Bikes have accompanied the French throughout modern times. First as a luxury accessory, then as a mean to achieve individual and political liberation, bicycles have rolled through a century of France’s social history, until reaching a new status – that of ecological symbol.
The bicycle is a popular myth. Powered by the many memories of French people, it embodies something both timeless and universal.
It is also a riveting object, insofar as it has always opposed — cyclists and bikers, feminists and conservatives, middle-class and working class, adepts of ecological degrowth and speed lovers.
La Reine bicyclette is the story of our fluctuating love for bikes. It is a witty and tender look at French people on saddles, from the late 19th century to this day.