For the fourteenth chapter of his intervention on the Plaza cinema sign, Geneva artist Christian Robert-Tissot borrows the famous line from Mary Poppins to sprinkle a little of its magic into the public space.

A new message fills the Plaza Cinema’s neon sign. For this new sequence, the sign’s characters stretch to cover the entire white background. Aligned first in English, then in French, the phrase repeats itself like an incantation inviting us to experience the wonders: SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDELILICIEUX.

While a similar expression to this pun was first recorded in the United States in the 1930s, it was undoubtedly the film “Mary Poppins” that made it famous in 1964, exporting it across the globe. In the famous musical produced by Walt Disney and directed by Robert Stevenson, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) and Bert (Dick Van Dyke) sing a duet of this musical composition created by the prolific Sherman brothers.

« Just summon up this word and then you’ve got a lot to say» advise the mysterious nanny and the chimney sweep in this memorable scene. The pronunciation effort required by this “superlative of superlatives” would therefore be generously rewarded by its ability to bring the grandiose into everyday life.

Awarded five Oscars, “Mary Poppins” also stands out for its technical prowess, which combines animation and live action in a totally innovative way to make this film, in both form and content, an ode to the power of imagination.

Discover the complete series “From below” by Christian Robert-Tissot, launched in December 2020. The message is renewed every three months until the official opening of the Plaza Centre Cinéma at the end of 2026.

Photo credit: @Nicolas Lieber