August Walla was fascinated by the materiality of words and by their plastic, or three-dimensional quality as well as by symbols, as seen here in this mural. He collected foreign-language dictionaries, from which he drew terms as well as creating his own new words and phrases.

Walla spent much of his adult life in psychiatric establishments and in one hospital became an inmate of the Haus der Künstler (House of Artists). Drawing and writing are intimately interwoven in his compositions, which gather together gods, demons, saints, prophets and miracle-workers, as well as a number of imaginary deities.

The Museum of Outsider Art (Collection de l’Art Brut) bring together artwork by people on the fringes of society who harbour a spirit of rebellion and tend to be impervious to collective standards. People who have been removed from society or who are untouched by artistic culture draw on something from within themselves, rather than from what they’ve been fed. Visiting is a humbling and eye-opening experience. Do go see it if you’re near Lausanne.