekend, with a trottinette (scooter) to add to the intrigue and fun!

[ note: MBFF explored the car park when the paint was drying, and so there were no cars! You cannot visit in this place footloose and fancy-free way anymore, as it is a functioning 🅿 car park! But it is still immense fun to explore the car park in your car! ]

2KM3‘s conception

The 🎨 protagonists in the conception of this unique art project were:

the mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Jean-Marc Peillex;
Hugues Chevalier, President of the Kill Art Factory;
and artist Frédéric Battle (Zoer);

[ interesting fact: the name 🎨 2KM3 is the abbreviation of the measurement of wall space and ceiling given to each artist (2000m3) ]

The artists

🎨 2KM3 was an ambitious project as the artists involved took only 17 days to complete their work! 🎨 Twelve French and international street artists were involved, and they covered all eleven floors of the car park (each working with 450 m² of walls and 500 m² of ceiling), and the façade, and each using their own unique style:

2KM3 – Acte II (2018 update)

Some of the original 2KM3 artists got busy again in 2018 – this time modernising the northern facade of La Poste in Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc, 💦 the Saint-Gervais swimming pool and 🚡 the Bettex and Mont d’Arbois télécabines stations;

*2KM3* Acte II – *la Poste* © Saint Gervais Tourisme

Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc – an alpine art hub (archipel d’art contemporain)

Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc is now well and truly on the cutting edge of contemporary art, as in addition to the 2KM3 project, there are:

the 🖼 temporary exhibitions in the Pile Pont exhibition space (one of the pillars of the viaduct);
the 🖼 Salle Géo Dorival (temporary exhibitions) in the centre of town;
the 🖼 open-air museum in the Parc Thermal in Le Fayet,
the artists in residence at the 🏰 Maison Forte de Hautetour;
the new art space, La Cure;