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Interview with
Miche"le
Freiburghaus- Lens
Head Cultural Advisor of Geneva's
Municipal Contemporary Art Fund
still goes on today of the Armenians and the city of
-- no need to look Geneva. The organization of this
further than Les competition was entrusted to the
de
Réverbères
Contemporary Art Fund, as it
la Mémoire. The deals with the commissioning of
fund has been public works of art. The basis of
responsible for all this is really a political deci-
approximately sion for which we were asked to
Q: You are responsible for 300 artworks that can now be organize a competition.
Geneva's Contemporary Art seen in public spaces all over the
Fund and you have been city. A small working group was the-
involved in the Les Réver- refore set up including, among
bères de la Mémoire Project Q: That's quite lot for a city others, representatives of the Ar-
since the beginning. Could the size of Geneva! menian community. It laid down
you tell us something about the specifications for the contest
this fund and the project? Yes, and every kind of artwork is and issued invitations to artists.
represented -- sculptures in pu- This process took almost two
The fund was created in 1950 blic spaces, mural frescos on the years to complete.
with the mission of supporting buildings and recently we had
artists during a difficult period the project of the artistic neon The idea was to create an impor-
just after the Second World War. lights that you can see on the tant work of art that has signifi-
This support was conducted roof of some buildings around cant artistic value, reflecting the
through placing public orders for Plainpalais. notion of collective memory --
works of art, which means that what it means in terms of suffe-
the fund commissioned artists Q: Could you tell us about ring, trauma after genocide, war,
and in return Geneva obtained the Les Réverbères de la Me- violence, etc. We gave conside-
artworks that have been used to moire Project? ration to all of these notions,
beautify the city. and then noted how it could be
It started quite a long time ago. integrated into a work of art.
Over the years the Fund has It was in fact the municipal The idea of a traditional memo-
been considerably enriched with council that adopted a motion rial was abandoned, while the
new functions, always connec- requesting the city to organize chosen work has to be an entity
ted with the support of artists. an international art competi- that encompasses all the features
Public art is a mission that has tion in favour of a monument mentioned, while also looking to
been carried out since 1950, and marking the common memory the future.
24 Armenia
