An 18m long and 4m high illuminated display hung in the middle of the bridge arch of the Hochbrücke Baden. It resembled an oversized LCD display, in six parts, like the word VERSUS, or a digital clock display: for hours, minutes, seconds. For 10 days it displayed words, so-called Versus pairs. These were pairs of words that shone in a regular cycle and synchronously above the Limmat in the directions north and south.

Only one word was readable at a time, or the opposing term shone in the opposite direction. The installation confronted the visitors with the festival theme of the Badenfahrt 2017 VERSUS and playfully challenged them to look for the contrast to the depicted word. The installation was loaded with a fund of over 100 pairs of opposites.  Every visitor could play around these word pairs on the high bridge. Two games were specially developed for this purpose. Standing opposite each other, separated by the game console, they could compete against each other in the middle of a temporary permanent structure on the High Bridge.

The Versus pairs ranged from obvious opposites such as LOVE vs. HATE to „inseparable“ word pairs in which the opposites dissolved, e.g. PARKER vs. BARROW (surnames Bonnie & Clyde).

(by Matthias Gubler - thisisthis.ch/versus_installation)

Exhibited at Badenfahrt, Baden, Switzerland, August - September 2017

3600 high power LEDs
14 km Cable
300m PVC-film
1.5 Tons
1800 × 400 × 60 cm

In collaboration with Matthias Gubler, Simon Schubiger, Filip Schramka, Cloé Hüsser, Tobias Baumgartner.

Supported by FHNW and BALTS.