Léman Manic
9 April 2009 - 28 November 2010
With an offbeat tone and not without humour, the new exhibition at the Musée du Léman invites visitors to discover the flat of an imaginary character, Mr LémanManiac. This character, created from scratch - a passionate and great collector of Lake Geneva culture - is the spokesperson for the Musée du Léman. For if there is one difficult exercise for museums, it is to renew the way they exhibit their own collections! This flat is entirely made up of objects that are significant for the culture of Lake Geneva: Major Davel's wheel transformed into a table (by a donor!), a cradle-boat, a fishing trophy, tourist objects, a desk on which Jacques Piccard leaned or even floating skis invented by an original to walk on the water... All of this is accompanied by a myriad of objects, from the smallest to the largest, ranging from pearls made from lake fish scales to regatta cups, not forgetting a diving suit pump or magnificent scale models... In all, more than 700 objects have been donated to the Museum by a large number of generous donors over the past 55 years. This setting is reinforced by walls entirely covered with wallpaper with Lemanic motifs, specially created for the exhibition and giving a warm and intimate atmosphere to the whole. This material universe is punctuated by photographs by the greatest contemporary or deceased Lake Geneva photographers (Gilles Favez, Luc Chessex, Eddy Mottaz, Lucien Kolly, Jacob Lüscher and many others), old or contemporary posters, paintings, literary evocations, documents or films - such as the one by the young video artist from Lyon, Nicolas Prost, who takes a fresh and particularly lively look at fishing today. A strong artistic dimension that testifies to the constant fascination of the lake for its inhabitants... The aim of this exercise is not to achieve a pleasing effect on the eye, but to present the essence of a local and universal culture. The local public will have fun deciphering this assemblage as a succession of human stories, and the public elsewhere will discover with curiosity this unique lake culture. In all cases, surprise and emotion will be the order of the day. Most of the objects on display were brought to the Museum in the arms of their donor, and are charged with a strong sentimental value which the Museum, like a family home, has become the repository of over the years.