Patrick Kanner, the French Minister of Urban Affairs, Youth and Sport, inaugurated two themed exhibitions at the Museum of the French Tennis Federation, located inside the legendary Roland Garros stadium near Paris, on May 12. “Secondes Vies: Métamorphoses du Matériel Sportif” (Second Lives: Metamorphosis of sports equipment) showcases the recycling of used sports equipment, and uses art as a vector to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable development. The exhibition entitled “Jeu, Set et Mode” (Game, Set and Fashion) celebrates style in tennis through the history.
The exhibition features objects as well as raw materials obtained from used sports equipment, and shows how they can enjoy a second life. Visitors get a chance to see bags made from neoprene suits or old team kits and furniture made out of skis and snowboards. In addition, a dozen artifacts around the theme of sport and sustainability, made by contemporary artists who have been selected by an expert jury and representatives of the world of sports, are on display. The exhibition illustrates the principles of the “circular economy,” which is about resource loops, as opposed to a linear model. In line with the notion of circular economy is the Yellow Ball Operation, a project by the French Tennis Federation that involves converting used tennis balls into mats or surfaces for play areas. Secondes Vies will be installed for six months in the museum at the Roland Garros stadium but will then move elsewhere.
Jeu, Set et Mode focuses on the subject of tennis and fashion and showcases the major changes in clothing in every era, from 1900 to the present day. The exhibition, which will run until March 2016, links the courts and garden parties around tennis to the haute couture catwalks, combining the two universes of tennis and fashion, which have traditionally been a source of inspiration to one another. The exhibition also illustrates the emergence of the big equipment manufacturers in this process. Among the 60 exhibits on display, some are from the Museum's archives and have never been displayed before, including unique creations from the Jean Patou fashion house. A few rare items are on loan from the Wimbledon Museum, the Belgian Tennis Musem and private collections.
Visitors also have a chance to see various autographed outfits from top players of different eras including Steffi Graf, Mary Pierce, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and others. Adidas, Lacoste, Le Coq Sportif and other sporting goods suppliers made significant contributions to the exhibition.
