INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Erwan Bouroullec
Led by the acclaimed French designer Erwan Bouroullec, the workshop 'Presque Rien' unfolded as an exploration of design possibilities within the setting of his estate and recently renovated Burgundy farm. The project envisioned an open canvas, encouraging ECAL’s Bachelor Industrial Design students, to diverge from traditional problem-solving.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
by Emma Grosu, Seraphine Sallin-Mason, Rebecca Alfandary
The Anthracite project aims to raise public awareness about the dangers of light pollution, which threatens the survival of nocturnal insects and impacts biodiversity in Switzerland. Through a carefully crafted edition blending scientific outreach and photography, the project strikes a delicate balance between poetry and urgency. Anthracite also takes shape in two additional formats: a visual installation made up of striking images, and a teaser video. These mediums of awareness immerse the audience by adopting the perspective of an insect, inviting viewers to directly experience the effects of human-caused pollution. Ultimately, the project seeks to inspire greater protection for the vulnerable insects at risk.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Sami Benhadj, Vincent Jacquier
An immersive and magnetic visual environment, created by ECAL students, illuminates the facades of the mudac and Photo Elysée building. As part of an interdisciplinary project within the Visual Communication department of ECAL, students in the Photography, Graphic Design and Media & Interaction Design Bachelors programs developed immersive video projects designed to adorn the facades of Photo Elysée.
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
with Gaël Hugo
During a one week workshop led by Gaël Hugo, students developed situational conversational agents integrating artificial intelligence. These exchanges generate associated 3D environments to provide visual support.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Milo Keller, Marco De Mutiis
The MAST Foundation is presenting the seventh edition of Foto/Industria, the world's first biennial event devoted to photography of industry and work, at a number of historic venues in Bologna and at MAST. The 12 exhibitions in Foto/Industria 2023 represent a chronology of points of view on the theme of PLAY, from the end of the 19th century to the present day. They offer an opportunity to observe and delve into the research of a selection of international artists. The ECAL is presenting an exhibition of its research project Automated Photography. An increasing number of images are produced autonomously by machines for machines with a gradual exclusion of any human intervention. Automated Photography is a research project developed by the Master Photography that addresses this situation by examining the technologies of image production and distribution such as: machine learning, CGI, photogrammetry.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Adrien Rovero
For the member municipalities of GEDERIVIERA, the waste management perimeter of the Vaudois Riviera, students in the BA Industrial Design are envisioning a new public trash can.
FOUNDATION YEAR
with Martino d'Esposito
Premier projet du semestre durant lequel les étudiants en option Design Industriel ont dû redonner une autre utilisation à des sacs IKEA. Projet cours de 3 semaines.
with Davide Fornari, Jonas Berthod, Chiara Barbieri
The research project investigates the discourse on graphic design in Switzerland in the under-researched period from 1980 to 2020. While the 1950s and 1960s saw graphic design in Switzerland reach international recognition and commercial expansion under the label “Swiss style”, a paradigm shift emerged in the following decades. The attention of many practitioners turned away from design as a pure service for the industrial and service sector and moved towards cultural commissions on a local, national and international level. Instead of aiming for maximum return, they chose their commissions according to whether they promised them creative freedom and whether they contributed to the profiling of their portfolio in alignment with their new definition of the profession as a lifestyle. This project examines the emergence and the development of this phenomenon, which became known as “cultural graphic design”, in professional graphic design in Switzerland.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Charlie Engman, Milo Keller, Clément Lambelet
"Treatment, Synthesis, and Art Direction" Charlie Engman is an artist, photographer, writer, and art director based in Brooklyn, New York.He works across a range of media and disciplines from gen-AI art, photography, video, and fashion, and balances artistic, commercial, and pedagogical practices. He is the art director of the sustainable fashion brand, Collina Strada, where he is responsible for print design, branding, and runway show design. This workshop will investigate the ways in which media, aesthetics, and culture are interwoven and overlapping and are driven in large part by the accessibility of popular technology. It will also investigate the ways in which creativity is a collaborative and iterative process that bleeds across genre and category. There will be a key focus on the intersection of photography, AI tools, and videogaming / user-driven media.In this workshop, participants are expected to explore and challenge the ways they integrate and synthesize both professional and vernacular registers and new and traditional techniques. This will also serve as an introduction to developing art direction and making “ treatments ” for commissioned projects, and practical experience concepting and executing assignments that can bridge between a distinctive artistic practice and preexisting modes of making and sharing.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Elisa Medde
This module assists the students to develop a long term project - touching upon all stages from the idea to the final presentation. Students will have the opportunity to take some of the ideas and project from the previous semesters, in order to explore them further, or engage in brand new ones. The outcome of the project could take any form - from book to performance, from physical exhibition to digital presentations. A strong emphasis will be on the research/concept and the impact, experience of the outcome.
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
with YONK
Under the guidance of 3D duo YONK, Second-year students worked on creating animated water creatures with accompanying habitats for the project “Fishtank”, inspired by the wall of aquariums you find at a fish store. The students learnt the ins and outs of using Virtual Reality to Sculpt 3D assets as well as animating, lighting and texturing in the 3D software Blender.
FINE ARTS
The BAAV is inviting two leading figures to its semestrial workshops: Pierrine Poget, author and poet, and Marie-Caroline Hominal, dancer and performer, both from Geneva. The former, described by one student as an "osteopath of the brain", invites a group of students to make a family with the voices in their heads, while the latter invites bodies into the space of the party for a performance in the ECAL film studio.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Charles Negre
STILL LIFE PAPER - This course focuses on the ability to answer a commission within its own artistic practice and leading the students through a better understanding of studio photography, challenges of constructed images and their processes. This applied photography course has an emphasis on still life photography, our aim is to sharpen the students sensitivity to photographing and interpreting objects. For this semester, the group of students will develop their own printed magazine focusing on the practice of still life.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Bruno Ceschel
The module introduces students to the history of photobooks and artists’ books prompting them to study different strategies and approaches to contemporary book-making. That will lead to students individually working on a publication that will be presented at evaluations in January 2023. Students will have the opportunity to create a new body of work in relation to the book form, learning about editing, sequencing and designing.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Milo Keller
The course is a platform for the development of personal projects that arise from the desire and curiosity of each student. The basic concept of the work must be relevant to the field of contemporary photographic images. Each project can take a different form depending on the specificities, contents and inclinations of each participant. From books to multimedia installations, from performance to CGI, group discussions will articulate a plural vision of photography’s applications today.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
by Candice Aepli, Amélie Bertholet, Coraline Beyeler, Delphine Brantschen, Léa Corin, Matteo Cortesi, Mathilde Driebold, Eliot Dubi, Marc Facchinetti, Emilie Müller, Dorian Pangallo, Paul Paturel, Hugo Scholl, Diego Steiner, Cyprien Valenza, Alfredo Venti, Arnaud Wenger, Constance Mauler, Flora Hayoz, Lidia Molina González, Vladislav Tschumi
Workshop Atelier Brenda During this week, the students created posters based on Ken Nordine's music album "Color".
GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Guy Meldem
During the Image Creation course with Guy Meldem, the students had to develop a two-color teaching manual, with the aim of teaching a particular skill. Each project takes the form of a 16-page booklet with two different types of printing.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Bruno Ceschel
These publications are special editions produced within the framework of the Master in Photography at ECAL in 2023 for Bruno Ceschell's Photobook class. This curated selection was later showcased at Offprint during Paris Photo, providing a prestigious platform to exhibit and share the emerging talent in the field of photography.
FOUNDATION YEAR
by Dunand Clea
Reitzel wished to make the surface area of its silo available to young artists for free expression and creativity. To this end, a competition was held and student Cléa Dunand's project was selected, transforming the industrial silo into an artistic canvas. Production of the paintings: Yoanys Andino Diaz and his team
FOUNDATION YEAR
by Léa Perrelet
Collaboration between the ECAL and the St-Etienne temple in Prilly for the decoration of the choir wall. Project by Léa Perrelet, student in the Industrial Design option of the Foundation year Manufacture of coloured metal structures by Metal-System
DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
with Alexis Tourron (Panter&Tourron), Stefano Panterotto (Panter&Tourron)
DEDON by Nature: Object 3 DEDON Studio partnered with ECAL for the second year to showcase "DEDON by Nature: Object 3." This exhibition features three collections of living accessories created by students from the Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship. Under designers Panter&Tourron's guidance, students kick-started the project with a visit to DEDON's Philippine manufacturer, immersing themselves in DEDON's unique Fiber and weaving processes. The creations that were conceived, designed, and crafted over an eight-month period, demonstrate imaginative prowess that reflects both the talent of the students and the enduring fascination that nature holds for us all.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Matthieu Gafsou
The workshop week 4x5 is both an introduction to the 4x5 technical camera and a way to kickstart a photographic project. Students experience the process of analog shooting, from development to large format printing. This intense week is highly technical, but also focused on developing a photographic language, allowing for a better understanding of the fundamental workings of photography.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Christian Spiess, Fondation USM, Théâtre de Vidy
The USM Design Grant is a study grant launched by the Fondation USM to encourage innovation by rewarding a student’s project. For the 6th edition of the USM Design Grant awarded by the USM Foundation, ECAL Bachelor Industrial Design students, under the guidance of Swiss designer Christian Spiess, were asked to design new outdoor seating for the terrace of the Théâtre de Vidy in Lausanne.
PHOTOGRAPHY
by Sara De Brito Faustino
“This project presents the home as a place where uncanniness and vernacular commonness exist side by side. Being an intimate space, a home should be a restful and secure place. However, mine has been the scene of some painful events. Today, I see this house as threatening. Uncomfortable and dysfunctional, it bears the scars of the past. In my photographs, I revisit those memories and reclaim my body. My tiny dioramas express my young self’s ideals opposed to the wounds I currently bear. Constructing, deconstructing, objects become bodies, whereas my being feels deformed and petrified. Toute petite et vilaine (“Tiny and Ugly”) creates an antagonistic tension between appealing visuals and disturbing details.“
FINE ARTS
FILM STUDIES
FINE ARTS
FILM STUDIES
with François Bovier
Artists who produce archives from their own work approach archival activity as a creative gesture: here, the archive literally becomes a work of art. In parallel with the “archival impulse” that has run through contemporary art since the 1960s, this research project examines the “performative agency” of archives when they are constituted from “image acts”. The selected corpus is based on an extremely singular case, the cinematographic work of Gregory J. Markopoulos (1928-1992) and the Temenos archives.
UNITE DE THEORIE
FINE ARTS
with Vincent Normand, Stéphanie Moisdon
This research project questions what has come of youth – a conceptual, aesthetic, and political figure that was born with modernity – in the visual arts, popular culture, and the humanities. Conversely, the project addresses what the problematic category of “youth” has brought about in contemporary art and thought.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
with Alain Bellet, Andrea Anner, Thibault Brevet, Martin Hertig
Robotic arms have long been a common sight in many industries. They are currently making a rapid entry into art and design studios and practices. Yet, at the same time, difficulties remain in accessing the workflows and work methods demanded by these machines given a clear lack of reference resources suited for this community. The same applies to Art and Design schools, which are increasingly investing in this type of equipment, often without having the resources to run it. This research project uses applied case studies to explore and define a set of exemplary work methods, capable of both informing and inspiring future users.
DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
by Nathanaël Baby, Luca Nichetto, Nicolas Le Moigne, Xavier Perrenoud
The Hermès Printing Company Inspired by the aesthetics of rotary printing presses, this project allows passers-by to immerse themselves in a graphic and artistic universe. Through the ten windows of the store, “L’Imprimerie Hermès” is a reinterpretation of the main stages of printing: everything starts with rolls of paper, which are then deployed in large strips, until they become posters. The paper, in all its forms, is printed along its length by repeating the story of a letter published in six different languages (French, English, Italian, German, Chinese and Japanese) by the magazine Le Monde d'Hermès. A layout specially created for this project incorporates large areas of color in order to frame and highlight the accessories from the different Hermès universes. They thus seem to come to life and become part of the story.
DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
by Charitini Gkritzali, Xavier Perrenoud, Nicolas Le Moigne, Luca Nichetto
The Astonishing Moment of Life Inspired by the Surrealist movement and the desire to find magic and wonder in the familiar and everyday life, this project features shapes and emblematic Hermès accessories that interact to form two subtly choreographed installations. These two window displays, imagined by Greek designer Charitini Gkritzali, a student in the Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship at ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, are an interpretation of Hermès' 2023 annual theme, “Astonishment”, offering a moment that oscillates between reality and dreams.
DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
by Céline Witzke
This project draws inspiration from the world of fashion, specifically the organic movements, volumes and textures found in textiles, and explores how these elements unintentionally create soft forms. In collaboration with Swiss glass manufacturer Niesenglass, a collection of multipurpose glass objects has been created, showcasing craftsmanship in a new light.
DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
by Shan Yu Kuan
BASUANN draws inspiration from the image of traditional Asian rattan/bamboo chairs. Its name echoes the pronunciation of the Taiwanese meaning “tie with cords”. Comprised of seven pieces of spiral ducts, BASUANN is assembled using mortise and tenon joints to connect the sitting part with the legs part. It is further reinforced by cords that securely bind the stool together. BASUANN seamlessly blends contemporary furniture design with the evocative imagery of Asian traditional craftsmanship, showcasing the aesthetic of minimalistic design.
DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
by Charitini Gkritzali
Deriving inspiration from 20th century orthopaedic braces, Topology of a Body is a series of body jewellery items that closely conform to the human anatomy and resemble the body’s structural elements. Each piece is composed by solid geometrical shapes and organic curves that are created with silver or steel wire. The thickness of the wire is altered in a dynamic rhythm, highlighting the morphology of the body. The metal structure, which is carefully designed to envelop the human figure, ultimately takes on a sculptural form. Just like orthopaedic braces, the pieces of jewellery are designed to allow the body to move, yet seem to keep it in a constant state of immobility. This paradox eventually raises a question: do these objects enable or restrain the body’s movements?
GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Adeline Mollard
During the visual identity course, the students had to choose an object that could perform a specific function. Once they had deciphered all the facets of the object, they were asked to come up with a visual identity concept to present the object and show it in a graphic way that best defined it.
DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
by Marine Col
Ropy is a seriously playful stool that plays with the past. Designed in a single, light stroke, this object draws its charm from the reuse of materials. Old naval ropes from the port of Lausanne, their colours tarnished by time, serve as raw material and become precious material once the object has been made.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Aurèle Sack
Type design displayed on a specimen.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Adeline Mollard
During the visual identity course with Adeline Mollard, the students had to develop an identity project promoting a collection chosen by them. Each project includes the design of a catalogue contextualising and presenting the collection, together with the design of a triptych of posters.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Robert Huber
Type design displayed on a specimen.
DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
by Anaïs Sulmoni
Once prized and valued by craftspeople, bone is now perceived as dirty and worthless. Yet, it is still widely used by cosmetics and food industries. It has appealed to me for many years because of its similarity to ivory and because of its living aspect, even though it represents death. Drawing on the abundance of this organic waste, I set out to recreate the prestige of ivory. I discovered the potential of bone as glue and powder, applied to different supports: solid wood, wood shavings and fabrics. The research book and models highlight bone, which presents new aesthetic and structural possibilities and acts as the first step towards reconciliation with this precious material.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Diego Bontognali
During this editorial design course, the students had to research and compile texts around a theme, based on a selection of texts and songs. The idea was to produce two editions with identical content but different formats.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Nicole Udry
Beyond questions of functionality, comfort and individual or collective well-being, the built environment is able to respond in a stimulating way to societal, energy and environmental challenges. The work space, the living space, the public space, the interior space, the street, are carried by real statements of intent that motivate their forms, following certain principles such as climate transition, densification, ecology and energy transition.... The 2nd year Graphic Design students worked on the production of a communication based on one of these principles (or others) and on the architectural realization which refers to it in order to promote it.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Angelo Benedetto
During the information design course the students have been asked to design a cartographic poster based on a film in the road movie genre, in a direct or abstract representation.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Stephane Halmai-Voisard, Christian Spiess, Carolien Niebling
My project focuses on the exploration of sanitary facilities, specifically their spatial layout, use and form. In the context of refurbishment, my project aims to transform the bathroom into an independent, self-contained unit. This fundamental shift provides the framework for a new typology: the fragmented bathroom.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Stephane Halmai-Voisard, Christian Spiess, Carolien Niebling
I met a professional frame artisan who specialises in custom-made frames. During our conversations, she mentioned the lack of innovative designs in the frame options available in her catalogue and the changing preferences of her customers. This inspired me to design new frames. My project involves creating frames with a range of five different styles for various types of frames: wall-mounted, placed on tabletops, or free-standing. What is more, these frames can be combined in different ways, offering exciting possibilities and fresh visual aesthetics. By expanding the range of frame options, my project allows framers to offer a wider selection and provide greater customisation to customers looking for unique frames with a modern design.
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
by Elina Crespi
Metamorphoses is a video game installation that lets you develop your world by exploring its different dimensions. It is an organic machine that represents a harmony of opposites, a duality between machine and human. There is a balance to be found: should the machine adapt to the human or the human to the machine? Human to human? Machine to machine? By participating in Metamorphoses, players are invited to create connections by plugging in a jack cable to solve enigmas. They actively engage in the narrative and interact with the environment. The organic machine embodies a duality by making natural and technological elements coexist in an interactive and changing environment, thereby prompting introspection about our own world.
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
by Lily Rose Hold
Dotto is a digital puzzle game that draws inspiration from classic dot-to-dot games. It combines connecting dots with the satisfaction of creating vector graphics. As you navigate through the collection of puzzles, you embark on a journey of discovery. Each connected dot unveils a part of the underlying artwork, gradually bringing it to life with every connection. A blend of satisfying gameplay and the celebration of vector Illustration, Dotto offers an experience for puzzle enthusiasts and those who love graphic illustration alike.
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
by Julien Caulet
My project is a tool that allows a musician, in this case Iya Ko, to offer their community a privileged role in the process of organising a concert. By using Instagram in unconventional ways, Groove Electric: The Odyssey presents a narrative in the form of an interactive series that invites the audience to participate in the concert’s implementation process until the day of the performance. This project is aimed at artists who want to strengthen and expand their community. The goal is to create an original platform that enables the artist to develop new “human” connections with their audience while promoting their work. This closeness should nourish both the artist and the community, which will play a central role in the creative process of certain projects.
PHOTOGRAPHY
by Gwendoline Albasini
Dear Kingdom is a story told through storytelling. A fictional figure embodies the princess trapped in her role, the horse who frees her and the witch who casts a spell. These archetypes confront intimate questions about the female gender and seek to dismantle collective ideals. The dream castle, once we look beyond its ramparts, vanishes into thin air. The video immerses the viewer in a world as majestic as it is oppressive. The soundtrack consists of singing and violin. The sounds can be both powerful and frail, revealing the beauty of the disparities. “Dear Kingdom is an appeal to the projections of a social and personal ideal. In this message there is a desire to share my path in this imposing, theatrical and fanciful universe.“
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
by Tickie Bindner
Sazen City immerses us into the collective landscape of our memories. Each participant takes part in the experience by exploring a territory, then sending digital postcards that generate a dynamic and imaginary map. Unlike photos of panoramas or cities, these digital cards depict memories, universal moments and emotions, revealing a new form of epistolary exchange that is more suited to our digital spaces. Inspired by Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, Sazen City employs machine learning to co-create a collective space. As it evolves, this shared landscape questions the individuality of our memories and the role of artificial imagination in our digital environments.
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
by Arthur Lucchesi
The RWM MK1 is an experimental electronic synthesiser that captures and transforms radio signals, creating intriguing sounds and soundscapes. This instrument interacts with terrestrial and cosmic electromagnetic radiation, enabling us to listen to distant echoes from the far reaches of the universe. It consists of two PCB plates with a tangible interface for real-time interaction with these waves. Musicians can also add sound effects, enhancing the experience. My project is inspired by Jocelyn Bell’s discovery of pulsars, NASA’s SETI program, the Wow Signal and the works of musicians such as Tim Hecker and Gustav Holst.
FINE ARTS
by Lou-Anna Ulloa del Rio
“I think that the goal of installation art should be to create an experience between objects so that viewers are transported outside themselves to recognise a larger, more complex world.” – Julie Becker