The artist Saype strikes again. The Frenchman, based in Moutier, Switzerland, has created another of his immense artworks on the back side of Rocher-de-Naye, near Montreux.
The artwork, which covers around 6,000 square metres, has been named “A story of the future”. Produced with more than 600 litres of biodegradable paint made from natural pigments, it was commissioned to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Glion–Rochers-de-Naye railway, a rack and pinion train that chugs up the hill from Montreux via Glion to the 2000m high peak of Rochers-de-Naye.
Last year Saype painted a large shepherd on a hillside in Leysin, Switzerland.
The artist Guillaume Legros, who goes by the alias of Saype, started as a graffiti artist.
Saype, a contraction of Say Peace, started by marking out the ground. Then he worked from a photo, first tracing out the lines of the image. To be sure he had the dimensions right he used a drone to get a full view, allowing him to correct the outline where necessary.
Through his work Guillaume Legros hopes to convey respect for the environment. His full series of grass art can be seen here.
This weekend, 16 – 17 September 2017, there are celebrations to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the train, the first mountain train in French-speaking Switzerland. There will be flights in a tethered balloon, music, special menus, and of course the train. Train fares will be half price and half price and other cards can be used, so the normally pricey CHF 70 round trip is CHF 35 for an adult. For those with a half price card, it will be CHF 17.50.
More on this:
Saype’s website (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
Event website (in French)
Saype Instagram
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