On the basis of the competition idea submitted by the architects Fischer and Walker, iart conceived and planned the exhibition ‘Under the Lake’ for the Swiss Pavilion at Expo Zaragoza 2008. The exhibition’s central feature was a huge sail onto which water constantly fell. The sail was hung in a curved way and due to projected images seemed to change its shape and function: It formed the three-dimensional shape of a lake floor or a pool. The projected video work was realised especially for this screen by the artist Max Philipp Schmid. iart realised the entire exhibition in cooperation with tegoro solutions ag and Nüssli Schweiz AG. The Internet site for the Swiss pavilion included a virtual exhibition tour designed by iart, which was realised by Claudiabasel under iart’s direction.

The key themes

The Swiss pavilion confronted visitors with Switzerland’s waterscape and its history. The key themes examined were ecological changes in Switzerland’s lakes and rivers as well as national and international efforts to conserve them and keep them clean. Switzerland’s valuable technical know-how regarding water conservation was presented, as were innovative international projects to keep its waters clean.

The foyer

A map in the foyer presented Switzerland’s dense network of lakes and rivers. A few introductory sentences outlined water’s importance as a raw material, discussed the water reserves Switzerland shares with other countries and demonstrated the responsibility existing towards those who rely on those reserves for their water supply.

Projection on the curved sail

The exhibition’s central feature was a huge downward-curving sail (18 x 11 m) that served as a projection surface for a video by the artist Max Philipp Schmid. Thanks to its unconventional hanging, the sail formed an elongated vertical line that – depending on whether visitors stood beneath it or on the upper level – either hung about their heads or extended beneath them. The changing video images caused the sail to take on different motifs and functions: it became a lake-bed, a bathtub, a valley. The mood changed from “pleasantly interesting to “exciting” to “disturbing” and even to “threatening” and back again. A man moved about in the water, his body and skin reacting differently depending on the water quality, which gave rise to changes of mood. Visitors thus became aware of water’s different qualities and characteristics, developing a feeling for its ambivalent potential, even though that potential was not as a general rule directly visible in the water. Underneath the sail, visitors could rest on “amoebae” (loungers and seats that were made from tractor tubes).

Energy-efficient cooling system

An intensive sound effect was created in the room by the drops of water that were constantly falling on the sail. Those drops of water also helped to cool the room for, together with the sail, they were components of an energy-saving cooling system that not only served to communicate water’s functions in our economy but that, like the projected images, was directly experienced.

Interactive ‘Wall of Water’

After having been emotionally sensitised by the sail installation to the characteristics, unpredictability and potential of the element of water, visitors arrived at the second section of the exhibition: an abstract Swiss waterscape. Using images and texts, this section provided information about the problems faced by Switzerland’s eco-system, measures to restore ecological equilibrium and the water conservation programs already implemented at national and international level. “Rivers” in the form of transparent tubes ran from a water tank placed below the ceiling to light boxes along the tubes’ path. In the light boxes the water collected. The boxes were marked with symbols representing possible sources of water problems: (e.g. a rain cloud for flooding, a motor boat for environmentally harmful leisure activities and a roll of toilet paper for household effluent).
If visitors pulled the chain on the light boxes, the “sluice” opened, the “cleansed“ water flowed out along the tube below and the light box lit up so that a picture and a text became visible. These provided information about how to solve the problem. Visitors could obtain fresh drinking water from the lower water tanks (which represented the three international lakes, Lago Maggiore, Lake Constance and Lake Geneva). The water taps were marked with abbreviations indicating the names of the countries that share the waters of the lake concerned, for example I and CH on the Lago Maggiore tank. Through the exhibition’s various components, Switzerland presented itself as an innovative, energy-conscious country actively committed to improvements in environmental technology.

Accompanying media

On leaving the pavilion every visitor received a poster showing a still from the exhibition video. Texts and a board game based on the contents of the Wall of Water were printed on the back of the poster. The Internet site for the Swiss pavilion included a virtual exhibition tour designed by iart, which was realised by Claudiabasel under iart’s direction.

Swiss Pavilion ‘Under the Lake’, Expo Zaragoza 2008
www.swissworld.es
www.expozaragoza2008.es
Temporary exhibition
Duration: June – September 2008

Client
Präsenz Schweiz

Services iart
Concept, planning and realization of the exhibition’s content, media, design and lighting
On-site technical management

Media used
Video projection ‘Under the Lake’
Interactive installation ‘Wall of Water’
Lighting
Event technology

Partners iart
David Grolimund, Präsenz Schweiz, Project management
Simon Bleisch, Nüssli Schweiz AG, Project management
tegoro solutions ag, Technical realization and support
Max Philipp Schmid, Realization of video ‘Under the Lake’

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Eröffnungsgäste vor dem Schweizer Pavillon

Das Segel mit dem Video ‘Unter dem See’

Besucher vor der Wasserwand

Poster mit Spiel zum Thema ‘Wasser und nachhaltige Entwicklung’