The luminous strips which light up the sky in this installation are the fruit of a combination of art, science and industry... Here they are used for artistic purposes but these strips created by the Lyon company Brochier Technologies are also used by a team of researchers at the Institute of Research on Catalysis and Environment in Lyon (IRCELYON) to help decontaminate our environment.

Initially, the team of scientists worked with glass optical fibres which were covered with an active substance to give them decontaminating properties. The problem was, however, that these glass fibres were fragile. In 2006, the project was given fresh impetus by the team meeting Brochier Technologies, a company which manufactures luminous materials made of a mix of optical and textile fibres. To give the strips of material decontaminating properties, they were immersed in a photo-catalyzing bath developed by the laboratory. This new system can be used to decontaminate both the air and water and to eliminate exhaust fumes.