Retour aux sources

The Bartholdi fountain on Place des Terreaux appears to be fed by the water from an invisible spring hurtling down Colline de la Croix-Rousse. As the water gurgles amidst the spray, beams of light vanish into the pool of the fountain, where lanterns sail by without missing a beat. Patterns of light seem to be marching onward, sweeping over the square and facade in the background. The reflections from the water scatter in flashes of blue and white, revealing the spring – or source – of gushing life and the statue of Amphitrite on her quadriga. Retour aux sources (Back to the Source of Life) is a poetic installation that immerses spectators in a dreamlike, emotional experience, as though continuing the recent renaissance of the century-old fountain.