A PROJECT OF PUBLIC ART CONCEIVED AND DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PLAINE DE PLAINPALAIS IN GENEVA

The Contemporary Art Funds of the City and Canton of Geneva have initiated the public art project called “NEON PARALLAX”. Achievements of artists specialising in plastic arts are installed on the roofs of the buildings located at the edge of the Plaine de Plainpalais.

This ambitious and extraordinary project was conceived specifically for the Plaine de Plainpalais whose perimeter, located at the heart of the City, is characterized by its diamond shape which points out to Geneva lakefront .But away from this prestigious tourist context, the Plaine offers an original and diversified urban space which combines local commercial, cultural, seasonal and festive activities.

The challenge of the artists invited to take part in this contest of international significance was to transpose the advertising stakes of the commercial signs of the harbour in artistic messages. The works have been placed on the roofs at the rate of two original creations per year (2007, 2008 and 2009). The inauguration of the three works that complete the actual ensemble will take place in 2012. Thanks to the generosity of the owners of the buildings, each roof is left at the disposal of the Funds to accommodate a creation for a period limited to ten years.