On Saturday, April 27th at 4 pm, the vernissage of Tags de PluiË took place on the Pont de la Machine in the heart of Geneva!
Tag Creation Process
We aimed to create the tag phrases in a participatory and collaborative manner. To achieve this, we organized three activities titled "Paroles de Pluie," aimed at exploring the connection between words and rainwater, emotions, and art (see our previous blog).
Subsequently, we applied these phrases onto the ground using a hydrophobic, biological, and transparent product, which becomes visible when it rains. These drawings or phrases then appear on the surface.
You can find these tags in various locations across Geneva: Bel-Air, Place St-Gervais, Plaine de Plainpalais, Palladium tram stop, Jonction bus stop, Place St-Antoine, Bastion, Parc Bertrand, and soon at the Eaux-Vives train station, Eaux-Vives beach, as well as on the St-Jean cover.
Additionally, once you photograph a tag, share it on social media and tag us (@IRHA-H2O) on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn with the hashtag #tagsdepluiË.
In addition to the phrases, we have also designed pipe drawings in partnership with Juliette Dunand, a sustainable innovation designer. These drawings remind us of the hidden side of the water cycle, shedding light on the invisible. The idea is to showcase the invisible path of rainwater: barely fallen from the sky, it is quickly evacuated like waste through drains and the entire canalization system. But why not retain it a bit on the surface, valorize it, and use it before letting it flow into rivers, lakes, and the sea?
The PluiË tags from IRHA go beyond simple messages on the ground. They symbolize a call to action, a reminder of our collective responsibility to our planet. By effectively managing rainwater at an individual level, we can contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change and preserving our ecosystems. It's time to break taboos, to [re]question our management of natural resources, particularly that of rainwater. And you, what are you doing for rainwater?
PluiË Tags Vernissage
The vernissage of the Rain Tags brought together around thirty participants and caught the attention of hundreds of passersby.
Deborah and Natasha, the dancers from Global Water Dances - Geneva, first proposed a choreography that intensely evoked the feelings that rainwater can arouse: joy, jealousy, sorrow, and injustice. This dance was embraced by all participants, armed with umbrellas.
IRHA provided carefully collected rainwater, and all participants were able to carry a bottle of rainwater on their heads, similar to women in the southern regions of Senegal or Nepal, who fetch water from wells every day. Finally, participants poured this water on the ground, revealing the tags on the wet surface! What joy to see each word, each image appear, one by one!