Diplomas 2024

At ECAL, we celebrate boldness and innovation, forging graduates ready to explore new horizons with confidence and creativity. The Class of 2024 is ready to embark on its next chapter, equipped with solid skills and a unique vision.

Their years of training have been marked by perseverance, the exploration of various techniques, the acquisition of excellent theoretical and practical skills, and the development of a wide network of contacts. This period has shaped creative minds capable of tackling the most diverse challenges, thanks to a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach.

ECAL fosters a spirit of cooperation and sharing, preparing our graduates to thrive in a complex and interconnected professional environment. With their exceptional backgrounds, they are ready to dive into contemporary issues with ingenuity and determination.

Our graduates also have the advantage of relying on the dynamic EXECAL alumni network, which strengthens the bonds between former students, thus facilitating the sharing of professional opportunities and creative collaborations.

Congratulations to our 2024 graduates, your great leap starts now! The world is waiting for you, continue to be curious, bold, and push the boundaries of your practice.

Alexis Georgacopoulos , Director

Virtual Visit

Bachelor

BA Visual Arts

All diplomas

FINE ARTS

Romane Roy – OVERRULED

by Romane Roy

[…] You know I've never been to one of these things before and when I think about how many people wanted this, and how many people cried over it and stuff, I mean, I think everybody looks great tonight. Look at Jessica Lopez, that dress is amazing and Emma Gerber that hair do must have taken hours and you look really pretty. So why is everybody stressing over this thing? I mean it's just plastic, it's really just (she breaks the crown). A piece for Gretchen Wieners, a partial Spring Fling Queen. A piece for Janis Ian and a piece for Regina George, she fractured her spine and she still looks like a rockstar, and some for everybody else. (Cady’s prom speech in MEAN GIRLS)

FINE ARTS

Achille Meier – Let them rest

by Achille Meier

When the juices stick to the burning metal, deglaze generously with white wine.

FINE ARTS

Charlie Jannes – Frame by frame

by Charlie Jannes

"Pattern, itself an architectural species, reflects order and stability. Then a need to create chaos as though life itself were taking place. Finally, the bonding (layer by layer), the interpretation of paint, fabric, photograph, tea towel, ribbon, lace, and glue. A collage : a simultaneity; a visual dazzlement, a multilayering, a final message for the senses. (…)"

FINE ARTS

Patricia Araujo – Saudade

by Patricia Araujo

«Os olhos da nossa memória vêem melhor do que os nossos.» — «The eyes of our memory see better than ours.» José Sobral Almada-Negreiros How do we know our memories are real and not dreamlike?

FINE ARTS

Romain Deriaz – That'll do, Donkey. That'll do.

by Romain Deriaz

Huit peintures à l'huile de colza AOP certifié durable, but in English

FINE ARTS

Tom Grbic – Imagine ne pas pouvoir fuir, performance continue de la tolérance et de laa raison

by Tom Grbic

Imagine not being able to run away is a continuous performance lasting the whole day. It aims to show the principle of ‘trans work’ theorised by Josephine Gilles Harris in 2019. J. G. Harris highlights, among other things, the fact that queer people need to maintain a constant performative state in order to be able to navigate the world in an ‘understandable’ way. With an activation of texts by Laurène Marx, Tom Grbic, Josephine Gilles Harris and Adel Tincelin, it is also an effort to inscribe ourselves in a lineage, a critical and welcoming queer History.

FINE ARTS

Ella Minton – Untitled – 2024

by Ella Minton

My diploma project is an self-portrait created using ball point pens and Chinese ink on six sections of cardboard that are one metre by eighty centimetres put together to create a three metre by one metre sixty piece. The goal of the project is to represent uncertainty, anxiety and internal conflict. Leaving blank space to play an equally important role as the filled in sections, to reinforce the loss of self in this emotional whirlwind.

FINE ARTS

Romain Rochat – Bunny Express

by Romain Rochat

But he was going at 100 km/h after all

FINE ARTS

Giada Gollin – "Ohh I should never have ordered a 3rd bratmeal"

by Giada Gollin

„Just like… Like G G G Like Gugus starts with G and...“

FINE ARTS

Anna Kawahara – Panneau à souffler

by Anna Kawahara

"So, what should we choose? Weight or lightness?"

FINE ARTS

Seline Symons – Groot geel object

by Seline Symons

Inspired by everyday, banal forms, I revisit our world to create new combinations. A game of childlike wonder. There is room for play, imagination and personal interpretation.

BA Cinema

All diplomas

FILM STUDIES

Camille Anker – Once there was a storm (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

In the passenger seat, a young woman waits for the end of the road unfolding beyond the window.

FILM STUDIES

Pol Barrelet – Leave the hive (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

Mila is tired of living in this small town and dreams of elsewhere. But leaving everything behind means even her closest friends.

FILM STUDIES

Maria Luiza Vaz – Where were you at night? (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

Clara is a sixteen-year-old girl who lives alone with her mother in a small isolated house in the forest. Clara is full of vitality, but her depressive mother prevents her from breaking free. An encounter with a mysterious boy in the forest leads Clara to transgress her daily life.

FILM STUDIES

Mégane Brügger – Mom dances (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

What remains of a mother after years of domestic violence? What remains of her body, her dignity and her strength? Surely words, memory and a few dance steps that can still be passed down.

FILM STUDIES

Benjamin Eggenberger – The Stork's Lair (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

In an alienating huis-clos, where life is lived vicariously, two lovers bound by an impossible desire descend into fantasy and destruction.

FILM STUDIES

Lea Favre – Who goes hunting... (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

Today, Lea is going in search of a subject for a documentary film. When she believes she's finally caught her prey, the roles end up being reversed. The hunter becomes the hunted.

FILM STUDIES

Arsène Fragnière – Cartilage (Direction) – 2024

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

At the end of the night, Gaël will abandon his group of friends. As the evening progresses, however, they realize that something is wrong.

FILM STUDIES

Matteo Friberg – Death to the hunchbacks (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

Knight Borboron is poisoned and wants to apologize to Hildegund before dying.

FILM STUDIES

Donika Gashi – La vie de Lucy (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

Lucy is a young Cro-Magnon woman, a descendant of Lucy the Australopithecus, who lives in a pre-historic, Stone Age, tribe.

FILM STUDIES

Hervé Ossent – The hole (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

Guillaume, a young pig farmer, discovers that his father is indulging in bestiality.

FILM STUDIES

Loïc Pidoux – Betelgeuse (Direction)

with Valentina Novati, Héléna Klotz

Three young artists search for their place in the world, under the glow of supernova remnants.

FILM STUDIES

Naïla Ebinger – Cartilage (Direction) – 2024 #2

with Denis Jutzeler

For my diploma project, I did the cinematography for the bachelor film of my classmate Arsène Fragnière: Cartilage.

BA Graphic Design

All diplomas

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Karim Akel – Ma'as Typeface

by Karim Akel

Ma'as Typeface is a family of variable, experimental, Arabic and Latin fonts inspired by Al-Kufi Al-Handassi calligraphy, found mainly in Oriental architecture, and by early XXth century dutch geometric fonts. Through this work, I question the balance of power between Latin and Arabic script as well as the technological tools' efficiency that made for drawing Arabic characters. The theme of multi-script is currently revealing a plethora of issues linked to the balance of power between two distinct writing systems. Ma'as Typeface metabolizes my dissertation research, which explores questions of identity and power between Latin and Arabic scripts through their formal characteristics, evolution and historical context.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Rebecca Alfandary – Disparitions

by Rebecca Alfandary

Everything is fated to disappear. This non-exhaustive collection explores the plurality of the manifestations and forms of impermanence, its impacts, its causes, as well as its different timescales. Great and little stories inhabit the same space, and make information and interpretation come together. Text and images, both linked and independent of each other, illustrate each subject and create a dialogue. Throughout the book, a series of interludes give it a more sensible dimension, by referring to our relationship with the ephemeral. The whole is both a testimony and a tribute to what is disappearing, what has disappeared, what will disappear.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Valentin Bonzon – Sueños entre paginas, les rêves entre les pages

by Valentin Bonzon

Inspired by Gabriel García Márquez's Nobel Prize speech, I went to Bogotá to document a journey exploring the power of reading and writing in a city marked by violence and corruption. The project compiles initiatives promoting reading and writing, highlighting the importance of literature in Colombia. The main chapters address various topics, such as writing workshops for youth affected by armed conflicts or the extensive system of public libraries. Interspersed between these chapters are historical fragments providing context. Finally, poems printed on handmade papers and inserts from second-hand books found in Bogotá structure the work, giving it a unique form.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Olympe Boutaghane – Ask your Neighbor

by Olympe Boutaghane

As part of the Ask Your Neighbor project, a library of methods, tools, and resources was developed in collaboration with 30 professionals from various fields. The goal is to promote a more collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to design. Opening up to others allows for renewal and helps uncover practical, technical, and creative solutions. This project aims to rethink how we work while encouraging reflection on the use of tools, techniques, and software. Ask Your Neighborseeks to evolve over time, enriched by contributions that deepen our understanding of design, particularly in educational contexts. To share this approach, the methods and resources are presented in workshops at design schools.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Jonas Buxcel – Canine

by Jonas Buxcel

Canine is a magazine dedicated to organic and local food in Switzerland. The first edition's theme is rice. I visited local rice producers in Vully, Switzerland, to find out about their methods and their passion. Inspired by their work, a special menu has been created around this grain. The pages of this magazine are packed with creative recipes and captivating stories about Swiss rice. The aim is to highlight this terroir and the art of local cuisine. By exploring farming traditions and culinary innovations.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Edizioni Arche

by Ruben Campoy Bähler, Monica Müller

Edizioni Arche unites the idea of inclusion under the umbrella of a publishing house that has as its founding pillars ‘always act in such a way as to maximise the number of possibilities’, a quote from the philosopher Von Foester, which we try to apply in our diploma. The importance of enabling fluent reading and understanding is a primordial concept: everyone should have the right to read and understand. Graphic design conveys this possibility. Arche researches and explores accessible editorial responses to all cases, from comprehension difficulties, motor problems, visual impairments or the simple desire to empathise with others. No less important, books aimed at a wider audience are not excluded: they raise the necessary awareness of sometimes underestimated problems.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Alexandra Cupsa – Piedica în calea uitarii

by Alexandra Cupsa

1 Iunie is one of the last abandoned industrial factories in Timișoara that has not yet been demolished. Its demolition is imminent, and its existence might be forgotten. Piedică în Calea Uitării means "An Obstacle to Forgetting" in Romanian and marks the intention of this project. To prevent the factory from being forgotten, and to create a new space within the pages of the book to preserve fragments of 1 Iunie’s life. This is not only a visual journey but also an auditory journey accompanied by a vinyl record. Each episode of the factory's life is introduced through a song from the same period. Beyond 1 Iunie, the project also focuses on the issues of preserving the industrial heritage of the city of Timișoara.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

L'inventaire

by Camille Choquard, Chloé Vandewalle

To make an exhibition catalogue, there are Camille and Chloé, but also all the other hands, and everything that fits between the ends to enter the space of the book, like entering a house with a reading key. L'inventaire is an exhibition catalogue that tells its own story, and that happened in accordance with its own chronology. It invites you to take a closer look at the prologue, which describes the research process, to wander through its heart, which was printed during the opening, with a system of retranscription and live printing, and to thank you in the epilogue, which reverently marks the end of its production. In this way, the book becomes an exhibition space, then returns to its original form.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Sacha Décoppet – Mon être

by Sacha Décoppet

Human trafficking is a complex issue. It is a form of extreme exploitation that needs to be examined and understood in the context of global poverty, restrictive migration policies, economic crises and discrimination based on sex, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. Mon être is an edition that attempts to explain this phenomenon, by giving a voice to women who have been victims of exploitation, in collaboration with a Lausanne-based association, ASTREE. To do this, the project is a mix of testimonials, the results of artistic workshops, interviews with people fighting against this scourge and journalistic sources.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Juliana Ferreira – Ma Chère,

by Juliana Ferreira

In many migratory movements we see people having artefacts and handicrafts with them wherever they go, because it creates a sense of belonging and comfort. In Ma Chère, the craft talked about is crocheted lace and embroidery combined. This craftsmanship as a form of expression and transmission, symbolising patience and waiting. Ma Chère, is a two-voice retranscription of a migratory journey from Portugal to Switzerland, using letters and these textile supports as correspondences. On the one hand, moving to a new country, the building of a life and the expansion of a community in Valais. And on the other hand, the evolution of a country that has become a postcard.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Morgane Gilliéron – Je l’ai pris, l’ai bien plié & l’ai mis dans vos oreilles.

by Morgane Gilliéron

I took it, folded it well, and put it in your ears. offers an immersive journey into the heart of a discreet ethnic group, testifying to a marginalised and little-known culture and traditions.The wise and humble nature of this ethnic group is embodied in my edition through a slow and contemplative rhythm composed of texts and images. The project highlights four Fulani crafts – the dagger, pottery, cooking pots, and jewellery – as well as important ceremonies, presented through images, stories, and interviews.My goal is to transport the viewer into a world rich in colours, while honouring my roots and sharing the beauty of this culture.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Lisa Grobet – Villa Trudy

by Lisa Grobet

Listening to the walls, perceiving the imprints they bear, remembering the ghosts of the past. Villa Trudy, in Sardinia, is a house marked by the passage of many lives. A father teaching his son to swim, this son becoming a father in turn. The walls bear witness to the changes and traces left by our ancestors. They observe the events that unfold within the house, but remain passive. In a way, they are the guardians of the place, witnesses of an invisible absence. Through sensitive intervention on the remnants of the place, this book aspires to become, in turn, the guardian of memories that would otherwise no longer be tangible, offering a new form of transmission. This project pays tribute to the soul of Villa Trudy by preserving its heritage.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Flaurant Kadrija – Deconstructing the static figure of flag (kosovo case)

by Flaurant Kadrija

In this project I explore the figure of Kosovo's flag by deconstructing it into six main categories: territory, politics, history, culture, future and society. Each flag is represented by a static shape, symbolising its unchanging nature. However, through the use of specific iconography and imagery, these forms are transformed, creating new representations that reflect complexity and fluidity. The current flag of Kosovo, created according to European and American rules, lacks an authentic national identification due to socio-political differences. This project aims to represent the true identity of Kosovo through iconographic research. By transforming these static categories into dynamic symbols, I aim to capture the evolving and multifaceted identity of Kosovo.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Yohann Kampmann – Formant

by Yohann Kampmann

Formant Festival is an audio-visual event featuring music and digital art installations in abandoned industrial sites in Valais in Switzerland. Valais's old industrial sites, once vital, are now neglected or demolished for unnecessary residential buildings. Formant repurposes these spaces for cultural events, preserving heritage and fulfilling community needs. The festival's visual identity uses these architectural spaces in an interactive 3D website, blending sound and visuals to immerse users. This approach encourages public curiosity and exploration, enhancing their understanding and enjoyment of new artistic forms. Formant means each of several prominent bands of frequency that determine the harmonic quality of a sound.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Simon Maurer – Riposta FC

by Simon Maurer

Football is the most popular and publicized sport in the world, which gives it the opportunity to be more than just a game. Thanks in part to its popularity, it is used as a promotional medium, a forum, a means of communication. Both by players, fans, institutions, politicians etc. Riposta FC aims to question the place of football in society, its social role and how it could be used differently to serve other purposes than those already existing. The jerseys are second-hand garments with thermo-glued designs inspired and remixed visuals inherent in the world of football with the aim of creating a new interaction.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Delphine Moënnat – Le Soleil a dit qu’il reviendrait

by Delphine Moënnat

There are places where the sun promises to return, where its rays glide over faces marked by the trials of life. Le Radeau is one of those places. Le Soleil a dit qu’il reviendrait invites us to enter, to listen to the rustle of whispers, to observe the discreet gestures that tell stories — their stories. This book explores the lives of those who inhabit this place, through intimate conversations; the border between their world and ours is almost imperceptible. We slip in quietly, as if entering a dream, and realize that these people are not strangers. They could be our brothers, our sisters, our children, or our friends. It is a book that speaks to our hearts, inviting us to reach out, to listen, and to understand.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Océane Pasteur – Rendez-vous

by Océane Pasteur

Anchors are fundamental elements in the construction of identity, so Rendez-vous is one of them. There is origin and nationality, and this year I had a rendezvous with both. Although they are very different, they both make up my identity. Twenty-three years ago I was called Dang Thuy Thu Hang, twenty-two years ago I was called Océane Thu Hang Pasteur. Rendez-vous is about a journey, mine and theirs. To do this, I decided to set out to find my origins and, at the same time, retrace the paths taken by my parents. By reconstructing the key elements of this union, through archives and time, I sought to understand and weave the links between these multiple heritages.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Luca Reichenbach – Substance

by Luca Reichenbach

In the early 20th century, typography involved manual engraving of characters on lead or wood to suit the printing methods of that era. Nowadays, typography is largely digitized during the design phase and applied across both print and digital mediums. This project investigates the shift from physical to digital typography, analyzing its material and immaterial aspects, including its shapes, design and applications.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Angeline Rossetti – Women Equity in Sport

by Angeline Rossetti

Women Equity in Sport is a campaign dedicated to the promotion and visibility of women’s sport. Although the participation of women in sports federations is increasing, media coverage remains insufficient. This project aims to fill this lack of visibility by creating specialized newspapers for each sporting discipline. Distributed during sporting events, these newspapers will provide information on current issues in women's sport, based on concrete facts and inspiring slogans in order to sensitize and encourage collective awareness. In addition, video reports will offer a dynamic perspective, highlighting the action on the pitch and giving a strong voice to sportswomen, thus helping to change mentalities and promote equality in sport.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Luca Riva – Attitude as Tool – The graphic language of context

by Luca Riva

Attitude as Tool is a research project on the practice of graphic design through the use of context. The project develops into a book that proposes a working method that invites designers to work in unconventional contexts, integrating them into their professional practice and using these contexts to develop tools, ideas and processes. Derived from a way of observing the world related to the concept of "Adhocism" and encouraging self-production, unlikely combinations of what is at hand, common or unusual materials are integrated into the creation process. Mistakes, unintentional and situational gestures shape unexpected results.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Simon Schönmann – Délits

by Simon Schönmann

Délits is a newspaper which aims to shake up preconceived ideas about the police by showing the violence it generates. Taking a foothold in a Lausanne region known to be peaceful, its 70 pages confront the reader with a multitude of media relays, often brutal or sensationalist, part of interventions by the police with dramatic outlets, before reveal a more global structural problem. Proposals for alternatives and reforms are then presented.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Pierre Teissier – IDORAMA

by Pierre Teissier

The concept of identity as an organic process that evolves over time clashes with the essentialist approach of surveillance technologies. Algorithms probe us and inscribe us in shackles defined according to prosaic criteria. IDORAMA is a didactic experience which, while placing the human in front of the machine, aims to situate it in a wider context. Using several sensors, the program analyzes the user and collects his geolocation data during a certain time interval. At the end of the capture, a snapshot is returned to the user, in the form of a personalized digital map. The uniqueness of this map becomes a temporal marker, a memory testifying to the use of the program.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Baptiste Torrent – Chandoline

by Baptiste Torrent

Chandoline is a proposal to reuse the former Chandoline hydroelectric power station in Sion in the Alps. The idea is to transform the site into a bottling plant for the water previously used to generate electricity. The project establishes the typography and visual identity of this unique mineral water brand. The typeface consists of a cut regular and an italic to the left, whose shapes are inspired by the fluidity of water and the tubular aspect of penstocks. As for the visual identity, it's made up of a corpus of shapes that refer to the falling and rotating movement of water, as well as to the industrial aspect of the site.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Elsa Trummer – Tournerie

by Elsa Trummer

My work is about the swiss agriculture, a sector facing many challenges, including a decreasing number of farmers. I have chosen to communicate about agriculture through an educational game, in which players embody farmers working together on a farm. This game emphasizes collaborative spirit, which I consider crucial for our future, while also raising awareness about agriculture and sparking players' interest in it. The objective is to achieve sustainable agricultural development by accumulating points and answering questions to acquire knowledge. My game aims to valorize agriculture by offering a positive alternative and reconnecting the population with the world of agriculture.

BA Industrial Design

All diplomas

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Marion Gomes – Posea

by Marion Gomes

Posea emerged from a dedication to marine conservation and a thesis on ecological restoration of marine ecosystems. Focusing on Posidonia meadows in the Mediterranean, crucial both ecologically and economically, this project addresses significant damage caused by boat anchors each summer. Collaborating with Andromède Océanologie, a Marseille-based organization specializing in marine ecosystem restoration, the project endeavors to mitigate these challenges. In 2023, Andromède planted 7,373 Posidonia fragments and plans to double this number. To improve efficiency, I analyzed their methods and proposed a new approach. Using bamboo and optimizing the process with simultaneous tasks, fragment assembly and preparation occur onboard while divers transplant them, doubling the restoration speed.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Basile Avvanzino – Chrysalide

by Basile Avvanzino

Mountain amateurs and beginners can have a hard time in selecting, buying and getting familiar with the equipment needed to sleep outdoor. The 3 objects that are usually necessary are a mattress, a tent and a sleeping bag. Unfortunately these objects are not always designed to fit each other, requiring a lot of space and extra effort. Chrysalide is a new typology of sleeping bag, that combines everything you need in one single object. This new proposition allows the user to sleep comfortably in all weather conditions, while being lightweight and easy to pack. Chrysalide makes sleeping in the nature a simple, handy and pleasurable experience.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Bradley Campus – Rotonde

by Bradley Campus

Historically, music kiosks have been scenic landmarks, illustrating the mix of different distribution models and architectural styles. In the 19th century, they appeared in numerous catalogues and were offered by street furniture companies, who used kiosks to diversify their production. Rotonde takes up the current challenge of revitalising towns and cities to make them more pedestrian-friendly and lively. This kiosk is designed as a large, open and accessible object that encourages interaction and animation, inspired by 19th century urban planning. I decided to integrate lights and speakers, so that the kiosk could be used at night, and function as a ‘plug & play’ system where musicians could plug in their instruments and give a concert.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Giulia Burrus – Solo

by Giulia Burrus

Solo is an individual sauna designed for small outdoor spaces, that blends perfectly into our familiar environment respecting our intimacy standards. This sauna is in fact primarily intended for personal hygiene moment rather than collective or social use. The materials chosen for its construction enhance the overall experience, such as the semi-transparent fabric that allows light to seep through creating a soothing and intimate atmosphere. This sauna's heating system includes two infrared panels that heat up to 60°C, strategically placed at the bottom and in the back of the seat to fully envelop the user and optimize space. Solo brings daily wellness into the home, making it easily accessible for everyone.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Noé Chassot – Aflô

by Noé Chassot

Inspired by Aldo Rossi's Teatro del Mondo, created for the 1979-80 Venice Biennale of Architecture, the Aflô is a rotomolded chair designed to seamlessly integrate with the CubiSystem modular floating pontoon system. CubiSystem, a French company, offers an ingenious solution comprising plastic cubes that can be assembled with connectors to form versatile floating platforms or pontoons. These simple and low-cost systems offer a wide range of applications. Aflô is an additional module within the company's product range. This seat, combined with the other elements offered by the brand, offers the possibility of comfortably seating an audience on a floating platform during summer events such as concerts, swimming or boating competitions, fireworks displays and so forth.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Minna Holenweg – RideBy

by Minna Holenweg

RideBy is a child seat that is designed to attach to a standard shopping cart, making grocery shopping easier for both, parents and children. It provides a designated place for children, allowing them to move freely while staying secure. Made from metal with plastic components, just like the shopping cart, RideBy attaches with a single screw. To save space, RideBy features a flexible joint that allows the seat to fold when the carts are nested together. The fixed footrest prevents scratches on the cart, and the handle alongside the cart's basket, additionaly protects the child from bumping their head. Thanks to RideBy, shopping becomes a participative and dynamic experience, engaging both the child and the parents.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Denise Merlette – Barko

by Denise Merlette

Barko is a research project aimed at reusing bark as a waste product in the wood industry. It accounts for 10% of the material processed in sawmills and is generally burnt. The idea is to recreate a bark-based finish for wooden furniture. The aim of this finish is to reproduce the protective function of bark against all external aggressions. It is applied to wooden furniture to make it more resistant. Inspired by ancient processes, I focused on finding solutions based on natural, recyclable products.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Cyprien Cossy – MUH

by Cyprien Cossy

Biogas offers several advantages, utilizing biological waste and reducing CO2 emissions. MUH is a biogas digester designed for isolated alpine pastures locations where cowherds spend long periods taking care of their animals. This digester offers them the chance to utilizes cow dung as fuel to produce independently the gas needed for their daily life, such as cooking, heating, lighting and so on. MUH is composed of a rotomoulded main body and an inflatable gas tank, that works simply by inserting dung on a daily basis, which releases methane through anaerobic fermentation.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Jeffrey Krieger – PODIUM

by Jeffrey Krieger

PODIUM is a project that ties skateboarding with space design. Primarily aimed at schools and sports centers, it consists of five modules that, thanks to their simple geometry, can be assembled in various configurations in a playground or sports field. Whether used for skateboarding or bleachers, these modules can be easily moved and rearranged due to a wheeled system that allows for autonomy and encourages user creativity.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Teo Primo Frizzarin – Leo

by Teo Primo Frizzarin

For painters, working on a vertical surface rather than horizontal one creates physical problems, mainly related to not having adequate arm support. Leo is a chair developed for canvas painters. Its seat, inspired by a horse’s saddle allows a stable posture while guaranteeing great mobility in space. Its adjustable armrest provides support that adapts easily to different positions and heights.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Iris Gerbex – L'Eufleurie

by Iris Gerbex

Euflerie is the result of an investigation on the relationship between natural and artificial elements, considering plants as key decorative features in interiors. This project features a collection of 6 paper flowers that come to life through capillarity. Upon contact with water, these flowers bloom, color, perfume, and gracefully degrade, adding a touch of evanescence to daily life. Their short lifespan allows for playful manipulations that enhance meals and special occasions. By removing the flowers from water, their transformation pauses, preserving their form and color. This project offers a poetic and more sustainable alternative to cut flowers, providing a fresh perspective on time and decay.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Jacobo Zunzunegui – Ermita

by Jacobo Zunzunegui

"Poverty, Silence, and Order," is the title of my thesis in which I explore the intentional simplicity in Western Monasticism. As a continuation, I designed Ermita, three micro cabins situated along the "Camino de Santiago," a pilgrimage route renowned for fostering introspection. Each cabin is constructed using local masonry techniques from three distinct regions, preserving and promoting these rich but declining construction methods. An important feature of these cabins is the integration of all furniture into the fourth wall, made from wood. These compact shelters offer spaces for sleeping, reading, writing, and warming up, while also creating an atmosphere conducive to silence and contemplation — elements that our modern society still deeply needs.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Amedeo Oddo – Averse

by Amedeo Oddo

Averse is a rainwater collector designed to support urban community gardens that use permaculture principles to promote food self-sufficiency amid climate emergencies and resource scarcity, reducing dependence on industrial systems. Permaculture emphasizes self-sufficiency and sustainable ecosystems, focusing on cycles and waste reduction. Optimizing water use is crucial, especially as droughts become more frequent. Rainwater, being softer and less calcareous, benefits plants during dry periods and reduces the need for drinking water for irrigation. This rainwater collector, with a capacity of 600 liters, supports a 120m² garden for a week without rain. It's designed with simple manufacturing techniques, using only wood and metal to eliminate microplastics and pollutants.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Jeanne Reymond – Capite

by Jeanne Reymond

I grew up in Chardonne, Lavaux, surrounded by vineyards. With a winemaker brother, I’ve always been immersed in wine culture. In Vaud, small vineyard cabins called capites once served as tool sheds or shelters. Today, about 1200 of these capites are unused. Since March 2024, winegrowers can sell wine directly in vineyards and renovate capites to welcome visitors. My project introduces a wooden façade system to easily renovate these capites to host a few people, adaptable to various sizes. Given Lavaux’s UNESCO status, the façade is discreet when closed but opens in one move to become visible from afar when open for tastings. Each façade features the local commune’s flag. The goal is to promote wine tourism in Lavaux offering an intimist tasting in the heart of wine.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Alejandrina Hernandez – Stimuli

by Alejandrina Hernandez

Stimuli, a mini robot for children's education, is the result of a collaboration with the Mobots Lab at EPFL which created Thymio. As a robotic assistant, Stimuli explores new alternatives to support the learning process of children, by fostering knowledge development and sensory stimulation. This innovative tool cultivates creativity and sensitivity, improving cognitive, motor, emotional, and social development by balancing digital and manual experiences. Through sound and movement generated by vibration, children can explore and understand material properties, enriching their growth. As Charles Eames said, "the best preparation is a general education" that fosters sensitivity to life's forces. Stimuli embodies this principle, offering a holistic educational experience.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Diego Eiholzer – Hidry

by Diego Eiholzer

Access to water at outdoor events is often a challenge. Hydri is a water station designed to provide a drinking and refreshment spot during festivals, sports events, and institutional gatherings. This innovative unit is built to resemble a standard barrier, making it virtually indestructible and seamlessly integrating into existing barrier rental logistics, ensuring an affordable rental price. Water flows through durable stainless steel pipes and is dispensed in two ways: a linear jet for hand washing, drinking, and filling water bottles, and a directional jet for all other needs.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Juliette Masson – Avants

by Juliette Masson

Synthetic fibers are now a common feature of sportswear, including in the hiking world. These are popular for their technical properties: lightness, elasticity, low absorbency, and wrinkle resistance, among others. However, the environmental impact of these materials is significant, both during manufacture and throughout their life cycle. In response to this issue, Avants propose an alternative hiking outfit made from natural materials: Linen, selected for its thermo-regulating and hypoallergenic properties; waxed cotton, known for its durability and water-repellent qualities, chosen to provide protection against rain and abrasion. The design of these outfits drew inspiration from historical garments and their fastening systems, while being adapted for contemporary and functional use.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Tiziana Rocha da Silva – Versatile Women Apparel

by Tiziana Rocha da Silva

Versatile Women Apparel reimagines everyday women's clothing, inspired by the sportstyle world. A standout feature of the VWA collection is an adjustable buckle system, ensuring garments adapt to diverse body shapes for a customized fit, comfort, and performance. Crafted with high-quality materials and advanced textiles such as softshells, 3 layers laminated fabric or mesh for the breathability, the collection's trousers, jacket, and gilet epitomize durability and comfort. With a focus on style and practicality, these garments seamlessly adapt to the wearer's movements, offering support and flexibility while maximizing functionality and versatility.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Léa Omez – Ricardo

by Léa Omez

How about an aperitif on the poolside? Ricardo is a seat that allows several people to lounge comfortably on the edge of the pool. Laying both on the edge and in the water, it allows you to sit wherever and however you like. The advantage? Being together and enjoying the freshness of the water in a playful configuration. When there's no need to be used in water, the floating part of Ricardo can be lifted using handles and folded up, transforming the seat into a real outdoor sofa. The inner cushions are stuffed with polystyrene beads, ensuring buoyancy, durability and softness. The outer covers, crafted from breathable polyester for added comfort, are completely removable.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Cindy Sacher – Toison

by Cindy Sacher

The energy required to maintain thermal comfort is often underestimated. Toison addresses the projected decline in fossil energy resources and rising consumer costs. In rental buildings, where renovations are challenging and costly, conventional heating methods still prevail, often proving economically unfeasible for tenants. Toison proposes a minimalist partition system, inspired by traditional European fabric wall coverings and Japanese fusuma and shōji. Using thick Swiss wool felt panels that slide into extruded aluminum rails, this system is easy to mount on any ceiling. These partitions insulate exterior walls and allow users to divide living spaces, enhancing heat insulation. Each panel can be further customized with a range of tailor-made accessories.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Till Seegräber – h.i.t.*

by Till Seegräber

Many rely on music streaming services daily, often using small Bluetooth speakers that compromise sound quality. High-end systems, while offering better sound, tend to be expensive or bulky. The h.i.t.* (hi-fi in a tube) combines Bluetooth convenience with premium sound quality. This wireless speaker system includes two battery-powered stereo speakers and a subwoofer to enhance performance. Made from inexpensive, rigid cardboard tubes, the speakers minimize vibration and use a reflective cone for 360° sound. The wireless, battery-powered speakers and a stationary subwoofer that charges them offer flexibility and convenience. h.i.t.* bridges the gap between affordability and high-quality audio.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Sophia Zeller – Eleanor

by Sophia Zeller

A dress designed to be worn long after the wedding day, offering a solution to wear and re-wear your memories, in a sustainable way. Eleanor is the result of research on textile waste in the wedding dress industry. Simply moving the skirt along the garments' buttons transforms it so it can effortlessly be used for various events during the ceremony. By dying and changing its color post-wedding, Eleanor unveils the myrtle flower pattern printed on the fabric, ready to be worn without a bridal appearance. No longer confined to closets and attics, this dress embodies sustainability by reducing textile waste. Crafted from 100% deadstock silk and designed as a mono-material garment, it follows a zero-waste pattern criteria.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Virginie Lienhart – Quack

by Virginie Lienhart

Quack is a collection of three nesting platforms for ducks in ports, aiming to minimise human-wildlife conflicts and preserve local biodiversity. The project began with observing duck behaviour in ports, consulting an ornithologist, and interviewing harbour masters about the "duck-boat owner" conflict resulting from water birds nesting on boats. These insights guided the design of prototypes tested during mating and nesting season, revealing that ducks preferred sheltered platforms close to the water level. The final collection includes a cork half-nest with an open deck, a concave plastic foam nest with a circular deck, and a wooden platform with a central cut-out for floating nests. Each platform offers various benefits and enables deeper research into ducks' preferences and behaviours.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Victoria Guffroy – EXO

by Victoria Guffroy

EXO is a collection of bone porcelain jewelry. Bones are waste products of the food industry, that could be reused as main ingredient in porcelain. Bone porcelain is very robust, and enables the creation of fine and delicate pieces, despite the fact it's not widely applied nowaday. EXO aims to highlight this material, transforming it from waste into precious pieces of jewelry designed to enhance the physical and thecnical proprieties of this material. The collection, inspired by arthropod exoskeletons, includes a main piece that unfolds on the shoulders, and other four pieces derived from it, adapted to various parts of the body: elbows, wrist, finger and ear. All parts are formed by scales that follow curves and movements of the body, articulated and joined by metal connections.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Louise Dupont – Armaï

by Louise Dupont

The hamlet of Aï in the Leysin region, at the foot of the Tour d'Aï in the Vaud Alps, is a historic village of some 15 abandoned chalets listed as heritage sites. Armaï proposes to enhance and revitalize this village by transforming these deserted cabins into self-managed mountain refuges. This type of infrastructure promotes a more respectful approach to tourism and awareness of mountain preservation issues. Moreover, it favours exchanges and reinforces community spirit. One of the cabins becomes a common room for cooking, while the other bungalows become small dormitories. The interior of the chalets is laid out around a central mass stove, with a clever arrangement of the various elements to create a convivial space.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Lena Bernasconi – WWW

by Lena Bernasconi

The majority of objects are designed on male standards and therefore are unsuitable for women. This issue translates into objects that discriminate female users, being uncomfortable and even dangerous. That’s specially tangible for personal protective equipment (masks, glasses, protective clothing and shoes) : unsuitable equipment protects less, impairs the tasks and can even injure the workers. WWW (Women Work Wear) are work pants designed by and for women that aim to fill this gender gap. Designed specifically for women woodworkers such as carpenters and cabinetmakers, these pants offer a new aesthetic and provide comfort, adaptability, flexibility and of course protection.

BA Media & Interaction Design

All diplomas

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Gary Sandoz – Reminix

by Gary Sandoz

By delegating our life experiences to digital media processed by algorithms, memory is no longer solely human. Reminix explores the emotional dimension and the future of our fragmented memories through a device that scans and analyzes photographic slides, acting as an ephemeral backup of a past life in the absence of the author's testimony. In a spatial contemplation, the image materialized and rendered in 3D, accompanied by generative narration, reconstitutes an alternative past with each activation. This interactive experience reactivates the memory and creates a bridge between the user and the narrative potential of the image, while questioning the fragility, preservation, trust, and generation of our memories by machines.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Théo Déchanez – Vulcan

by Théo Déchanez

Vulcan is an immersive journey to the heart of telluric powers. It is a tribute to volcanologists and volcanoes, exploring themes such as human smallness and the fascination of the immensity of natural forces. Divided into two parts, the narrative opposes the vision of a volcanologist getting as close as possible to a crater, to that of the god of fire, forges and volcanoes, the eponym of the experience. Vulcan is inspired by the work of Haroun Tazieff and the couple Katia and Maurice Krafft, and is an extension of a reflection begun during my thesis on the reconstruction of myths using digital tools.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Julie Turin – Star's Bags - The Tree Bag

by Julie Turin

Assembly line work and online orders have become the norm, even in craftsmanship. The Star's Bags app is a seamstress's response to this trend, offering an immersive shopping experience to highlight manual labor before the customer receives their bag. "The Tree Bag" is the first collection from this app, which can expand into other themes. Through this experience, the customer participates in every step of the bag's creation over several days: gathering materials, placing patterns, cutting, sewing, pinning, addressing, and shipping. By following this process, the customer appreciates the effort involved and retains a special memory of their purchase, enhancing the value of the product received.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Emma Grosu – ESC

by Emma Grosu

Video games allow players to escape into narrative worlds where they hold ‘all the power.’ In ESC, the game's character seeks to escape his own reality. This reversal examines the notions of freedom and constraint in video games, ironically highlighting the limits of our existence. What would happen if a character became aware of their situation, realizing that they are not in control of their movements but are, instead, imprisoned by them? ESC allowed me to explore concepts of immersion such as breaking the fourth wall and mise en abyme. Inspired by works like ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘Sword Art Online,’ I illustrated how the perception of freedom can be an illusion, both in video games and in the physical world.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Viktor Gagné – Serialized Saplings

by Viktor Gagné

The weight of materials produced by humans is now believed to exceed that of all terrestrial biomass. How will these artifacts integrate into the rest of the environment in a million years? Serialized Saplings is an interactive installation that speculates on a potential form of vegetation to come, heavily altered by the excesses of human production, here crystallized through the symbol of the electrical outlet. By manipulating the connections of several power strips, the participant is invited to program the "genetic code" of hybrid plant species that do not yet exist and whose appearance resembles our industrial standards. This generated vegetation is then classified in the form of a digital herbarium that can be consulted and studied.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Mélanie Martin – Odalys

by Mélanie Martin

Odalys is an artificial intelligence that takes the shape of a glowing doll. She is designed to respond to her owner's every wish at the touch of a button. However, she needs to be setup in a multiple ended narration where the user's choices irreversibly affect the trajectory of their relationship.The intention of the project is to expose the potential consequences of our interactions with generative AIs. The experiment also aims to highlights the over-representation of female shells to sell these products. Odalys is not a woman-object, she is the object of the system to which the user submits her. And she objects it.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Odran Jobin – What lies behind

by Odran Jobin

What Lies Behind is an immersive virtual reality experience dealing with the disproportionate scales that separate us from the immense and the minuscule. This project is based around a philosophical and personal thought; it is difficult, as human beings, to define ourselves when faced with the idea that the immense and the minuscule come together in complexities and scales that escape our perception. This experiment takes us on a journey through these scales. The aim is not to explain, but to marvel at the beauty of the inexplicable. Seated on a bench, we are led through various scenes, each gradually altering our perception of space.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Sasha Iatsenia – LittleCubes

by Sasha Iatsenia

Today, 1 in 15 children are affected by a disorder that alters their behaviors, impacting their educational, socialization, and communication skills. LittleCubes were designed as therapeutic toys to help develop these skills through light and play. Using a cube that lights up and responds to natural gestures, therapists can create fun and engaging exercises using an intuitive app. While designing this project, I discovered that I have autistic traits, inspiring me to build a toy I would have loved as a child. My goal is to build bridges between neurotypical and neurodiverse experiences, making the world more inclusive for all. To date, I have tested the cube with more than 15 therapists and 30 children (ASD, motor deficiencies and associated disorders). I hope to continue this project after my diploma. This project is supported by Fondation Dr Combe.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Charlotte Pralong – Take Part

by Charlotte Pralong

Have you ever wanted to be part of the show at the concert you are attending? This is where the Take Part project comes in, an interactive scenography for a song specially composed by my musical duo with my sister. The phone, often seen as a disturbing intermediary between artists and the audience, is here used as a tool for connection that strengthens bonds and amplifies collective energy. Indeed, each spectator participates in the projection behind the musicians using their phone. The audience follows a character with a naïve style, animated in 2D, who travels through various worlds to recharge before finally sharing this energy, symbolizing the sharing and multiplication of collective joy.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Marius Parisod – Get-Out 4

by Marius Parisod

At the crossroads between video games and board games, Get-Out 4 is an invitation to rediscover the joy of playing together. This puzzle game, designed to be played by two or more players, encourages direct interaction and cooperation. The use of external game pieces invites players to rely on their observation and deduction skills, bringing them together in a shared experience that goes beyond screens. The design of Get-Out 4 is based on a minimalist aesthetic inspired by early video games such as Pong, Pac-Man, and Tetris. This visual simplicity not only evokes nostalgia but is strategically employed to enhance player engagement by focusing on gameplay mechanics. This project, beyond its playful aspect, offers human interaction through the lens of gaming.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Jérémie Kursner – iLand Universe

by Jérémie Kursner

iLand Universe is a project focused on the world of amusement parks where every activity is an allusion to the digital world, whether through its architecture, its scenography, or its references to the overuse of smartphones. Through an "epic" teaser, this project adopts the promotional codes of a traditional amusement park, using video as the main communication tool while playing with the "inspiring" codes of this industry from the United States. The desire to create this fantastic world stems from my passion for this universe, as well as my interest in metaphorizing digital visions into tangible concepts, thus creating mind games that continuously question the digital society in which we live.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Alexandre Gambarini – Echoes from the Tales

by Alexandre Gambarini

Whether it's the legend of Joan of Arc, William Tell, Che Guevara or other emblematic figures, our societies and our daily lives are partly punctuated by these tales. Echoes from the Tales is an interactive sequence that traces the life of Vasil Levski, a Bulgarian icon. By listening to his story, punctuated by strong symbolism, the sequence enables us to grasp how these stories can shape individual and collective identity. The aim of this interactive sequence is to analyze how a story can be assimilated and transformed by the individual imagination and then passed on, as well as understanding how age-old narratives such as Vasil Levski's can be hijacked by modern storytelling.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Isaïa Delaplace – Azimut

by Isaïa Delaplace

Azimut is a puzzle game set in a 3D natural environment. The aim is to solve a series of riddles linked to the position of the sun in the sky. Inspired by the theme of Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's book “In Praise of Shadows”, controlling the sun becomes the central element of the gameplay. This action allows players to simply interact with the light that illuminates the Earth, solving puzzles and progressing through the experience. Through this series of increasingly complex puzzles, we can observe and feel the beauty of light and shadow in an increasingly vivid and rich environment.

BA Photography

All diplomas

PHOTOGRAPHY

Léo Paschoud – How to sell online

by Léo Paschoud

This work takes the form of a series of three books compiling images from conversations collected on various online second-hand sales sites. A specific protocol defines the message sent to the sellers to obtain a photo in return. Each book focuses on a specific object: the camera, the mirror, and the laptop webcam. The aim of this project is to explore the behavior of online sellers. To obtain the desired image, with the correct shooting angle, the process relies on their desire to sell these objects and allows for the observation of their different reactions. If the protocol is successful, images are received; otherwise, responses of indignation, annoyance, insults, or even silence are encountered.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Léa Bevilacqua – Meu Anjo

by Léa Bevilacqua

"I had the occasion to go back to Santarém, in northern Brazil, my origin town to discuss beauty standards, identity, and self-expression with eight individuals I met there. Growing up as a bi-national woman (Swiss and Brazilian), I struggled with conflicting beauty ideals. The people I met there were often seen as weird, ugly, or inadequate by the society, I thought they were unique and brave for standing out in a region that prize conformity over self-expression. These encounters allowed us to share experiences and, on a more political note, emphasize their value in response to the recent rising hate against minorities in Brazil."

PHOTOGRAPHY

Johanna Bommer – Changing Rooms

by Johanna Bommer

Changing Rooms is a site-specific photographic installation about a very recent past. A figure in the transitional period of adolescence navigates commercial and digital environments. She constructs herself through the images she sees, engaging in a form of self-commodification while immersed in these two spaces. A pile of dust, greasy hair or a scratch on an otherwise perfect surface disturb the smoothness of the virtual and the commercial space. She finds comfort in her anonymity. She dislikes being perceived but desires to be seen. A reflection becomes a mirror becomes a screen becomes a door.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Laure Brandford Griffith – La foule nous regarde

by Laure Brandford Griffith

La foule nous regarde revolves around an obsessive gaze on strangers that resonates with the loss of a loved one. In the search for this person, he explores collective identity through clothing, physical attitude and human bonds, where the stranger becomes the reflection of a lost personal history. The crowd is both the plurality of personality in the lost being marked by crises of dissociation, and these unknown people bringing him back into my life.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Hector Codazzi – La Synthèse des Couleurs

by Hector Codazzi

Synopsis : From one image to another, Louise, aged 25, strives to find her place in the demanding world of modeling. As a young photographer being increasingly involved in the world of imagery and advertising through my professional experiences, I wanted to take a closer look at this world that both fascinates and repels me in some ways, but above all intrigues me with its ambiguous relationship to reality. I directed a short film that depicts the trajectory of a model in this industry, a fiction that aims to address several questions : the self-staging induced by the profusion of images, the mechanisms of oppression related to the creation of advertising images, the pursuit of social mobility by young generations and how this pursuit clashes with the reality of the job market.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Carla Corminboeuf – Omerta

by Carla Corminboeuf

A performance in a square of light, a surface echoing the competition carpet. A melancholy memory of a carpet that no longer exists, a carpet symbolizing constraints. The body enters this restricted space and measures it to the tempo of a metronome. Repetitive movements follow, until the effort is felt. A live projection is added in the background, produced with two cameras placed in the diagonals of the square, reproducing the jurors' point of view. Video archives footage of training scenes then scrolls past, showing a body forced into contortions by relentless trainers. It's a questioning several aspects of rhythmic gymnastics, a sport I practiced for years, and whose training methods are being questioned by the medical world.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Matilde Croxatto – them

by Matilde Croxatto

This film is an intimate exploration of masculinity through the prism of faith. We discover the testimonies of eight young men through their relationship with God. Through interviews and scenes from everyday life, they reveal the beauty and complexity of this relationship. Based on my own experience as a believer, I've come to realise that faith, with its vulnerable and intimate qualities, can be seen as an experience that no longer affects traditional masculinity. To verify this, I gave the floor to men who choose the resilient path of faith on a daily basis. Their devotion is brought to light, an expression of the heart that goes beyond gender stereotypes and invites reflection on the humility of the individual towards an entity greater than himself.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Albane Durand-Viel – Magdalena

by Albane Durand-Viel

Magdalena focuses on a forgotten or unknown female figure, Mary Magdalene. She was Jesus’ favorite, first witness and mysterious apostle. Her story has been written and told by men, who attributed to her several identities : as a saint, a socialite, a prostitute, a lover and a mystic woman. A thousand faces are often attributed to her, preferring to reduce her to erroneous female stereotypes. Yet Mary Magdalene was a key figure in History and a powerful symbol of feminine independence. This project aims to restore her story, by choosing our contemporary era as context. Imagining a scenario in which Mary Magdalene occupies a central place in today's media space, what would her fate and power be?

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jennica Folkesson – CHACUNE

by Jennica Folkesson

CHACUNE is an installation focusing on the theme of transmission. Clay, a symbol of connections, is extracted and shaped to bear witness to a shared past. The sense of touch, essential and unifying, is employed as a means of creation, linking us women together. Each ceramic piece represents a page in our collective story, shaped by the passage of time. Here, time manifests as a journey. From mother to daughter, from Switzerland to Mexico, we explore the lands that hold our ancestors.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Lorane Hochstätter – 24

by Lorane Hochstätter

This book explores the complexity of the development of a girl's feminine identity through the education and gaze of her mother, the first and most powerful model of femininity. My mother, former model, seemed to emerge from a magazine cover: the embodiment of overwhelming norms of feminine representation. Our image develops in a mirror: she projects herself onto me, remembering what she was and inspecting what she no longer is; I project myself onto her, seeing what I would like to be but what I'am not. These self-portraits twist and disguise my body, caught between emancipation and subordination to imposed codes. This book deals with the love-rejection relationship between a mother and her daughter, who accompany and evolve together in a never-ending quest: the search for a feminine identity.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mathilde Lesueur – Collision

by Mathilde Lesueur

From an impressive loss of control to an explosion of shattered glass, I find myself in the middle of a wavering and inevitable chaos. I hold on to an uncertain light and let my body give in to the injuries. Between reconstruction and obsession, Collision explores how car accidents and injuries are shown in modern images. This work mixes the violence of my story with the way I make it attractive and digitalized. I represent myself through the image of broken doll, I create a confusion between the real and the unreal, symbolizing memory after a traumatic event. This project, an installation using chrome and glass, takes place in a setting where the gaze of the others and an injured girl interact.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Barnabé Masson – Encore une nuit sans Georges

by Barnabé Masson

I gathered eight close friends of my father, who passed away ten years ago. Together, we delved into the feelings induced by absence and mourning. With the help of cameras, I observe the bodies of these sixty-year-old men to explore tenderness, emotions, and the various spontaneous manifestations that emerge when they are confronted with strong emotions. These male bodies, usually under constant logical control, in the image of our culture and economy. The video shows hands, arms, faces, and eyes, sometimes embarrassed, sometimes resistant, and sometimes allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by emotions. This work has allowed me, through these men, to reconstruct my father, to confront him, and to examine my relationship with masculinity.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Yan Miranda – Reverie Rebirth

by Yan Miranda

Guided by psilocybin, Reverie Rebirth is an intimate journey into trauma healing. These experiences allowed me to reconnect with the innocence of childhood, with myself and with nature. Through new technological tools and analog photography, I was able to document and illustrate the visions of my inner journey. Imbued with Afro-Brazilian divinities, this exploration reflects on my cultural heritage and identity. The evolution of the project moved towards an engagement with nature and ecology. Inspired by a return to Brazil, it symbolizes the confrontation of deeper issues and blends with various artistic typologies to address themes of fear, anger and the degradation of nature.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Yves Möhrle – BIPEDIE(BOO)

by Yves Möhrle

BIPEDIE(BOO) is a video installation that combines humour and seriousness. Inspired by rockfalls in Switzerland, a modern myth has been created. A personification of rockfalls, embodying the incomprehensible and inexplicable. The videos show a figure walking through the mountains and throwing stones down the slope. Hypocritically, she lectures us. In a naïve hope that small gestures can bring about big changes, the nostalgic aesthetic of the project underlines the link between past and present and raises the question of our management of natural risks. Do our actions really bring progress or do they fight symptoms? What is our role in the Anthropocene? Do our actions influence nature and cause stones to fall?

PHOTOGRAPHY

Cyriane Rawyler – Medusa

by Cyriane Rawyler

Medusa is a collaborative project linking performance to hyperfemininity. This physical exploration symbolizes the reappropriation of the body through transformation. The need to exchange and meet these protagonists arose from a personal event that allowed me to regain control of a destroyed space. Blonde hair, length, and shine unite us to create a community. Through photography, the notions of self-image and control interact, creating celestial beings that tame space. Medusa aims to understand and accept the multiple facets of identity, offering a means of rebellion and self-affirmation.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Seraphine Sallin-Mason – The ''A'' Word

by Seraphine Sallin-Mason

Abortion is a fundamental right. In the United States, its practice has been restricted in half the country in recent years. The 'A' Word seeks to address this issue. In media, the associated Pro-Life/Pro-Choice iconographies are expressed with similar communication codes. These channels sensationalize the topic to startle and offend. This sensationalism distances us from the reality of abortion and the people seeking access to this care. From this visual material obtained through various resources, The 'A' Word aims to dissolve these mechanisms and reconstruct a more complex vision that, I hope, will allow us to take a critical look at this essential issue.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Lea Sblandano – Neijuan

by Lea Sblandano

The pixels expand and appear ever closer to the sensible world into which I was born. Neijuan explores the complexities of identity construction in a post-pandemic, hyper-connected world. Meaning "involution" in Mandarin, it evokes a sense of generational fatigue due to an ever-faster and competitive society. Between the feeling of a collective burn-out and the increasingly immersive presence of screens, virtual worlds become places of refuge and safety, but also fertile ground for interested encounters and fantasies. The screen turns into an emancipatory and formative means of connection, while increasingly distancing the individual from the tangible world around them.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Noé Vercaemst – Cathédrale dans le désert

by Noé Vercaemst

With Davide Fecarotti, a student at Ensp in Arles, we worked as a duo around a geographical area between southern Italy and Sicily. We discovered a particular structure. A structure that exists only in the collective imagination of its inhabitants. Engineers call it “the highest bridge in the world”. Here, it's simply called “ponte”, the bridge that doesn't exist. We arrived here like Ulysses in the Strait of Messina, between Scylla and Carribdis, but without the Argonauts. A ruin, an architectural project, surviving like a myth, a monster, a chimera with arms of steel... but in reality, an instrument of power and seduction, at the service of Italy's political leaders for years.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Anna von Allmen – Nos vies sur vos murs

by Anna von Allmen

Nos vies sur vos murs (Our lives on your walls) grew out of a collaboration with fourteen young people from the Pierre-à-Bot neighbourhood in the heights of Neuchâtel. Over a six-month period, I organised workshops with young people aged between seven and twelve, which formed the basis of this experiment. During our meetings, I initiated discussions around the theme of love, a feeling that is often so complex to grasp. I shared moments of their lives with them, collected their texts and asked them to use disposable cameras to draw pictures of love. In this book, our visions come together to create a portrait of the neighbourhood and the imaginary worlds that develop there.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Antoine Woeffray – I Unfold My Skin In The Morning

by Antoine Woeffray

Antoine_Woeffray: Hi readers! Antoine_Woeffray: I’m Antoine_Woeffray Antoine_Woeffray: But they also call me mr_paramount mr_paramount: Hi readers! mr_paramount: I’m mr_paramount mr_paramount: But my friends call me Antoine mr_paramount: My doctor call me also Antoine_Woeffray mr_paramount: Actually on my ID card the name written is Antoine_Woeffray mr_paramount: But my online lovers call me mr_paramount This project, which takes the form of a book, is an investigation into the representation of the male body and what it means to be a man. A digital construction of a physical being. The body passes through the image before being transformed.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Gilian Cardaci – Pitch Green

by Gilian Cardaci

This work documents the issues surrounding a professional football field and its artificial maintenance. The turf on these pitches must be maintained to comply with the high standards dictated by FIFA to enhance the image of the sport. Specific tools have been developed to meet this demand. Pitch Green turns football on its head with a fascination for what goes on behind the scenes, creating an imagery reminiscent of science fiction. The contrast between the natural turf and these ultra-technological tools lends an absurd edge to their real purpose. These pitches, which appear perfect to the viewer, reveal the excesses of football and its corrupt business.

Master

MA Visual Arts

All diplomas

FINE ARTS

Lucas Aulagnier – Creer Algo

by Lucas Aulagnier

In the Mediterranean regions of europe, niches in building facades contain votive statuettes, testimony to a religious past in the public space. They are closed by glass panes of the same format, delimiting the sacred space of the niche and the secular space of the street. I'm fascinated by the idea that something of the statuettes on one side and the passers-by on the other has been fixed by the glass, in a quasi-photographic way. It's the sum total of the exchanged glances that has been captured: the gaze of those who looked up at the saint in the hope that he or she would return their gaze. The extracted glass panes, marked by minute traces of paint and time, are non-signifying images, silent and bearing uncertainty.

FINE ARTS

Eva Ayache-Vanderhorst – Il y a un ciel dès lors qu’il y a une terre ou se repose les corps lourds.

by Eva Ayache-Vanderhorst

This immersive installation, consists of delicate, dreamlike paintings stretched over metal frames, suspended in space like windows into inner worlds. These paintings, on second-hand linen sheets as a medium, evoke evanescent landscapes, blurred figures, and fragmented scenes, appearing to float in a dimension between dream and reality, much like memories float in our minds. This space has the embodiment of the intangible barrier between the past and the present, between what we remember and what we forget, highlighting the ephemeral and sometimes deceptive nature of our recollections and its subjective fragmentation. The dagger-like pendulum, a divinatory tool, hangs above the ceiling. It refers to the tension emanating from such subjectivity.

FINE ARTS

Ana Francesca Bălan – Studiu de mansardă (Attic study)

by Ana Francesca Bălan

Studiu de mansardă (Attic study) is a collection of family artifacts reassembled into frames carrying questions of value, heritage, haunting, and the archive as a speculative tool.

FINE ARTS

Felice Berny-Tarente – I CRAVE

by Felice Berny-Tarente

This installation combines video performance, a poem, a sound piece in collaboration with Max Klunge and images generated by artificial intelligence. The looping video is as tragic as it is comic, it is this inner tension that my piece is dedicated to. The mantra I CRAVE structures the text in passages of deep desire and fearful prostration. Although nothing much seems to be happening, the undercurrents are imbued with deep emotion. Or rather, they capture an inability to cope or break out of mental loops, as in this vacant act of running and undergoing this performance. It's hard to understand exactly what the purpose of this temporal journey is, except perhaps a brief tale of solitude and endurance.

FINE ARTS

Angèle Challier Fontaine – My eyes ache to clos

by Angèle Challier Fontaine

My eyes ache to close is an installation that questions the dynamic between public space and the invisible traditions of the private sphere. The notion of “care” is symbolized by the time and attention invested in the meticulous wrapping of thread around each structure. The work is composed of six objects extracted from the urban environment, each of these elements, typically encountered in the street, is reimagined through repetitive gestures. The abstraction of use of the six selected objects reveals their aesthetic aspect and intrinsic similarities. Stripped of their original function, they become enigmatic sculptures, suspended between their utilitarian past and their new identity.

FINE ARTS

Lorenzo De Bellis – I furnished the den and it seems to have turned out well

by Lorenzo De Bellis

The fox serves a dual role: a trickster and a symbol of guidance and protection. Initially introduced through a documentary S. watches on TV, the fox is featured in a fox hunting documentary where it is hunted and ultimately is killed. Images from this documentary are taken and projected on panels, forming a sort of theatrical scenography. The realm is the one of the horror. The tryptic is composed of three images representing the hunting scene and developed on the wooden panels using a photosensitive emulsion. The killing of the fox represents the prelude which is simultaneously a foreshadowing. The starting point of the project is a script, which is then used as a score to compose and create the work.

FINE ARTS

Sherif Sherif – Lines to See and Not to Cross

by Sherif Sherif

My diploma project is an installation consisting of two sculptures and a video that explores physical, psychological, and societal boundaries through imaginative narratives. Lines to See and Not to Cross is a sculpture with three arrows connected to a sphere, projecting laser lines that create illusory, yet crossable boundaries, addressing psychological limits and power structures. "Hand Games" is a 3-minute video on a loop projected on a screen made of plexiglass, a red gel light filter, and tracing paper. The video explores physical boundaries through children's games. "Forbidden Fruit" is a 3D-printed sculpture of two power sockets locked with padlocks, preventing access to the power source.

FINE ARTS

Oriane Emery – Every stain carries a memory

by Oriane Emery

My project Every stain carries a memory represents a laundry room featuring a passport photo of my biological father (with whom I did not grow up) and a fabric embroidered with carnation stitches, also known as Algerian Eye. This installation represents my interbreeding with Algerian culture, to which I was not invited. I sublimate it through dreams, memories, spiritual heritage and the laundry room as a popular place of transformation, purification and socially perceived as feminine. Capturing a suspended time, the fabric is eternally bathed in water that retains its memory, as opposed to washing it. The passport format of a photograph symbolizes identity. Here, it's frozen, the only link I share with him.

FINE ARTS

Gabriele Ferrarini – Measures

by Gabriele Ferrarini

The work on display stages an attempt to inhabit a psychological space characterized by new intentions and antagonistic ideas. A lucid dream in which the tools for measuring architecture reappear as nailed shadows, black silhouettes. Physical and atmospheric alterations accompany a misuse of the mentioned objects, making them apparently unrecognizable. The union of each element articulates an improbable metaphor that, in a poetic and ironic key, seeks to emphasize the doubts that drive us to observe reality and the criticality of the measures that control it.

FINE ARTS

Max Klunge – Sounds like..

by Max Klunge

My project is to create a small event at the ECAL. Around a sound system, the aim is to offer students and anyone at the school, whether ECAL members or not, the chance to spend a pleasant moment, discover music, eat, drink and bring this place to life by encouraging people to meet and enjoy the moment. The approach is based on several points, the political and militant aspect of music and in this context with a sound system, the aspect of homemade and collective practice, promoting inclusive and ethical consumption through vegan food. Musically, it's a proposal that's the fruit of experimentation with compositions, selections and productions of music and the dissemination of music.

FINE ARTS

Léonard Vazquez Vila – Whispering remains

by Léonard Vazquez Vila

Possibilité, potentiel, virtualité : séquençage, virement, rupture ; linéarité, hiatus d'intensité, intervalle impassible ; le prévisible, l’imprévisible, l’insensé ; seulement la pensée, le pensable, l'impensable ; le déjà ressenti, le ressenti, l'insensé; le possible, le possible, l'impossible réel ; le possible, le « pratiquement impossible », l'impossible en principe ; l'instrumental, l'opérationnel et le contingent ; Pareil, changement, hasard.

FINE ARTS

Flavio Visalli – Whirlpool

by Flavio Visalli

Please me, make me happy Breather, sleeper Make me happy Misty, crystal Blister, eternal Soft and liquid in the light Secret otherworldly sight Passing time in black and white If only I could dream tonight On my own Teenage lessons set me right Taught me how to dream tonight Love me warm in cold daylight Soft as skin and safe inside Smother silky sin so fine Make believe that you are mine On my own Tears and sorrow set me right Taught me how to dream tonight

MA Film Studies

All diplomas

FILM STUDIES

Loris Ciaburri – Lux Vitae

with Anne Brouillet

Lux Vitae is a feature-length screenplay developed over two years as part of the ECAL/HEAD Master of Cinema program. The project was built from a synopsis, through various treatment versions to a V1 screenplay. Anne Brouillet supervised the writing process throughout. Lux Vitae is a film set in La Chaux-de-Fonds, incorporating the local socio-historical context. The film follows the story of Anica, a polyamorous, pansexual watchmaker who, following an accident, becomes a paraplegic. Her sex life is limited, so she decides to seek assisted suicide and meets Max, an EXIT counsellor. These two people, totally opposed in their sexuality, come together and bond intimately.

FILM STUDIES

Loïs de Goumoëns – Rase Campagne

with Anne Brouillet

Rase Campagne is a feature-length comedy screenplay project. It tells the story of Elia, a helpful and polite young woman from Vaud, Switzerland, who lives in fear of disturbing... or even worse, of disappointing. One day, a ZAD arrives in her quiet region and through an unfortunate combination of circumstances, we believe she is one of the ZADists! Elia will try to prove the opposite but the adventure will prove difficult when the different forces present try to rally her to their cause. In this story, I am interested in probing Swiss “neutrality” and the consequences of refusing commitment, whether emotional or political. The project is at the V1 stage and is therefore under development.

FILM STUDIES

Jonathan Daza Ospina – Silencio

with Verena Paravel

Silencio is a hybrid film that narrates the story of a sound recorder from a big city in Colombia who goes to the jungles in the pacific coast, in search of the sounds from a past that is still haunting the present. A personal journey where she meets local activists of different generations engaged with the preservation of memory, and where music and oral traditions enact as liminal spaces in which mourning invokes and shakes the ghosts of a colonial heritage before the promises of the future. It is a film that traces a cartography of sound and archives the ecological present from a historical perspective, examining sensorially the embodiments of resistance in contexts of armed conflict in the west of Colombia.

FILM STUDIES

Sara Dutch – Mife et Miso vont en bateau

with Elene Naveriani

In the near future, Xzir, a woman in her thirties, finds herself faced with an unwanted pregnancy. In the ultra-digital, techno-authoritarian society in which she lives, pregnancies are automatically entered in a national register and monitored by the state, abortions are banned. Xzir is going to take the illegal path of the DarkWeb to her pregnancy, whatever the cost.

FILM STUDIES

Fei Fan – Fenni in Wonderland

with Elene Naveriani

Fenni in Wonderland is a short fiction film in which I also use a documentary approach. In this film, the boundary between reality and dream is blurred by magical realism in order to represent the Chinese immigrant community in Paris through my personal point of view.

FILM STUDIES

Pablo Guscetti – Chi ch'ien piü chiö

with Katharina Wyss

Nena, 40, lives in the valley in Ticino where she grew up. Giulia, an urbanite in her thirties, is visiting her family's village for the first time in order to conduct field research for her post-doctorate. Nena reluctantly acts as Giulia's research guide. Animosity grows quickly between the two. The protagonists discover that mysterious and murderous attacks are ravaging the valley they left behind. Panic-stricken, the two women head for a high-altitude refuge. But this respite is quickly replaced by heartbreak. The storm is close, and so are the and monsters. Giulia and Nena face each other in the midst of horror.

FILM STUDIES

Anna Joos – Niederurnen, GL

with Verena Paravel

Once called ‘the magic material', asbestos has become an invisible evil. In a forgotten valley of Switzerland, death, carried by the wind, forever and ever accompanies the everyday lives of the Italian asbestos factory workers. They are silenced by the Swiss industrial state. But the insides of their bodies bear witness to their story: their asbestos-injured lungs breathe in and out, intermingling with the repetitive industrial sounds, like heartbeats, in which they were once immersed. The binary rhythm of the Tarantella, a southern Italian ritual, once had the power to counter an invisible evil.

FILM STUDIES

Saleh Kashefi – Overture

with Katharina Wyss

Beneath all the noise lays silence. Overture is a cinematic journey which tries to illustrate how silence can be covered with noise through telling a typical story of a human being and their way of coping with life’s suffering in the modern world.

FILM STUDIES

Theofanis Papadopoulos – Firelight

with Katharina Wyss

Firelight explores my fear of non-existence after death and that of imagining to no longer interact with an environment. It confronts the characters with the lies they tell themselves, in order to be able to survive in this absurd situation. It is about an awareness and the point of no return, where, confronted with reality, we also become aware of the fact to vainly create meaning in our lives, to make them livable. Thus, we hide from the mortal misery that awaits us every day, as in every room of the mansion. We create meanings and explanations to comfort ourselves, except that being aware of it and accepting this absurdity is equivalent to no longer being afraid of it.

FILM STUDIES

Valentina Parati – Acciaio

with Verena Paravel

A lullaby of engines and love, this short movie is an emotional and hypersensorial journey into the deep world of mechanophilia.

FILM STUDIES

Antoine Scalese – Hypersex

with Anne Brouillet

My diploma project is a screenplay for a feature film titled Hypersex, exploring the fantasy romance genre. It tells the story of Alfa, a young man who lends his appearance to a model of a sex android and manages to divert one sample in hopes of restoring lost intimacy with his elusive partner. Quickly, by substituting it for himself, he loses control of the situation and finds himself confronted with intense affects. This screenplay uses sexuality as a fully-fledged dramatic force within the overall narrative dynamic. Intertwined with this, the narrative rhetoric of love's return offers a queer perspective to the film, portraying the complex relationship between two male characters who, despite their selfish behaviors, choose not to give up on each other.

MA Product Design

All diplomas

PRODUCT DESIGN

Eduardo Altamirano Castro – Sonido Material

by Eduardo Altamirano Castro

Today’s audio industry has turned loudspeakers into small, wireless, battery-powered plastic objects. To challenge this, I created the Sonido Material project, which explores the relationship between music and human experience, emphasizing our interaction with sound. The outcome is a minimal satellite flat speaker with three components. It uses magnetic energy to activate a paper membrane with a layered copper coil, amplifying the sound. Each prototype showcases the material’s rawness, creating a poetic dialogue with its sonic environment. The design is fully modular and dismountable, facilitating repair, recycling, or a variety of configurations/installations.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Youssef Bassil – OoO_Out of Office

by Youssef Bassil

The average adult spends 24 hours a week on their smartphone, leading to health issues like eye strain, disrupted sleep, depression, anxiety, and reduced concentration. Many, especially Gen-Z, recognise smartphones are designed to capture attention and are switching to "dumbphones" – traditional mobile phones predating the iPhone. However, using a dumbphone daily ends up being impractical and frustrating. Modern society and services are tailored to smartphones for payments, transport, and more, alienating non-users. OoO_Out of Office offers a solution: an alternate device for basic communication, navigation, contactless payment, and tickets without distractions. Allowing users to stay connected and reach their destination without the overwhelming presence of a smartphone.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Sofia Biondi – Campana

by Sofia Biondi

Campana is the culmination of a collaboration with the Swiss company Ateliers Firmann, known for crafting cowbells and railings, leveraging their well-honed skills and tools. The outcome is a pair of lamps, each a different size, sculpted from curved and welded steel profiles. At the heart of each lamp, the bell itself shines as the light source. The aim was to transform the iconic bell from its traditional setting, giving it a new purpose. Just as the bell's sound guides and signals the presence of the animal, its light now graces domestic spaces with a gentle presence. The lamps are distilled to their essence: the radiant bell, the supporting structure, and a cable that connects these two distinct elements, all made under the same roof.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Gabriella Duck Garnham – B+

by Gabriella Duck Garnham

Switzerland’s mobility infrastructure comprises of dynamic transport modes, from ‘hard’ steel tracks of train lines to ‘soft’ elements of buses and bikes. Soft elements are often the most accessible, making them essential in the mobility network to encourage people to use public transport. Traditionally, soft mobility infrastructure has been monumental, featuring concrete foundations and structures resistant to adaptation. Hence, they are difficult to adapt to the evolving needs of cities as they shift and grow, resulting in additional resources and even demolition. B+ is an ephemeral bus shelter for Transport Lausanne, designed to be secured on-site using local stone and timber, allowing for agile infrastructure that can shift and integrate with neighbourhoods as they develop.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Louis Ferraz – Volume

by Louis Ferraz

Table and bench system for common spaces. The tension of the project resides in the contrast of visual heaviness with the actual lightness of this family of objects. Big-scale products to occupy large spaces in an efficient way. The lightness and flat pack of the big table and bench allow an agile installation, yet they are durable and sturdy objects. This was made possible by using very thin plywood filled with a cardboard honeycomb structure.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Justus Hilfenhaus – ECAL x ECAL

by Justus Hilfenhaus

ECAL x ECAL is a collaboration between myself and the institution. This project showcases a collection of objects designed and crafted at ECAL to address small yet significant problems I encountered during my time here. Each object, from classroom essentials to communal space enhancements, is created for optimal usability. With a galvanized steel finish, these items ensure durability and recognition, reflecting our contemporary architectural aesthetic. Crafted by ECAL artisans and myself, they represent our dedication to design, enhancing everyday life as they seamlessly integrate into our school environment.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Meri Hozumi – Meno Mosso

by Meri Hozumi

Meno Mosso transforms consumers into creators through the traditional technique of «papier-mâché» – akin to “hariko» used for Japanese toys. In contrast to mass production and fast consumption through online shopping, crafting a Meno Mosso product is a meticulous and intimate process of layering and drying paper repeatedly. Formed with sustainable materials – scrap paper and starch glue – Meno Mosso’s slow crafting also fosters deep connections between creators and their products. Experiences are shared alongside loved ones and each Meno Mosso product bears your signature: symbolising the personal connection embedded in the unique piece made from your choice of used paper. Who would discard such products, nurtured with care, time and memories?

PRODUCT DESIGN

Jiahao Huang – Foamless upholstery

by Jiahao Huang

Polyurethane foam has been taken granted as the go-to material in creating comfort and softness for upholstery and caused immense pressure to environment. This motivates me to use spacer fabric, which features a sandwich structure with 3 layers, knitted altogether one time by 3d knitting machine, as the alternative to PU foam. I developed a sofa with this particular material in the core. It is cushioned, padded and covered all by spacer fabric. Without glue nor staples, all components are designed to be easily assembled and separated. The concept spins around the inherent tension and flexiblity of the material that enables it to naturally form voluminous yet smooth shapes. The idea is to build the cushioning core and contacting layer in one piece of fabric wilhout stiching and triming.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Fanny Marrot – Encore Bon

by Fanny Marrot

Encore Bon is a system designed to change the way we think about food waste by reusing existing unsold but consumable resources produced by supermarkets. These spoiled, less attractive products are often neglected, even though they have tasty and nutritious qualities. The Encore Bon system communicates and educates people about food waste whilst creating new products. Raw ingredients are collected and then combined according to their aromatic match using a dedicated application, creating new and unusual flavours. They are then dried to extend their shelf life. The result is attractive, tasty dry products that encourage consumers to take a different look at unsold food.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Clémentine Merhebi – 75

by Clémentine Merhebi

In 2023, a person residing in Switzerland consumes 140 liters of drinking water per day. Half of which is used for showering. 75 is a showerhead that saves up to ¾ of our consumption. Developed by SICT, its mechanism visually imitates but reduces the flow of a classic showerhead from 20 to 4 liters of water per minute. Deprived of its handle, it also represents a material saving by fitting in the palm of your hand. Assembled with a single screw, all its components can be separated, including its magnets, which offer different inclinations when in contact with its support. Like a canvas, this adhesive sheet deconstructs the architecture of the shower through a simplification of its systems and accessories, allowing us to better understand our consumption.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Lilian Onstenk – uien

by Lilian Onstenk

Many discarded jackets have malfunctioning zippers. Before repurposing, textiles and hardware need to be separated within the recycling facilities—a labor-intensive procedure. The uien collection proposes a system in which the fabric and the zipper are easily exchangeable and separable. The cotton inner lining is connected to the water-resistant cotton outer fabric. Similar to a pillowcase, the felted wool insulation is encapsulated between the cotton layers without using additional fastening systems. The slightly modified zipper ties into the fabric and can easily be removed and replaced. uien aims for easier recycling but above all encourages consumers to replace broken items without special equipment or prior knowledge.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Aurelia Pleyer – With kind regards

by Aurelia Pleyer

The way we work is changing. Today, we no longer stay at a fixed desk in a single place but need flexibility and movement. As we perform a variety of tasks during the day, we wish for an equally diverse range of spaces to create, concentrate, communicate, and think within. With Kind Regards proposes an open way of working on two surfaces. Sitting or standing, the furniture explores different possibilities of work situations. The simple and direct, yet versatile structure uses wood to create a warm, welcoming surrounding. Encouraging to work in new ways, With kind regards is a flexible place for both short and longer E-Mails.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Antonio Severi – VAC (Vacuum Assembled Composites)

by Antonio Severi

VAC focuses on assembling objects without conventional fasteners, using vacuum as a binder. This technique, known as «jamming,» originates from soft robotics but also occurs when vacuum-sealing goods like coffee. It increases friction between parts like glue but allows the process to be reversible. Various bags were filled with different materials, creating unique seating options that address technical challenges and explore material combinations. The project produced five chair prototypes using different methods, showcasing binding techniques that allow for easy separation and recycling, highlighting a commitment to sustainability and innovation.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Loïs Weber – ilo

by Loïs Weber

A report from the Swiss Office for the Environmental forecasts annual summer heatwaves, increasing the number of «tropical» days (>30°C) throughout the year. In response to this phenomenon, some Swiss cities are seeking solutions to combat these urban heat islands. The Ilo project proposes a solution to address heatwaves in Lausanne. In collaboration with a local brick manufacturer, the cooling potential of bricks, which absorb and slowly evaporate water, has been harnessed in a modular seating installation, providing shade and refreshment. Adaptable to various locations, this installation can be deployed during the four months of summer heatwaves, thus improving urban comfort and fostering social interactions.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Yichen Wu – Haitang

by Yichen Wu

Haitang Stool is the result of a culture-based form study, a blend of tradition and democratic ubiquity. The popularity of the New Chinese Style demonstrates a growing recognition of traditional culture in the Chinese market. Building on extensive research into Ming-style furniture, this project aims to extract and bring its beauty to everyday objects, challenging the common perception that it only serves a select few. By redesigning the iconic red plastic stool, the local Monobloc alternative, Haitang Stool explores the communicative power of cultural forms while keeping its low cost and universal functionality.

MA Photography

All diplomas

PHOTOGRAPHY

Sunny Attias – Rotten Reverie

by Sunny Attias

Rotten Reverie is a series that wrestles with the seemingly random appearance of images and subjects in social media recommended content feeds through the use of personalised algorithms. As someone who often engages with recommended content and finds it both fascinating and sometimes worryingly accurate, I chose to closely analyse the recurring visual patterns and clusters of subjects, forms, and imagery that appear in my recommended content feed. These images serve as testimonies to a certain pattern of content, ephemeral in nature, that once floated in an ocean of visual recommendations. This project attempts to apply a human approach to a machinic logic, specifically addressing a phenomenon that appears to understand some of our thought processes better than we do.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Bor Cvetko – TRIBE’S STARLINK HOOKUP RESULTS IN PORN ADDICTION!!!

by Bor Cvetko

The project explores existential dread from passive digital media spectatorship. We’re bombarded with distressing news, funny videos, happy moments, images of death, and posts by friends and celebrities. This endless stream causes disconnection, numbness, and exhaustion. A recurring element in my project is the white plastic chair, symbolising relaxation. These chairs now represent lost support and balance. I include archaeological elements to reflect on the decaying present and uncertain future. Pictures are mounted on metal plates, forming a grid of 24 squares. These industrial products, meant to support weight, now support assembled and torn photo transfers. The project uses the same title as a TMZ article describing the impact of the Internet on an isolated Amazonian tribe.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Riccardo Fasana – Cozy Threshold

by Riccardo Fasana

Cozy Threshold is a collection of digital photo collages which takes into exam spaces of transience within the domestic environment. In order to question the gaze which usually inhabits these interior spaces in the course of one’s everyday routine, the images included in the project present visible distortions which reveal the collage technique employed in their creation. As the layered nature of these digital reconstruction of actual spaces gradually unfolds in front of the viewer’s eyes, the gap between what is being observed and what might have been initially recognized becomes clearer. Through this work, viewers are therefore invited to reflect on the space in which these images exist by engaging in a detailed observation of the stage of everyday life.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Florian Hilt – BSoD

by Florian Hilt

BSoD (Blue Screen of Death) is a series of stagnant views of a workstation emerging from the duality between fascination and fear of office spaces. Between boredom and anxiety, the desire for fantasy is transformed into a metaphorical quest for a moment's rest during a noisy, repetitive day. Time rushes by outside and stagnates inside, the mind wandering, piercing the corporate identity. Intrusive thoughts invade the workspace in the event of burnout. Attention is lost in a fantastic monotony. Press the alarm button, break the glass and let your senses drift away before returning to the chore. Silence and noise dissociate, reflecting the paradox of digital work where artist and tool must remain invisible to claim perfection.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Isabella Madrid – Buena, Bonita, y Barata

by Isabella Madrid

As a Latin American woman, I have grown up with very specific expectations of the kind of woman I should be. In my project, I am reversing the codes that have been forced onto me and immersing myself in the different symbols of how Colombian women exist and have been represented through photographic self portraits. I am taking these symbols and subverting them, enacting them, letting them hold a weight on me, holding my own weight on them, playing with them, letting them define me and simultaneously redefining their power and meaning. I am showcasing not only the everlasting colonial violence Colombian female bodies have always been subjected to but simultaneously reappropriating the narrative around them, playing the muse, model, photographer, stylist, makeup artist, and art director.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tanguy Morvan – We All Walk On Empty Staircases

by Tanguy Morvan

We All Walk On Empty Staircases reflects the deep scars of the artist's childhood traumas. Growing up in a violent and tormented environment left permanent marks on his mind. At the age of seven, he found refuge in the game World of Warcraft, where he immersed himself for sixteen years, creating an idealized version of himself. In recent years, his grandfather introduced him to the Masonic world, which deepened his fascination with rituals. For the past six months, he has been transforming his body through tattooing, a process that has allowed him to regain control over both his mind and body while staying connected to past memories. His project invites reflection on the impact of domestic violence and the healing power of rituals.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Nina Pacherová – We Won't Tell Daddy!

by Nina Pacherová

We Won't Tell Daddy! takes a speculative look at the impact of sharenting - the phenomenon whereby parents excessively share their children's lives on social networks. In the form of a video installation, it explores the future consequences of the digital footprint that parents create for their children. It focuses on the TikTok #bathroomchallenge, where children are recorded cursing, and unaware of the future implications, their video is shared online. The project uses AI and deepfake technology to protect children's identities by replacing their faces with that of the author and highlights the abuse of content. At the same time, it encourages us to redefine the role of technology in our lives by using deepfake as a protective tool.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Amélie Tricaud – Elle rêvait des loups

by Amélie Tricaud

This work illustrates an attraction to the masculine, a deep desire to be embodied in a different body, assumed to be my opposite. This obsession, built through the accumulation of male images, shows what I covet, what I wish to carry within myself, without being able to access it. Throughout the 250 pages of the book, I question my gaze and my notion of beauty by idealizing these bodies, objectifying them, or reducing them to abstraction, attempting to subvert gendered and stereotypical ideals of femininity and masculinity. It is a reflection on the idea of the muse, reversing the power dynamics between the female muse and the male artist, and a mirror on the vast existing corpus representing female figures, on how their bodies are always depicted, scrutinized, fragmented, and contorted.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tianyu Wang – Hiding and Seeking

by Tianyu Wang

I focused on the invisible violence and oppression against women within the family environment. I deconstruct the postures women should take in their daily life to resist patriarchal culture. From personal experiences, I reconsider the scenes of family violence, the immediate feelings, the "body memory". I create scenes that blend reality and imagination, symbolically representing the self that is imprisoned, oppressed, and resisting within the family environment. My work responds to the everyday, breaking traditional discipline imposed on women within the family, and deconstructing the facade of daily life. This fundamentally critiques and resists the power dynamics of the traditional binary gender structure represented by "home", as well as the discipline and oppression of individuals.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Fabienne Watzke – Lately I’ve been dreaming in pink and blue

by Fabienne Watzke

As a child, people assumed I liked pink and not blue. In today's imagination, pink is feminine, but it was once a masculine color. Lately I've been dreaming in pink and blue shows how our stereotypical thought patterns and visual representations of gender push women into predefined roles and project certain expectations onto them that manifest inequality. In my work, I take these traditional gender norms and challenge and break them by appropriating something extremely masculine like the knight ‘s armor and deconstructing it with different gender symbols and codes. The knights armor symbolizes the patriarchy in which we live. It is a shell designed for a specific type of body. Through symbolic bridges I highlight how deep rooted the modern "knight" mentality is still existing today.

MA Type Design

All diplomas

TYPE DESIGN

Mirela Belcheva – Astra

by Mirela Belcheva

Astra is a humanist serif type family designed to meet the demands of complex text environments, such as dictionaries and reference materials, particularly in the fields of language learning and translation. Its calm personality, and clear and functional presence, add to its versatility and allow it, nevertheless, to adapt to different types of text, both printed and on screen. Its neutrality ensures that it can be used in a variety of contexts and applications, without being limited by specific use cases. The family comes in two optical sizes: Display and Text, the latter with a range of weights from Light to Bold, one of which includes a Cyrillic extension.

TYPE DESIGN

Eran Ben Barak – Olivia Typeface

by Eran Ben Barak

Olivia is a font family supporting both Latin and Hebrew scripts. It explores the shapes and conventions of these scripts without blending or “Latinizing” Hebrew. The project rethinks Latin type design norms, leveraging my background and education. As a Hebrew type designer, I advocate for mutual learning between scripts. This typeface serves as a bridge, demonstrating how Hebrew and Latin can coexist and enrich each other.

TYPE DESIGN

Hólmfríður Benediktsdóttir – KRULLA.SANS

by Hólmfríður Benediktsdóttir

What is the difference between a curl, a swirl and a whirl? What about a whirl and a whorl? What about a swash, a flourish, a spiral, a twist and a twirl? Using the curl as an experiment in expression and disobedience in text, KRULLA.SANS is a sans serif typeface that comes in three weights with corresponding curls. Inspired by the original drawing of Antique No. 8 by Miller and Richard, KRULLA is an endeless exploration of contemporary curls taken to a curly extreme. With its condensed proportions and unexpected curves throughout the styles, KRULLA evolves from a Bold Confused and arrives at a disobedient Crazy Light that reimagines the relationship between curve, curl, spiral, twist and a twirl. Can a curly letter be repurposed and shown as a tool to signify resistance and disobedience?

TYPE DESIGN

Thorgeir Kristinn Blöndal – Flaneri

by Thorgeir Kristinn Blöndal

Flaneri is a cursive script-like typeface that invites references born after industrialization to find its place. Torn between the human stroke and its translation into the machine, it steps into a world where authenticity is becoming harder to detect, and a longing for “human made” becomes greater. While wandering around many places, Flaneri finds inspiration in everything from Jan van de Velde’s art of writing to my grandmother’s and my own handwriting, the digital translation carries questions on what is to be left out, polished or even highlighted. Resulting in a cursive font with a physical texture and broken connections, leaving the observer with a feeling of what has been or what is to come.

TYPE DESIGN

Pauline Heppeler – Shift – 2024

by Pauline Heppeler

Shift is a type family consisting of four pairs of roman and italic ranging from sans to serif styles and from medium to light weight. Exploring the space between a traditional “super-family” and a font-pairing, the projects’ starting point is the notion of voice and the idea of conversation between different typestyles. Through breaking up the binary thinking of this or that in the weight axis, the pairs of sans and serif are put into context with each other through exchanging straightforwardness with richness in detail and vice versa. The extended family aims to put things together that are reacting to each other but ultimately their own idea of something highlighting the importance of negotiating agreement and disagreement.

TYPE DESIGN

Maximilian Inzinger – Embajador

by Maximilian Inzinger

Embajador is an all-purpose serif font family designed for extended reading. Referencing historical Spanish influences that show an unfamiliar dynamic in their strokes, Embajador strives to harmonize contemporary type setting while maintaining the essence of the Spanish spirit and charm. Available from Light to Black with corresponding italics, Embajador’s weights are drawn as optical sizes. Whereas the Light is monolinear with wider proportions, the Black features more condensed, high-contrasted letterforms. These variations in weight are intended to guide users in choosing the appropriate style for their specific application and size. With the addition of optical spacing, however, all styles can also be used effectively at any size.

TYPE DESIGN

Gabriela Jaime – Fabrikaat

by Gabriela Jaime

Fabrikaat is a sans-serif typeface that breaks from the traditional Swiss neo-grotesk genre. Its curves, translated from steel to vector, vary in width from Condensed [0] to Regular [4] to Wide [8]. A monospace cut, incorporating features from its proportional siblings, serves as a text style for small sizes. Fabrikaat is inspired by manipulating rigid materials and analyzing the resulting curves, focusing on deformation and tension. Like the exploration of shaping stiff materials, Fabrikaat’s curves have a mechanical feel. Smooth transitions between flat and curved forms are achieved through a stylistic set designed to facilitate movement along the design space. This adds character and rhythm to a sturdy, mechanical typeface, allowing versatile application across media and font sizes.

TYPE DESIGN

Nell May – Night Editor

by Nell May

Night Editor is a text font family designed for the dark screen writing environment: a focused space for creation and thinking. Night Editor features a calm low contrast calligraphic skeleton. Large counters, open apertures and generous spacing all aid legibility and counter the impact of light halation. Styles are limited to necessary tools: Regular, Bold, Italics (plus accompanying light mode grades). Night Editor Mono is the text production workhorse with oversized punctuation. It is designed for a slower, more physical access to a text in progress and is also available in Round with softened terminals that embrace the bloom of light. Night Editor Sans is the proportional counterpart, suitable for both writing and reading texts in the tranquil darkness.

TYPE DESIGN

Simon Memel – Itinérant

by Simon Memel

Itinérant takes Robert Granjon’s work as its starting point, producing a type family of four cuts: a text and display roman, each with a corresponding italic. The text cuts pare back some of the extravagance that Granjon was famous for, and lower the contrast in order to create type suitable for continuous setting, especially in smaller sizes. In part they draw on historical typefaces which themselves were influenced by Granjon- namely Plantin and Times New Roman. The display cuts reference the writing masters that preceded Granjon, and influenced the masters work. They restore the details that were removed in the rendering of the text cuts, and go further still, creating characters more calligraphic than Granjon, but rendered with a contemporary cleanness.

TYPE DESIGN

Lucrezia Noro – Plaxid

by Lucrezia Noro

Plaxid is a uniwidth typeface developed to enhance the typesetting of complex hierarchies and text-heavy layouts. Inspired by the mechanical structure of the Ionic genre, Plaxid is a practical font family with a solid feel and modest character. The specificity of duplex matrices used by Linotype during the hot metal typesetting era are improved with the contemporary design possibilities of negative spacing and applied kerning. This complementary duality makes it possible to achieve a uniwidth design without compromising letterforms. Plaxid maintains consistent width measurements across its eight cuts, making it easy to change styles without affecting quality, copyfit and layout.

TYPE DESIGN

Antoine Pasi – Quasi

by Antoine Pasi

The Quasi family started with the idea of “Mécalde”, a french typographic term employed by Maximilien Vox to describe José Mendoza y Almeida’s way of mixing Mechanistic and Garalde genres. Like a soft sculpture molded by hand, Quasi offers a contemporary dive into an empiric and hybrid process by joining traces from the craft and the industrial, gathering fragments from different periods. The brush, the chisel and the broad nib pen are joining on a rigid and boxy construction, without rejecting the digital tool. Quasi embraces the beauty of imperfections and finds its interest in inconsistent and grotesque details, mediating antagonistic ideas. Like a Janus-faced performer, Quasi is confident yet clumsy – rough yet elegant, inhabiting polarizing personalities within a character set.

TYPE DESIGN

Anna-Sophia Pohlmann – Eternity

by Anna-Sophia Pohlmann

From Rational to Functional: Eternity is a family of six styles inspired by the French typeface Romain du Roi in 1694. Its creation is one of the first examples of rational type design. Philippe Grandjean, who cut the punches for the metal type, took many liberties to moderate the original letterforms. Eternity raises the question of what makes a functional typeface contemporary. What criteria are important for a typeface to be usable in different contexts? The finished typeface continues to use characteristic elements of Romain du Roi and Philippe Grandjean, but questions the functionality of the typeface by breaking with mathematical and analytical principles. Eternity collects and creates the ideal parameters for each font style, applied on an axis between rational and function.

TYPE DESIGN

Naiqian Mac Wang – Nimonic

by Naiqian Mac Wang

Nimonic is designed to help Chinese native speakers learn English, the typeface addresses common problems Chinese English learners would likely encounter, such as stress placement, vowel reduction, and unfamiliar phonemes. Based on letter identification and legibility research, the letterforms are drawn to emphasize their idiosyncrasies, resulting in subtle yet quirky features that purposefully slow down the reading process of the learner. The combined technical and aesthetic considerations allow Nimonic to maintain a familiar first impression while hosting many unorthodox details, like having a vague gist memory instead of a vivid verbatim memory.

MAS

MAS Design Research in Digital Innovation

All diplomas

Design Research for Digital Innovation (EPFL+ECAL Lab)

Andrea Pronzati – Praeludium

by Andrea Pronzati

Praeludium constitutes a reinterpretation of the classical music listening experience. Utilizing digital innovations and immersive spatial audio technology, Praeludium aims to heighten engagement, especially among younger audiences. It transforms conventional performances into multi-sensory encounters by integrating audio-reactive visuals and dynamic lighting, thereby animating classical compositions. By crafting an immersive ambiance, Praeludium serves as a bridge between traditional and contemporary audiences, encouraging them to engage with classical music in novel and stimulating ways.

Design Research for Digital Innovation (EPFL+ECAL Lab)

Danpeng Cai – ANT

by Danpeng Cai

ANT (Advancing neurofeedback in tinnitus) is a multidisciplinary research project focused on improving neurofeedback therapy for tinnitus. The design research part looked to establish a systematic process for the development of visual stimuli in this context. Through a series of iterative studies, this work aimed to optimize neurofeedback protocols, challenge traditional notions and oversights in the field, and develop comprehensive design guidelines. The project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), integrates insights in design (EPFL+ECAL Lab), cognitive psychology (Bern University of Applied Sciences and University of Fribourg), and clinical neuroscience (University and University Hospital Zurich), paving the way for future advances in neurofeedback therapy.