LUMINOUS WORKS ON THE ROOFS

On the lakefront, the visual attraction of the neon signs is linked to the coloured luminosity they release at night, creating a sense of life and animation. Whatever its form or its message, the neon sign is immediately compared with publicity signs; no doubt remains on the function of such an object. In the context of the Plaine de Plainpalais, the luminous installations on the roofs are therefore easily accessible, emotionally and intellectually to any public. However, the commercial and advertising stakes related to the prestigious site of the lakefront are transposed here in artistic messages addressed to the users, inhabitants and passers-by of the district of Plainpalais. Urban signs widely used and recognized have suddenly been hustled and diverted by artists.

The NEONS project also realizes several objectives of the Contemporary Art Funds of the City and Canton. On the one hand it aims at trying different temporality using artistic creations placed in public space for a limited period (10 years). On the other hand the occupation of the roofs round the Plaine allows a new context for the integration of the works to be explored, without occupying a space on the ground already overloaded and, in the particular case of the Plaine, already largely invested. The collective form of this global realisation made up of several individual works makes it possible to connect artists of the local scene with international creators. This step also makes it possible to regard the urban environment as a common space that can be questioned and upgraded by a new look.