Swatch has commissioned renowned contemporary land artist Saype to create two artworks inspired by the BIOCERAMIC MoonSwatch collection.
Fueled by Swatch’s foundational belief that art and artists make the world a better place, this latest collaboration opens a new chapter as the first art project inspired by the MoonSwatch universe. Swatch is proud to embark on its first land art project alongside such an innovative and disruptive artist.
The collaboration with Saype, a pioneer of a new land art movement, has resulted in two ephemeral artworks featuring children having a sense of wonder and curiosity towards the mysteries of the universe and dreaming of space travel and the sky, with Kenya’s breathtaking landscapes as their canvases. The image of the little girl measures 120 meters wide and 60 meters tall (7,200 square meters total), while the little boy is 50 meters wide and 120 meters tall (6,000 square meters total).
When observed from above, the images are facing each other, as if they were connected. The boy featured in the artwork “His Bright Dream” is innocent in his demeanor, a dreamer at heart. The girl portrayed in “Her Bold Dream” however, is more conscious of the universe around her. To create his unique installations, Saype uses a 100% biodegradable, eco-friendly paint that he developed, which allows him to create gigantic frescoes of huge proportions directly on the ground. Saype and his 10-person team including Kenyan locals, worked with 600 kg of pigments and tools brought from Europe to create the paintings.
Unseasonal weather added an element of unpredictability to the project, which Saype greeted with optimism and adaptability. A two-day drive from Nairobi, the site is so remote that there is no cell phone service. Due to inclement weather, he was not able to scout his location ahead of time.
Ultimately, he settled on a location that would allow for his images‘ dimensions. The production process was also impacted: as soon as the artist had finished his work, unseasonal rain moved in over the area and washed away the frescoes. Yet this setback only contributed to the richness of the project, as Saype re-painted his artworks with pleasure, seeing at as a chance to practice his craft even more. The frescoes disappear into the landscape as they are exposed to the elements. They will, however, live on forever in stunning photos taken by drones, which will be made available online on May 26, 2023.
"From time immemorial, around the world, humanity has contemplated the stars. And even if science has changed our view from a divine ceiling to the vertigo of infinity, the magic remains intact. It is in the middle of the lunar landscapes of Kenya that I chose to express myself, a place so surreal that it makes you lose your sense of being on Earth. As with the collaboration between Swatch and OMEGA, this is the story of a universal dream: to travel this universe that seems so close to us at nightfall, to fly to the stars, to play as if you were a child".
– Saype
ABOUT SAYPE
Self-taught, contemporary artist Saype is known for pioneering a type of land art which involves creating gigantic paintings on grass with eco-responsible paints. Through his art, Saype, who began his artistic career painting graffiti before switch-ing to land art, aims to “impact people, without impacting nature”. That is why for all his installations, he uses a 100% biodegradable paint that he developed. Using mainly chalk and charcoal, he makes up to 5 different shades of gray to create each painting which eventually disappears as it is exposed to the elements. Saype has created numerous land art paintings all over the world. Recent works in-clude the Beyond Walls project in which the artist created gigantic grass paintings aimed at connecting the five continents through the largest symbolic human chain in the world and the World in Progress project painted for the 75th anniversary of the UN as a message of hope. In 2019, Forbes magazine ranked him among the 30 Under 30 in art and culture.
