Searching for Mosaic Sidewalks in Lyon

I spent the day with my French friend, Tom, who took me on a treasure hunt around Lyon, in search of any “flacking” we could find. Armed with a map of various locations, we soon realized that these mosaics are subject to the ravages of time, some paved over, and others cracking and deteriorating beyond recognition. This realization made us all the more determined to find these colorful little gems in the pavement. There are always more mosaics to discover.

What is “flacking”? Since 2016, French street artist Ememem, working in secrecy in the dark of night, has covered the surfaces of Lyon by treating its cracks and worn patches not as flaws to erase, but as spaces to create art for the people. His project, Flacking, began with a single street repair near his studio and is now a full art form of inserting small, colorful mosaics into damaged pavement and broken cobblestones.

The word ‘flacking’, a word that Ememem invented, comes from ‘flaque’, the French word for puddle. The spirit of the work is reminiscent of Kintsugi – the Japanese technique of mending ceramics with gold to highlight, rather than conceal, their fractures. In a similar way, each “flack” turns each part of crumbling pavement into art free of charge for all to enjoy. 

The artist has described his work as a kind of “bitumen poetry” embedded in asphalt. It brings to mind something unexpectedly glistening and colorful appearing out of the blackened road, which really, it is.

These uniquely beautiful mosaics are no longer limited to Lyon, as his work now appears in cities around the world, inviting passersby to notice what they might otherwise overlook.

We walked up and down the painted steps of Croix Rousse in Lyon in search of more flacking.

On the way, we noticed more fun and quirky street art placed on buildings – art created from old cans, records, pipes, etc. Some art was sculptural while others contributed to Lyon’s tradition of mural paintings.

Ememem’s website: EmememFlacking
Ememem’s Instagram

Did I really find all these flackings in one day? No, it was just the beginning. Finding these gems takes a lot of sleuthing and pounding the pavement. Judging from his Instagram page, I get the idea that Ememem likes to keep his pieces secret so that people can have the pleasure of stumbling on one as unexpected surprise. This is also the reason why I am not creating a map and I’m leaving the detective work up to you.

Thank you for taking this journey with me in search of the colorful secrets of Lyon. À la prochaine fois ! (Until next time!)