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PRODUCT DESIGN

Fogo Island Plastic Free Kites

with Camille Blin, Maxwell Ashford, Anthony Guex, Anniina Koivu

Fogo, nicknamed ‘a rock in the ocean’ is a small island situated off Newfoundland, Canada. As a part of a larger on-going semester project, 2nd Year Master Product Design students of ECAL, completed a short, fun, few day workshop, utilising one of the most abundant resources on the island - wind. Working in collaboration with the ShoreFast Foundation - an organisation working in numerous avenues to create a sustainable economy on the island, students developed plastic free kites. Fogo Island has the intention of becoming completely plastic free in the coming years and as their tourist numbers increase memorabilia of this special place are in higher demand. The developed kites are therefore to be made on the island and intended for the Fogo Island Workshop gift shop. Using Birch Wood, Ripstop Organic Cotton and hemp fibre string the students created a range of designs, taking reference from the unique features of the island.

PHOTOGRAPHY

WORKSHOP - CGI WITH AREA OF WORK

with Area Of Work

This workshop is an introduction to 3D creation software that allows you to create images with photographic qualities that are not photographs.

FINE ARTS

Workshop Emmanuelle Lainé

by Charlie Jannes, Romain Rochat, Céleste Meylan, Baptiste Schaerer, Romane Roy, Mariana Isler, Noemi Leneman, Anna Kawahara, Tom Grbic, Julie Wuhrmann

Contexte

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Break It Fix It

with Daniël Maarleveld

Break it Fix it is the workshop's result conducted under the direction of Daniel Maarleveld. Based on the music Technologic - Daft Punk, each group have reappropriated a phrase to enhance it graphically. The result is a series of posters, a video clip compiling the different typographic systems, and a series of interactive posters based on the same rules.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Pandora Box

with Alba Zari

This workshop offers participants a unique opportunity to delve into narratives through the lens of imagery and memory. Initially, they will engage with an archive of images, selecting a story from the past to dissect visually. This analytical phase sets the stage for a more personal exploration as participants transition to the next stage, where they will replace a character in the archive with themselves through self-portraiture. Central to the workshop is an interrogation of the medium of photography and the concept of the archive. Through guided discussions, participants will come to understand photography not just as a means of capturing moments but also as a form of witness to history. They will explore their roles as both collectors and editors of images, reflecting on the nuances of image production and consumption. Utilizing personal archives as a springboard for creativity and reflection, participants will gain insight into the complexities of visual storytelling. By examining images analytically and conceptually, they will develop a deeper understanding of their role in shaping narratives. Ultimately, the workshop aims to empower participants to create their own stories, fostering a deeper connection to both the past and their own identities through the powerful tool of photography.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Abundance & Scarcity

with Nadine Sterk

When we live in a society with so much abundance yet at the same time so much scarcity, how do we discern the resources around us? How can we look to our surroundings to learn about where things come from, or how we might apply them in our own lives? More importantly, how can we live more harmoniously with nature by respecting it and taking only what we need? Within the workshop held by Nadine Sterk from Atelier NL the BA Industrial Design students were asked to create tableware around the theme ‘Abundance & Scarcity' from vernacular earth collected together in the Sauvabelin woods in Lausanne. Students and crew had no hesitation in getting their hands (and clothes) dirty to knead, turn, form, glaze, and fire ceramic tableware that tells a story.

FILM STUDIES

Workshop Heidi News

with Benoit Rossel, Arthur Lecoeur

Heïdi News asked the Ecal film department to create ten films based on a series of articles on the theme of food. The students had to make very short films of two to three minutes that could be broadcast on the newspaper's website and social networks.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Random?

with Andreas Gysin

Workshop with Andreas Gysin The students worked on the concept of randomness to generate a series of patterns and drawings.

PHOTOGRAPHY

ECAL in Seoul : exhibition Automated Photography

with Milo Keller

Following the success of the exhibition resulting from the Automated Photography research project at Paris Photo in 2021 and then at the Galerie l'elac in 2022, the ECAL is exporting this project to Plateform-L in Seoul from 17 September to 8 October 2022, through an immersive audiovisual exhibition.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Moody Orchestra

with Lucas Zanotto

Moody Orchestra is an interactive orchestra of seamless mood-loops. The students learned the software Cinema4D in order to create a visual and musical loop. This week of work led by @lucas_zanotto resulted on colorful and satisfying visuals.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Ecal×Mini Rethinking the Wheel

with Christophe Guberan

"Rethinking the Wheel" – a series of projets on steering wheels. Will we be controlling our cars through voice recognition in future? With a soft toy? How about a pizza box? The digital transformation and electrification of cars has opened up a world of possibilities at the wheel. MINI’s design team and ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne have collaborated closely on a sophisticated design study to develop unexpected ideas for the future of steering wheels. Under the direction of ECAL tutors Camille Blin and Christophe Guberan, Master students in Product Design have addressed the topic and come up with spectacular designs, developing, improving and ultimately achieving their vision in ongoing consultation with Christian Bauer, Head of Interior Design at MINI. The result: nine innovative and surprising designs that question existing shapes and materials – and, as such, the way in which we might interact with our cars in the future – with a lot of creativity.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Raster Walker

with Gaël Hugo

Content produced during a one week workshop led by Gaël Hugo, around experimenting with image rasterisation and particle systems.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

Service Design - 2022

with Angelo Benedetto, Vincent Jacquier, Pauline Saglio

During the Service Design course, the 3rd year of the Graphic Design, Photography and Media & Interaction Design bachelors had to create multi-media projects. A collaboration of the Visual Communication department which had as subject the SDGs (*Sustainable Development Goals). The theme was called "For a good cause, make the SDGs a reality" and its objective was to allow students to develop a cause that is close to their hearts. Each project consists of at least two different media, one primary and one secondary. These projects could take any form that the students deemed relevant, be it a website, editions, posters, a video sequence or virtual reality.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Materialized Photography Workshop

with Mazaccio & Drowilal, MAP

During this one week workshop, the students were challenged every morning with a sculptural challenge and in the afternoon they continued developing their semester projects with the guidance of artist duo Mazaccio & Drowilal.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Junkyard Diving

with Philippe Malouin

"Form follows function" is an expression attributed to the modernist architect Louis Sullivan. It is a statement that is quite relevant to industrial design. On the other hand, form can sometimes also determine function in a process of reverse exploration. During the workshop with Philippe Malouin, students were encouraged to look for new functions inspired by forms found in a metal recycling center. In this process, random discoveries and associations were made to generate a new and surprising vocabulary of forms.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Alternative Measuring Tools

with Manuel Krebs (NORM)

Measuring, it seems, is one of the dominant concerns of modern society. We measure ourselves, our weight, our height, our temperature, from head to toe, from collar size to shoe size. We measure what is around us, from tiny to incredibly large. We measure time (from seconds to lifetimes), we measure the familiar (length, weight, volume) and the unusual (sound, radiation, voltage), we have measurement systems for everyday life and for experts. For this workshop, the students of the Bachelor Industrial Design have developed alternative measuring devices.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Failure

with Mårten Lange

Failure is necessary and is part of the artistic development that is articulated by risk taking, luck, ambition, fear and freedom. The aim of the workshop was to successfully photograph, edit and sequence a series of images on the topic of failure. The final results are presented in various forms: editions, simple prints or more complex hangings and videos.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Indecisive Moment

with Jaya Pelupessy

At a time when the distribution of images is lightning-fast and virtually infinite, and the distinction between the original and the copy often seems irrelevant, what is left? In this workshop the students were asked to partake in an experiment dissecting and illuminating various aspects of the image and reinterpreting its meaning. Using different reproduction techniques and methods of appropriation, students reflected on the origin and status of the image.

FINE ARTS

Workshop Attila Faravelli

TYPE DESIGN

Excerpts from Master Type Design theses

with Anniina Koivu, Roland Früh, Wayne Daly

PRODUCT DESIGN

Excerpts from Master Product Design theses

with Anniina Koivu

AUTHOR: Adam Huxley-Khng TITLE: ON in the absence of OFF On and off – at the flick of a switch, or the touch of a button. We are able to switch between the states of being of an object without thought, rarely questioning what makes an object ‘on’. Is it the presence of electric power? A sense of agency, or animism? What if on-ness is a state of being reflected by the cultural, rather than technological, capacity of an object – the embodiment of a moment of possibility? ----- AUTHOR: Alessandro Simone TITLE: What is next? SUBTITLE: The evolution of mountaineering and human limits This research examines the mountain landscape in the context of the evolution of mountaineering. Starting from the activity’s origin, the research investigates the shifts in technology, mindset, and limits that enabled the transformation of a destination for challenging expeditions into a place for second homes and weekend enthusiasts. How were humans able to overcome their limits, and what were the motivations for this drive? Products and objects played an essential role in guiding the story of mountaineering from the old ages to nowadays, making the user and his/her experience safer, but subsequently opening this terrain to mass tourism. This research retraces historical events and technical innovations to better understand mountaineering’s evolution, imagining a possible approach to this form of high-altitude tourism for the future. ----- AUTHOR: Alexander Schul TITLE: Visual language of sustainable design Different “sustainable” design proposals have been made in the past decades: from (literally) green looking objects, to normal looking ones, to objects whose visual language speaks to sustainability in their own individual way. In this research, I analyse a few examples in regards to the way the visual language of sustainable products has been approached in the past, what sustainable design looks like today, as well as what it will look like in the near future. The essay is led by the question “How does a sustainable approach to an object influence its visual language?” ----- AUTHOR: Charlotta Åman TITLE: Waste matters SUBTITLE: Valorising secondary products for a resourceful future Throughout history, humans have been expert in utilising every element of a given re­source. The heritage of husbandry has been car­ried from generation to generation – until today. Now, we are more disconnected than ever from original assets. In present manufacturing processes, secondary matter from production is often considered as waste rather than as a resource – an unfortunate conclusion as we are running out of raw materials and landfills grow. What does it entail to fully utilise a resource by valorising its secondary products, and how does it relate to the practice of a designer? The loose connections in manufacturing chains provide an opportunity to re-think: by considering the source, the scale and the system, design can be used as a tool for transition. ----- AUTHOR: Grace, Ka Yin Cheung TITLE: Japanese miniature culture: netsuke and gachapon SUBTITLE: Why are we so fascinated with small things? Miniatures are smaller than a normal objects, and include small replicas or models. Miniatures are present in different cultures all over the world and throughout time. The miniaturisation of mundane objects is recurrent, and has been an integral part of the memory of a culture. Among the different international miniature cultures, Japan has one of the most distinctive and apparent spirits of miniaturisation. To understand why people are so fascinated with miniatures, this research looks for the answers by delving into the miniature culture of netsuke and gachapon in Japan. ----- AUTHOR: Hsin Hung Chou TITLE: Unpack flat-pack SUBTITLE: The value of ready-to-assemble furniture This research studies flat-packing from its origins in the mid-19th century to its contemporary form as one of the prevailing typologies of the global furniture industry. Guiding questions have been: If the objective is to design and produce products from a logistical and sustainable point of view, is there any other solution to knock-down furniture? Does furniture lose its aesthetic and value in the process of being flat-packed? If the future is flat, could we make it better? ----- AUTHOR: Jimin Jeon TITLE: Soft, small and far, far away SUBTITLE: Our understanding of software Fire is the first profound tool in human history that cannot be grasped with the naked hand. Fire was considered a mysterious or religious thing – a gift from God, or punishment. But it was also an essential tool for human evolution. Today, we have found another tool surrounded by mystery and misunderstandings: software. It doesn’t smell, make noise, or come in any fixed form. It just occasionally flickers through a screen. This new tool takes us to another world, beyond physical limitations, that no caveman could have imagined. But, first, we need to understand the nature of software in relation to hardware – that is, the tools we are already familiar with. ----- AUTHOR: Jisan Chung TITLE: Assemblage in design Assemblage is mainly considered an artistic technique. However, by reviewing works of various designers, we can see that the same technique has been used in the field of design, too. This study aims to examine the characteristics and the meaning of “assemblage design” and its potential. Assemblage can trigger innovate manufacturing processes and create its very own aesthetic. ----- AUTHOR: Jonas Villiger TITLE: About repairability SUBTITLE: Rules, incentives and approaches to keeping things in circulation We want our products to be durable. And, if they break or become outdated, they should be repairable and upgradeable, too. It can be a very satisfying feeling to make something work again, or to make it work even better than it did before. Unfortunately, the industry does not make this easy for consumers. Not being able to intervene when something goes wrong with an object, consumers end up simply buying new things. However, giving a device an extended lifespan keeps us from wasting valuable resources. Starting from recent legislation and public movements that call for the right to repair, this research questions the role of designers within these changing circumstances. ----- AUTHOR: Julian Ribler TITLE: The Factory SUBTITLE: An investigation into modern design principles The Modernist movement promoted the appreciation of the advancements of industry. Modernism went on to integrate industrial advancement as part of the fundamentals of the movement as a whole. The principle of applying an engineer’s perspective was thought to inform the practice of designers and architects. Exploring modern factory environments and investigating the advancements in manufacturing technology today can help us revise these principles and examine the changing factory context. ----- AUTHOR: Kwan Ming Sum TITLE: Stagnation and innovation in the wheelchair industry A wheelchair is an essential tool for people with mobility issues to perform everyday tasks and achieve social participation. Unfortunately, modern manual wheelchairs hardly satisfy the emerging need of a well-resolved wheelchair design. A fundamental shift in understanding of today’s needs and innovation in this field are urgently required. Given the growth of the aging population, a rethink of wheelchair design is critical. Through conducting several interviews with different stakeholders, including wheelchair users, producers, and designers, this research aims to investigate the underlying reasons behind the stagnation in the wheelchair industry, and looks at how that might change. ----- AUTHOR: Maxwell Ashford TITLE: Fractions SUBTITLE: Cost-effective recycling A fraction is the result of any recycling process. It refers to the amount of materials from an object that can be recycled cost effectively, and is used broadly across the recycling industry. Objects are by standard practises designed independently from any end-of-life system and inevitably, the result is that objects cannot be effectively recycled. Historically, there has been little incentive for producers, and thus designers, to deal with the death or disposal of objects. But this is due to change, as incoming legislation from the EU will force producers to use recycled materials and create more recyclable objects. In turn, this demand will affect designers. So how can we work to create more sustainable goods? ----- AUTHOR: Nadav Goldenberg TITLE: Empire State of Play SUBTITLE: Playground design in the urban environment How did the design of playgrounds evolve throughout history? And how does the urban environment play a part in their evolution? To answer these questions, I look at New York City. Here, we see a dense urban space for play development, with a long history of constant shifts in play ideals, safety regulations and the pioneering of playground design. ----- AUTHOR: Oscar Kwong TITLE: Comfort and the curve The curve exists in all ranges of expression, from the flamboyant to the modest. In the past decade there have been multiple studies that have set out to confirm our instinctual desires for the curvaceous shape, proving in every measurable scenario that humans prefer the round compared to the rectilinear. This intuitive response to the curve has been hard-wired as part of our evolutionary bias. The relationship that connects comfort and the curve will be the premise of this essay: from the buildings of Sanaa that employs the familiar curve, as a reminder of our connection with nature; to trace the postures supported by the comfy lounge and its intimate bond with the human body; to the conforming contours of everyday objects. ----- AUTHOR: Silvio Rebholz TITLE: TV studio sets SUBTITLE: A space for reality and fiction TV studio sets are spatial constructions in which TV formats such as news, talk shows or game shows are produced. On these sets, hosts interact with guests, newsreaders broadcast informa­tion and hosts entertain – always with the intention of reproducing the scene on screens. Focusing on the designs of TV studio sets, it is striking how unusually shaped they are. Elaborately sweeping curves of sofas; LEDs highlighting the edges of a desk. Remarkably, these and other exceptional elements aren’t isolated cases, but repeat across shows, broadcast genres and national borders. Their similarities suggest that it’s about more than free formal expression. What are the parameters for consideration in a “good” TV studio set? How did this unique style develop? ----- AUTHOR: Thomas Manil TITLE: The typology of coins This research project explores the history, production and formal language of coins. They are part of our lives and accompany our daily gestures. We give them, we receive them, we pocket them, or we place them carefully in a wallet. We have the impression that we know them very well, and yet, we have a hard time describing them with precision. It is an integral part of the country’s identity and embodies the link between art, design and technology. In a society that is gradually seeking to dematerialise money, the coin deserves special attention. ----- AUTHOR: Till Ronacher TITLE: The robotic arm Industrial robots have been involved in the manufacturing of products since the 1960s. But over the last decades, industrial robots have been moving out of the factories into new contexts such as architecture and design. Now, in some experimental contexts, digital fabrication is explored with the help of industrial robots. In such laboratories, the cooperation between humans and industrial robots is being investigated and applied in a design context, within which new forms and transformative design processes emerge. In this thesis, I examine some of these developments with regards to the possibilities of their integration into the design process. ----- AUTHOR: Trolle Rudebeck TITLE: A writing and drawing instrument In the age of typing, scrolling and audio-recording, cursive writing might seem endangered, particularly among younger generations. As handwriting has become more and more obsolete, it has come to be considered as a poetic or romantic act rather than a fundamental tool. Looking back to ancient civilizations and their instruments for drawing and writing, the pen’s stick-like shape has remained surprisingly constant. By looking to the past, could we predict the future of the pen?