mural

The art piece

The art piece entitled ‘[sɑ̃]’ (phonetic transcription) plays on the homophones “cent”, “sans” and “sang” to question the value of water as a vital, economic and geopolitical resource. Between 2016 and 2019, the Swiss National Bank launched a new series of banknotes entitled “Multifaceted Switzerland”. The latest banknote, the 100 franc note, focuses on water, symbolized by the Grand Bisse d’Ayent. With this first art piece in the commune of Ayent, the artist revisits the banknote to address the importance of water and our relationship with money. Installed on the town hall, the mural combines the front and back of the banknote in a new narrative. It begins with the Bisse d’Ayent, places the Earth at its center, and ends with a hand protecting water, underlining its universal importance and calling for its preservation.

This art piece, created entirely with spray paint, exposes the direct relationship between water and its monetary value. Through this prism, it invites reflection on the conflicts and economic stakes associated with this resource. Examples such as the privatization of water in Africa by large industrial groups, the huge Nile dam in Ethiopia and the impact of avocado cultivation in South America illustrate some of the social and geopolitical catastrophes associated with water. But rivalries and negotiations over water are also omnipresent at the local level between the communes and regions of the Valais. The bisses themselves have been the subject of political disputes in the heart of the canton. The mural incorporates elements that interact with light, such as the reflective globe visible at night. The banknote’s monetary values are replaced by philosophical ones, with texts by the poet Goethe and rapper Oxmo Puccino, adding a cultural and reflective dimension to the ultra-realistic approach of the depicted banknote.

While this art piece reminds us that water management is one of the major issues of the 21st century, the artist’s main aim is to confront us with this giant banknote. Faced with this monumental art piece, Jasm One invites us to question our relationship with water and money in all its dimensions.