Switzerland's Timeless Art Mechanics Embraces 3D Future

SainteCroix, Switzerland, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jan, 2021 ) :In his snow-bound workshop, Swiss master Francois Junod's moving mechanical artworks whir into action: birds whistle, historical luminaries write poetry -- traditional craftsmanship newly recognised as being among the world's cultural heritage.

In the Jura mountains running along the French-Swiss border, the precision skills behind some of the planet's finest watches and automatons have been handed down through the generations.

The region's historical pre-eminence in a field combining science, art and technology has also been given a boost by the United Nations.

In December, the craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics in the Juras were jointly added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

They now sit on a par with Argentine tango, Belgian beer culture, Chinese calligraphy, French cuisine, Indian yoga, Japanese Kabuki theatre, Mexico's Day of the Dead and Spanish Flamenco.

Junod is working on an automaton of Leonardo da Vinci. His eyelids blink, and his sparkling eyes move, following his pen strokes as his arm moves from left to right.

"It's close to magic," Junod told AFP as he brought Da Vinci's head to life.

"There is renewed interest in these objects because we are living in an electronic age, and to see these mechanical artworks again -- the mystery comes back, the magic returns.

"It revives this profession which had disappeared somewhat."