Rainwater, streams and rivers flow through the Lausanne watershed under the effect of gravity, like blood coursing through a body, until they reach their ultimate destination: Lake Geneva. Although the city has obscured the water’s path down the hillside, Recto-Versant reveals the points where these flows meet the lake.

Ground markings on the shoreline indicate the location of buried effluent pipes. Submerged masts and buoys positioned 10 meters or so out from these outlets are painted in the color scheme devised by Swiss limnologist François-Alphonse Forel, varying from blue to yellow-green to indicate the presence of different organic and alluvial elements in the water. A new color spectrum, orange, is also used to denote the ever-warmer temperatures recorded in Lake Geneva.

The passenger waiting area at the Maladière bus stop hosts a panoramic film, depicting close-up images of the organic composition of the lake’s waters, the effects of urbanization, and weather phenomena. The montage, like reflections in the faces of a crystal, unveils the many facets of this hidden landscape.