The Pont de la Machine (The Machine Bridge) is now associated with the Cité du Temps and with SIG (Service Industriel de Geneve). The building was originally designed to house a hydraulic engine that transformed life at the end of the 19th century by becoming the first electricity generating station in Geneva, with a particular emphasis on urban lighting.
One element that time and engines have in common is gears; this, in turn reminded me of watchmaking, an industry intimately associated with Geneva... When I reflected that Geneva’s, electricity was originally produced on this site, I was all the more eager to bring the site to life through this association of ideas.
The lighting solution that I conceived consisted of illuminating the walkway of the bridge with glowing sundials reminiscent of intricate, old-fashioned lacework, and animating luminous “gears” on the façade of the Cité du Temps to give the illusion of rotating cogs.
In the first year, the installation was incredibly complicated. But at the end of the day, nothing proved impossible thanks to a great team.
