An advertising panorama

The exhibitionSale%! presentsthe evolution of advertising and consumer society through an astonishing selection of audiovisual archives and heritage prints.

The term "publicité" appeared in the French lexicon with the meaning we know today in 1829. The exhibition recounts how the phenomenon evolved from the written word to illustrative art (posters), from advertisements in the press to cinema, television and radio. In parallel, the exhibition follows how marketing became what it is, reflecting and, above all, influencing our fantasies, desires and needs. The links between advertising and economic power are revealed. Written, iconographic and audiovisual communication techniques reveal their purpose: to make people want to buy.

Through images, films and sound documents from the Médiathèque Valais heritage collections, the exhibition retraces the history of the Valais region, highlighting the technical means that were to revolutionize consumer habits, before constantly inducing new ones. The public is invited to discover this documentation in a setting that highlights the key moments in advertising, from 1860 to the present day. The exhibition unfolds successively in a department store setting that glides from the early 20th century to the 1970s, a ski slope bar from the 1980s and a post-apocalyptic landscape projected into the future. In this way, the exhibition questions the future, considering the potential consequences of continuous over-consumption, fuelled by constant promotion. It's a reflection on our relationship with advertising and consumerism, taking us back in time to re-examine some of today's trends in a different light.

Mediation program: screenings, a writing workshop, a reading, a lecture, meetings, an LSF guided tour, an educational pack for classes, a visit booklet for young audiences, a documentary and historical supplement booklet, as well as guided tours on request, free every Thursday at noon, because... Thursday is free! Admission is also free every first Saturday of the month.


Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.