As part of the redevelopment of the Kaserne—an imposing group of historical buildings adjoining the river, right in the town centre—Canton Basel approached the New Patrons to generate a work, desired by the users of the site, that would depart from traditional percentage for art methods.

Originally, "le canard" was the space circumscribed by logs outside where students gathered for breaks between classes. It was said to look like a duck when viewed from the upper floors. No one remembers when the duck became the mascot of the Collège Sainte-Croix. Old-timers say over twenty years ago. Now it's everywhere: each graduating class designs its own t-shirt with the duck's image and dedicates a film shot in the video workshop to it; students dress up as a duck when an important announcement has to be made; the duck presides over the "Fun Day", the big costume party that precedes the end-of-year exams; the "duck by night" parties are organized to raise money for trips or to contribute to the "duck support fund", which helps students in financial difficulty. And people "go to the duck" to meet up outside. But then, the duck had to be torn down in spring 2019 to make way for the construction of a new wing of the building. And everyone felt an irremediable sense of loss.

Taking advantage of a budget earmarked for the creation of a work of art in connection with the building extension, a group of teachers and students decided to seize the opportunity to reflect together on what the duck represented for their community and what it should become. Of course, first and foremost, it embodies the playful and creative identity that Sainte-Croix has forged for itself, in contrast to the serious Latin motto of the neighboring, more bourgeois high school. But above all, its convocation gives ritual form to spontaneous, even anarchic actions that would otherwise not be tolerated. For it is also the judge, the protector, the guarantor of a social cohesion sometimes challenged by the bilingualism practiced at the college.

Everyone agrees that a sculpture of a duck would not highlight the complexity of the issues it symbolizes. The commissioners wanted an artistic project that would "accompany the ritualization of convivial and festive actions" outdoors, and that could "give rise to new rituals and welcome the creative projects of future generations". To meet this complex demand, the mediator of Nouveaux commanditaires/New Patrons invited them to work with artist Lili Reynaud-Dewar.

The artist proposed to take over the sheltered area, a heritage structure with wooden columns, located behind the college in a state of relative neglect. The idea is simple: to add ornamented curtains and a colored wooden floor, so as to transform the space into a kind of stage for events. And it could also be used as an open-air classroom, or simply as a place to hang out and chat between classes. The curtains give the space a public and scenic dimension when open, and a more private and intimate one when drawn. The yellow and orange curtains are inscribed with the lyrics of a song co-written by the artist with students as a tribute to the duck and their daily life in Sainte-Croix, and set to music by composer Nicolas Murer. This opened up the possibility of a new folklore, that of songs to be performed or written to celebrate the beloved duck. In a setting that revealed its extraordinary acoustic quality following the artist's intervention.

The songs are copyright-free and can be downloaded here:

1. Le Canard ↓ 2. STX ↓ 3. Les micro-ondes ↓ 4. Fun Day ↓ 5. The story ↓ 6. Le Canard für immer ↓

Bolivia-9, an association of Bolivians, commissioned a work to give a form to its members’ reflections on the issue of cultural transmission between the first generations of Bolivians who migrated to Switzerland, and the generation of their children, who have grown up far from where their parents were born. The Italian artist duo Invernomuto will create a fiction film in which the patrons will participate.

The new EMS Nouveau Prieuré building gives its residents, elderly people who receive care, a view onto a large light well situated in the centre of their collective living space. The monumental well, with bay windows on three sides and a large white wall extending 18 metres high, resembles a large, empty vertical aquarium. Although people on neighbouring floors can be seen through the large windows, the sense of emptiness felt by the residents and employees meant they wanted the light well to be “inhabited”  by an artistic intervention, so that it would be “warmer, and give them impression of being at home”.

The work proposed by Emmanuelle Lainé consists of large photographs installed on the blind wall of the well, and which precisely match the dimensions of the bay windows. The photographs create a trompe-l’oeil effect by faithfully reproducing the living space of the EMS, including some furniture items, in such a way as to give the impression of extending the existing architecture. On closer inspection, the eye is drawn to a series of objects that “inhabit” this domestic space in an off-kilter manner. The viewer starts looking for surprising details—an anamorphic image in the stretched patterns on a sofa, that can only be seen by looking at it from a neighbouring floor. The domestic composition transforms into a surreal and contemporary “still life”, provoking conversation and prompting reverie.

The Bains des Pâquis association decided to call on the New Patrons to commission an entrance gate for the pier leading to the baths. The purpose of the commission turned out to be a challenge: how could a gate, designed for closing things off, symbolise the values of openness and conviviality that are so important to the place? Only the imaginative leap that the artist could offer will allow us to find a solution to this complex equation.

The City of Lausanne allocated funding for a piece addressing the representation of women in public. A group of Lausanne residents have volunteered to take on the task of developing a commission.

How best to take advantage of the lovely park that the municipality has just developed below the historical centre of Nyon? How to create a space for all, when it is also the playground for the 97 children at the UAPE (Unité d'Accueil Pour Ecoliers), a historic building located in the middle of the park? These questions stirred the imagination of the sponsors—educators from the UAPE, parents of children, and neighbours. The stakes are high, given that the only public spaces in the vicinity are children’s playgrounds and parking lots. During their conversations with the mediator, the obvious question arose: why not envision an outdoor social space that would be open to all generations? Something “out of the ordinary”, which would not consist of the same standard amenities found everywhere else in the town.

Resembling a labyrinth of thick oak-wood posts that take over the landscape, the monumental sculpture by the Chapuisat brothers offers itself to a variety of uses: people can sit on it, meet with friends, eat a meal, or play hide-and-seek. The patrons were won over, and the municipality too. For the project to be an exemplary one, everyone agreed that the wood had to come from sustainably managed local forests. Faced with the significant additional cost that this entailed, and in order to finalize the funding, the sponsors launched a crowdfunding campaign which received considerable media attention and allowed them to realise their vision. The commission of Parc du Buis was awarded the PRIX VISARTE 2022 for outstanding projects in the public area in Switzerland.