Drawing of superlatives

On a dam wall in the French Jura, the artist Klaus Dauven has created a large-scale drawing together with Kärcher and the energy company EDF (Électricité de France). A so-called reverse graffiti has been created on the 110 by 430 metre surface of the Vouglans dam. In this art form, a drawing is created from the contrast between cleaned and uncleaned surfaces, i.e. through the targeted removal of dirt. The motif: the silhouette of a forest landscape.

Reverse Graffiti from Kärcher on a dam Vouglans, France

How the artwork came into being

The artwork on the Vouglans dam is already the fifth joint project by Klaus Dauven and Kärcher, and at the same time it is also the largest reverse graffiti to date.
To put the drawing on the dam, industrial climbers abseiled down from the crown and applied more than 2,500 adhesive dots made of a biological plasticine to the polluted surface. They were assisted by surveyors who used laser technology to mark the appropriate spots on the wall from the ground. Once all the adhesive dots had been applied, the climbers used high-pressure cleaners to work out the motif from the dirt, consisting of moss, lichen and fungal growth, according to the "paint by numbers" principle. During the work, special emphasis was placed on a sustainable approach: The water for the high-pressure cleaners was taken directly from the reservoir and the electricity came from the dam's hydroelectric power plant. In addition, no cleaning agents of any kind were used. The drawing took a total of four weeks to complete. Four cold-water high-pressure cleaners, six industrial climbers, several Kärcher employees and the artist himself were deployed.

Kletterer Climbers rope down at the dam of Vouglans
Climbers from Kärcher rappelled down and placed kneading points on the dam wall.

To put the drawing on the dam, industrial climbers rappelled down from the crown and applied more than 2,500 dots of adhesive made from a biological modeling clay to the polluted surface.

Surveyors marked the points in the wall with lasers.

They were assisted by surveyors who marked the appropriate locations on the wall from the ground using laser technology.

Kärcher staff used high-pressure cleaners to work the motif out of the dirt.

Once all the adhesive dots had been applied, the climbers rappelled down again and used high-pressure cleaners to work the motif out of the dirt, consisting of moss, lichen and fungal growth, according to the "paint by numbers" principle.

Klaus Dauven
„It is quite fitting that not the complete surface of the dam is dirty, but only the areas sloping towards the center. Thus, the silhouette of the forest takes the shape of the actual valley and a nice depth effect is created when viewed from a distance.“
Klaus Dauven, Künstler

Reverse graffiti on the dam of Vouglans

Kärcher and Klaus Dauven have been collaborating on reverse graffiti on dams since 2007. In addition to the recent work in France, drawings on dams have already been created in Germany, Japan and Korea. The work on the dam of Vouglans is the largest drawing of this form so far on about 40,000 m².

Klaus Dauven was born in Düren on June 6, 1966. He studied at the art academies in Düsseldorf, Münster and Aix-en-Provence, his main focus from the beginning was on drawings. In 1997 he discovered the technique of "reverse graffiti", in which he creates drawings with a vacuum cleaner or a high-pressure cleaner by removing patina. Since then he has worked intensively on this subject. Among his most famous and ambitious works are drawings on dam walls in Germany, Japan and South Korea. In France in 2018 he drew the work "Les Gens" on the breakwater of the port of Sète.

As a major player in energy transition, the EDF Group is an integrated energy company active in all businesses: generation, transmission, distribution, energy trading, energy sales and energy services. EDF group is a world leader in low-carbon energy, having developed a diverse production mix based mainly on nuclear and renewable energy (including hydropower). It is also investing in new technologies to support energy transition. EDF’s raison d’être is to build a net zero energy future with electricity and innovative solutions and services, to help save the planet and drive well-being and economic development. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to approximately 37.9 million customers, of whom 28.7 million in France. It generated consolidated sales of €69.0 billion in 2020. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

With a length of 427 m and a height of 110 m, the Vouglans dam is the third largest artificial reservoir in France. It has a storage capacity of 600 million m³ of water and annually produces electricity from renewable energy sources equivalent to the electricity consumption of the households in the district of Dole.

The reverse graffiti of Kärcher in the morning light.

The dam in the morning mood.

Klaus Dauven works with a Kärcher high-pressure cleaner on the Vouglans dam.

To put the drawing on the dam, the team roped down from the crown - here in the foreground, the artist can be seen in action.

The reverse graffiti from Kärcher on the dam of Vouglans.

The Kärcher team on the way to work.

The climbers from Kärcher roped down.

Kaercher_Reverse Graffiti_12

The climbers roped down from the 110-meter-high dam.

The cleaning sometimes required artistic work steps.

Klaus Dauven was inspired by the densely wooded landscape of the Jura for his choice of motif.

The half-finished work of art from the height.

    Reverse Graffiti from Kärcher on dam of Vouglans

    All facts at a glance

    Country: France
    Place: Vouglans

    Type of soiling: Moss, lichens, fungi, bacteria
    Cleaning technology: cold water high pressure cleaner

    Execution: September - October 2021