Les Pieds au Sec: Le Taillan-Médoc’s giant local history hopscotch artwork

At Invisible Bordeaux, we’ve become accustomed to looking upwards at walls, plaques and windows, but on a lane stretching through the forest of Le Taillan-Médoc, in the north-western suburbs of Bordeaux, it is very much a case of looking down at what is painted on the ground: a 100-metre-long hopscotch-like serpentine installation comprising handpainted squares inspired by local sights, customs and tales. We give you 'Les Pieds au Sec' (which translates as "dry feet"!).

The artwork is the result of a project (codenamed a POP, for Projet Optimiste Partagé, an upbeat shared project) conducted by the local municipality throughout 2024 and 2025, with the active support of a number of cultural players, and awarded to be delivered by the multidisciplinary artists Benjamin Grafmeyer and Colette Ducamp.

Starting from a blank page, initial encounters led the two artists to develop an idea around an iconic raised pathway, « la Levade du Médoc » (also known as Lébade). This was a footpath that ran from Bordeaux to Soulac via Le Taillan, in essence the first formal route in the area, and the reason it was raised was to enable walkers to remain above the level of the surrounding marshlands, therefore keeping their feet dry (i.e. les pieds au sec).

Full explanations about each of the 58 recurring panels are available alongside the artwork.

Working with the idea of possibly creating their own form of "levade", they held workshops in local schools, care homes, art clubs and even at the weekly market, meeting, greeting, chatting and collecting examples of some of the distinguishing features that make Le Taillan what it has become today, whether substantial or seemingly insignificant! And while out rambling with the town’s youth club, they came across the long stretch of ground, close to where the original "levade" was located, that would later host the end product.

During further sessions with participants at what is known as le POLCA (Pôle culturel et artistique), work began on creating giant stencils, and primary schoolchildren contributed by utilizing a set of pre-defined shapes to conceive some of the visuals that would end up painted on the ground.

The final stage came in April 2025 when schoolchildren and volunteers joined the artists to produce the actual stencils’n’paint artpiece, which can now be freely viewed at all times. But then again why not take things one step further as this is public artwork that cannot only be viewed but can be played, with detailed explanations and rules available online (the game is reportedly suitable for players aged 3 to 101, and is also available online as a print-out-and-keep version).

To enjoy the full experience, nothing beats visiting the exhibit itself, but as a taster, here are just a few of the squares painted on the ground (they could already do with a little TLC) and what they represent:

Le lavoir (above left): Le Taillan-Médoc’s centrally-located washhouse was first built in 1870 and renovated in 2009. As elsewhere, for many years it was a veritable meeting point and a hub for local gossip!

Le sergent mystère (middle): the artwork has been positioned on Allée du Sergent, but it is a mystery who the original sergeant might have been!

Chez Titine (right): Titine was the lady who was the first person in the Germinal neighbourhood of Le Taillan to have a telephone connection. She was therefore particularly well-informed about local news and developments!

Les voitures fantômes (above left): In June 1940, a surprising convoy of Citroën vehicles turned up in Le Taillan-Médoc. They were being driven by Citroën factory-workers and their families, who had fled Paris and were on a mission to hide the cars further south in the Landes region.

La Place Général de Gaulle (right): the town’s central square was previously the territory of grazing sheep, but is now the place where people meet to socialise and catch up with each other. Cheers!

Here's to Les Pieds au Sec, let's hope it proves to be a durable addition to Le Taillan-Médoc, possibly even in time becoming as much a part of the town's heritage as the sights, customs and tales that the artpiece celebrates! 

And here is some official video footage of the installation:   

P.S. Before signing off, there is a bonus item to share as nearby, by another lane that enters the forest, an old red British telephone box can be seen. There seems to be no particular reason why it should be there, but it is indeed there, and makes for an unusual sight to say the least. Judging by the scale of the neighbouring property, it appears to be a private initiative rather than the work of the local council. 

Doing a bit of homework, it appears to be a K6 model kiosk, and the bas relief St Edward’s Crown therefore means that it was manufactured after 1953. Since the 1990s, when red telephone boxes quickly disappeared from the landscape, the crown has been picked out in gold paint on heritage models; here though it has retained its original red paint. Sadly, there is no phone inside, so if your battery is low and you need to make a call when in the area, possibly best instead to hunt out ‘Chez Titine’…

> Find them on the Invisible Bordeaux Googlemap: Les Pieds au Sec hopscotch serpentine and Red telephone box, Le Taillan-Médoc.

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