In 1984, Noir began painting the Berlin Wall with fellow French artist, Christophe-Emmanuel Bouchet. Their first paintings were a reaction to the melancholy, sadness, and "pressure of daily life" they experienced living so close to the Wall. They used paint scavenged from nearby construction sites or left behind by city workers. Prior to this, graffiti on the Wall had largely consisted of anti-American slogans, racist notes, and funny messages. Noir himself noted that painting large images on the Wall had been seen as a "taboo, even among alternative people". Noir and Bouchet's status as foreigners allowed them to effectively skirt this taboo. One of the first works they painted on the wall was an homage to Jean de La Fontaine's fable of "The Tortoise and the Hare" close to Potsdamer Platz.