Sous Vos Pieds
‘Pavillion d’Eau’ Billboard Project
When I was asked to create artwork for a billboard in the Verbier 3D Foundation’s Sculpture Park in Verbier, Switzerland about water in our town, my first instinct was to produce a photograph. But I was encouraged to keep it simple and bold for distant viewing, so a graphic was more suitable. This was totally different to what I would usually create, but I took on the challenge. That’s when I realised I had no idea where our water actually actually came from or how it arrived at my house.
So, I met with ALTIS, our local utility and energy company that manages Verbier’s water before creating something for the sculpture park. They introduced me to two main sites, Lac de Louvie and the water treatment station at Les Ruinettes. I discovered that beneath us runs a 25 km aqueduct, stretching from Lac de Louvie to Pas du Lein, built in 1967. I visited the tunnel at Louvie with Bruno Emmonet of ALTIS (thank you!) and I was amazed by the immense underground network, and by imagining how difficult it was to construct these tunnels through mountains! I also visited the Ruinettes treatment station, hidden beneath our feet at the ski lift station, guided by Olivier Fellay (Merci Olivier!). I’ve been skiing, hiking and biking over this for years and never realised that it was beneath our feet!
My artwork is intentionally simple: a Sulzer colour chart that I discovered in this treatment centre below Ruinettes. I turned it on its side to create a bold, colourful statement which also is colour coordinated land to sky. In large letters on top I wrote “SOUS VOS PIEDS” translating as ‘UNDER YOUR FEET’, a reminder of the vast, unseen system beneath our feet that provides clean, safe water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Thank you Verbier 3D Foundation for asking me to work on this project and for the amazing work that you do in bringing such incredible artists to the sculpture park creating an interesting hike, bike or ski for everyone between Ruinettes and la Chaux:)