Hadj Benhalima sized up the building in front of him then took a run at the wall, pushed off its surface with one foot, twisted around in mid-air and reached out to flick a switch a few metres off the ground.
A clunk and brief second later, the glaring outdoor sign of the currency exchange store went dark, one of many shop-front illuminations the wiry 21-year-old and his fellow Parkour athletes switched off one night last week in a bid to combat energy waste.
They make use of kill switches regularly placed on the outside of buildings in France to let emergency services cut off power in the event of a fire. Passing through chic neighbourhoods near the Garnier Opera House and the Champs Elysees, Benhalima and his friends pick off barbers, cafes and local stores. Boutiques belonging to Rolex, Tiffany & Co and Swatch are shown no deference.
The Paris-based On The Spot collective is just one of several Parkour groups that have been acting against light pollution and wasteful energy use in cities across France for the past two years.