”TRAIN ATTACK” / NYCHOS / GROUND CONTROL / PARIS

Nychos recently painted a mural in the former SNCF train yard of the ”Gare du Nord” in Paris. ”Train Attack” is a homage to Graffiti as the artist translates his passion into a powerful visual language.

Having the chance to legally spray-paint the entrance of an abandoned train yard is something that sounds unusual at the first moment, maybe still at the second. But there are people out there who make such things happen. Ground Control is an innovative project, that lives from Paris’ temporary grounds. It involves several groups of people, all working in different areas, who are pitching their camps all around Paris in order to create ephemeral locations, where people can meet up and exchange. This summer, Ground Control was realized in a former SNCF train yard and Nychos got the chance to paint a mural there during his Paris stay for his solo-exhibition ”Off The Wall” at OpenSpace Gallery.

Surrounded by the leftovers of what used to be a full time operated enterprise, the artist took up the nostalgic atmosphere which reigned  around the whole building and decided to pay homage to one of his first true loves: Graffiti. ”Train Attack” shows a snake winding around a bombed train-wagon, similar to the ones that used to park here some years ago and is filled with action-packed moments: A snake’s skeleton attacking the train and a pulsating heart that would probably pop out of the wall if it was not held back by its veins and arteries, in which the wagon is embedded.

Scroll down for some photos of the mural and pay the place a visit. It includes several bars, bistros, restaurants, an urban garden and has a constantly changing program going on. Find the address and all the information on their website and Facebook page.

Many thanks go out to everybody who was involved in the process of the project: Nicolas & Samantha (OpenSpace Gallery) for organizing the wall, Vincent & Fred (Ground Control) for their huge motivation and time, Nico and all the other great people from Montana Cans for the endless support, Chrixcel for taking the photos and Alexis Deforges for capturing the stay in the following video: