L'Oreille, 1973

L’Oreille (The Ear) by Bernhard Luginbühl, created in 1973 from flat steel sheets, is located on the righthand profile of Le Cyclop. It was mounted on the second floor and fixed to a large metal structure incorporating a vertical axis with ball bearings, allowing the ear to move back and forth, from left to right. Le Cyclop thus listens attentively to all the sounds emanating from the forest. The work also plays with the four oak trees that proved decisive in the choice of Le Cyclop's location: Jean Tinguely liked the idea of these oaks passing behind L'Oreille (The Ear), like the "parsley sprigs behind gypsy ears". The work is covered with black paint, as is the rest of this side of the façade. A motor was installed in 1993 by Jean Tinguely's assistants, to mechanize its movement hitherto powered by the wind.