Vevey, Town of Images Through the Centuries

An image is always a reflection, a representation. Here in Vevey, the French Savoy Alps have, for thousands of years, been a reflection in Europe’s biggest lake – this panoramic vision has the dramatic intensity of a stage setting; such a landscape just cannot fail to stir one’s feelings. It is not surprising, therefore, that artists, sensitive by nature, have perceived this special quality, and passing through Vevey, the town at the crossroads of Roman roads between the South and North of Europe, have chosen to stay for a period of time or even settled down in the area : Hemingway, Byron, Nabokov, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the painter Kokoschka, Stravinski, Clara Haskil, James Mason, Noel Coward, Barbara Hendricks….not forgetting, of course, Charles Chaplin! The influence of such personalities on the inhabitants of Vevey and surrounding area has been to make them adopt a more aesthetically discerning attitude toward the arts!

Three centuries of Images

Images : – when the reproduction of engravings in number was mastered, countless «little masters» immortalised, in their own way, the unbelievable landscape that is Lake Geneva and its surroundings. The engravings were, in short, the picture postcards of that time, a visual message, the aim of which was to convey a marvel without words, reducers obviously when one is not a poet! It was at this period of time that many important printing works set up business in Vevey and an ornate almanac appeared for the first time in 1708...it still exists.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, a remarkable photographer, Gertrude Fehr, founded in Vevey a school of photography. It is still today one of the best in the world, which explains also why the town of Vevey is home to the Swiss Museum of Photographic Equipment. The printing of large size billposters for the whole of the French-speaking area is in Vevey, an example of how local ancestral know-how has been adapted to the most modern printing techniques.

Vevey has always been quick to seize the opportunities offered by those who have stayed for a long period of time, and who have developed in this area their genius or their know-how; the first Nestlé factory opened in Vevey, where its headquarters are still located. Clara Haskil inspired music-lovers to create a competition for brilliant young pianists, a competition which today enjoys a worldwide reputation. Several internationally renowned companies located to and developed their businesses in Vevey; this continued until the structural crisis of the 90’s when many a prestigious company left the area – the industrial era was coming to an end, long live the tertiary era. Another opportunity seized by Vevey, digital communication was to open up multiple prospects of rapidly changing fields of activity. As these new technologies were environment-friendly, this meant that the area’s powers of seduction would remain intact. Today, tourists contribute considerably to the economic and cultural vitality of the area – an example is the Montreux Jazz Festival, one of the local top events which is known the world over.

A new era

In the middle of the 90’s, backed by the authorities of the town of Vevey, the Swissmedia Association was founded; this Association today  brings together some 200 companies active in the field of communication technologies. In 1997, the Vevey authorities set up a Swissmedia facility in the  town centre  where one can find companies formed in recent years which specialise in digital communication – a range of training possibilities in various areas is also offered. At almost the same time, Vevey created a «Festival Images» which takes place every autumn, with exhibitions and seminars, and which is enhanced by a competition which confers an international award, the works in question being presented under the sharp eyes of the visitors.

Our raw material – imagination

Vevey, town of images, is, therefore, bound to be a winning concept  – thanks to the digital revolution, an image is inseparable from all forms of communication –   paperbacks become works of art, the graphics on Internet sites are three dimensional, lively, mysterious, thus an object of desire and inevitably seduction.  And tomorrow the range of our work tools will see the arrival of increased reality. Virtual raw material knows no limits, it awaits only to be discovered in the heart of our imagination!

Today, firmly anchored to face the digital visual future, Vevey has, however, lost none of its original charm. You will soon feel at home in Vevey – it is a town on a human scale, a town which has always welcomed the presence of residents from other countries.

And it is this, of course, which accounts for the image Vevey presents to the outside world, an image which reflects a spirit of openness, warmth and friendship.

Anne Mancelle