EXHIBITIONS

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of a drop of water.

During its journey from one of the springs of Lake Geneva

to the Geneva harbor, water shapes the land,

creates surprising aquatic landscapes and serves

for plants and animals. In the

of Mr. Alfonso Gomez’s year as mayor, the Ville de

Geneva wants to showcase Lake Geneva and its biodiversity

in an immersive way. Photographer Michel Roggo

invites us to dive in with him and discover

the treasures hidden beneath the mirror waters of our

regions. And yet, accustomed to expeditions in rough waters

of the planet, his encounter with the Lake of Geneva

has many surprises in store, which he shares with us for

our greatest curiosity.

An exhibition dedicated to the great American poet John Giorno and his friends, which also traces the evolution of poetry in the 1970s…

Aquatic plants from near and far

Any plant species living constantly or temporarily in water or a wetland environment can be considered an aquatic plant.

Algae are included even if they are not plants in the strict sense.

Water can be salty or fresh, running (sea, lake, stream) or stagnant (mangrove, marsh, pond). Plants may be fixed or drifting, completely or partially submerged, microscopic or visible to the naked eye. They may belong to the algae, moss, fern or flowering plant groups.

Water depth (reduced luminosity), variations in water level, nutrient richness (eutrophication), acidity, soil type and currents strongly influence the development and propagation of species.

Botanists divide aquatic plants into two groups: macrophytes and microphytes. Macrophytes include flowering plants, ferns, mosses and algae visible to the naked eye. The latter include microscopic algae.

This exhibition surveys over 2,000 years of sacred history around Lake Geneva. It’s the start of a long investigation in museums, libraries and archives. And in the churches and temples of lakeside communities in Switzerland and France. We go in search of stained-glass windows, statues, frescoes and other evidence of religious practices.

All avenues are explored. Numerous testimonies and press articles are consulted and deciphered. These are not myths or legends, but tangible realities attested by the documents, places and historical objects we have unearthed. They all represent the fundamental questions

Films with Lake Geneva as their backdrop are actually quite rare. Yet Swiss and foreign filmmakers regularly set up shop on the shores of the lake to shoot a few scenes.

Directors’ relationship with water varies greatly. For some, it’s just a distant backdrop, while for others it’s an integral part of the narrative.

Unlike the mountain, which is a character in many films, the lake is not an actor in its own right in any fiction, except in the protean work of Godard, who lived on its shores in Rolle.

Strangely enough, despite the presence of many talented directors and dream castings, virtually none of the films shot on Lake Geneva’s waters have been a hit with audiences.

These films will be remembered only by cinephiles.

Just outside Geneva lies CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory.

For over 70 years, thousands of scientists from all over the world have been carrying out fundamental research into matter and the Universe, using huge, sophisticated machines, gas pedals and particle detectors.

CERN has selected a series of photos from its archives, dating from the 1950s to the 1980s. These images retrace a piece of the laboratory’s history, where futuristic machines and cutting-edge experts rub shoulders. Often intriguing, sometimes unusual, these snapshots bear witness to CERN’s formidable human adventure, where scientific exploration is combined with passion, a spirit of sharing and, occasionally, a touch of humor.