la Becque
ECAL & EXECAL Residence

About

Located on the shores of Leman Lake between Vevey and Montreux, close to all the cultural and natural poles of Switzerland, La Becque | Résidence d'artistes hosts artists from all cultural and artistic backgrounds. The exceptional living environment, conducive to reflection and creation, allows the realization of their artistic project, whether it is in a stage of research or production.

La Becque's vast garden houses eight artists' apartments, four additional studios, a model workshop available to its residents, a library, a conference and event space, rooms to facilitate short-term stays, and numerous common spaces - not to mention unparalleled access to Leman Lake itself.

La Becque pays particular attention to artistic projects that explore themes related to nature, the environment and technology, notions of our contemporaneity that are increasingly inescapable and inseparable. These themes have a particular urgency and feed into all disciplines of the art field - and artists are among the most capable of finding alternatives, both in our relationship with technology and with nature.

1/3

ECAL Residence

As part of their partnership, the ECAL/Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne and La Becque | Artist Residency have set up the "ECAL Residencies at La Becque". These residencies offer the opportunity to an international guest artist to carry out a personal project at La Becque while teaching at ECAL for a semester.

1/4

2024-2025 Laureates

Sabrina Tarasoff

Born in Finland in 1991, is a writer and art critic based in Paris. Her writings have appeared in numerous prestigious publications such as Art Forum, Los Angeles Review of Books, X-TRA Contemporary Art Journal, and C Magazine. Her essays on theoretical criticism, literature and visual culture have also appeared in the catalogs and books of Inventory Press, American Art Catalogues, and Semiotext(e). Tarasoff's area of research focuses on the cultural milieu of Los Angeles in the 1980s, and was presented at the Hammer Museum Biennial in 2020, a version; a book entitled “Fantasyworld” containing his writings is currently in development. Tarasoff is also the editor of poet Bob Flanagan's first anthology “Fun To Be Dead: The Poems of Bob Flanagan”, published by Kristina Kite Gallery and Pep Talk.

2023-2024 Laureates

Philippe Malouin

Based in London, Philippe Malouin is a British-Canadian product designer and interior architect born in 1982. A graduate of the Design Academy in Eindhoven, he also studied at the École nationale supérieure de création industrielle in Paris and at the Université de Montréal. In his practice, Malouin celebrates geometric shapes, natural materials, imperfections and contrasts, creating avant-garde objects that have won him numerous awards, including Designer of the Future from W Hotels and Best Use of Material from Wallpaper. He is particularly renowned for creating art objects, installations and furniture such as tables, rugs, chairs and lights.

Alejo Moguillansky

Born in 1978, Alejo Moguillansky is an Argentinian director, producer, screenwriter and editor whose films have been shown at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlinale, the Locarno Film Festival and the Viennale, among others, and have been the subject of numerous retrospectives. Co-founder of the production company El Pampero Cine and programmer for the VECINE festival, Moguillansky also teaches cinema at the Universidad del Cine and the Universidad Di Tella in Buenos Aires, where he is also a member of the Revista de Cine. Alejo Moguillansky’s teaching semester at the Cinema Department of the Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) will include a workshop on the process of directorial research, as a generator of new possible forms for cinematographic creation.

2022-2023 Laureates

Brian Roettinger

As a partners at Perron–Roettinger, designer Brian Roettinger has worked on creative projects with some of the world’s biggest brands and musicians. Roettinger’s work is an uncanny union of punk ideology with a conceptually driven mode of modernist design. He frequently employs architectural strategies such as repetition and structure, while subverting this sense of order by manipulating the production process in unexpected or “wrong” ways (think pulling the sheet out of the printer before it is done). He continues to work with a wide variety of artists and brands taking an holistic approach to the design process from idea to completion. His work is diverse spanning album packaging, publications, branding, campaigns, and product design. He has been nominated for numerous awards included three Art Direction Grammy’s for album packaging.

Yehwan Song

Yehwan Song, born in 1995, is a Korean-born artist, graphic designer, and web developer. She designs and develops experimental websites and interactive graphics driven by content structure instead of static templates and web design conventions. Through her projects, she tries to flip the general understanding of web design and subvert common user-experience behaviors, which oversimplify users' behavior. She pursues diversity above consistency and efficiency. Her ongoing project, Anti User-friendly, challenges the concept of user- friendliness by creating a situation in which users need to learn, explore, understand and become conscious before they can use it, instead of repeating the same behavior they've been trained to do, as a form of self- care.

Irene Vlachou

Irene Vlachou, born in 1981, is based in Athens, Greece. She gained her Masters in type design at the University of Reading in 2004. She subsequently started to collaborate with international type foundries and corporations, working as a type designer and as a Greek type consultant. In 2012, she released Colvert Greek with typographies.fr. From 2013 to 2019, she was a senior designer and variable font expert at Type-Together. She has been participating since 2017 in the Google Summer of Code on behalf of the Greek Open Source Community (GFOSS), as a mentor on the expansion of Greek libre fonts. She is currently working full time freelancing Greek and variable font for retail and OEM/System fonts. In 2017, in collaboration with Laurenz Brunner, she designed the Greek counterpart of the Documenta14 exhibition’s identity font, Bradford Greek. She launched FauxFoundry (2019), together with Laurence Penney, a webfont service using variable font technology that provides automatic fallback fonts when the main font lacks characters. She is a guest lecturer for the MA in Type Design and the BA in Graphic Design at ECAL.

previous laureates

Natsuko Uchino

Natsuko Uchino was born in 1983 in Kumamoto, Japan. She lives and works in the south of France. She graduated from The Cooper Union, New York in 2007 and the research program of the Center for Contemporary Art Kitakyushu, Japan in 2012. Natsuko Uchino is an artist whose practice is defined by experiments in agriculture and crafts. She combines these disciplines by re-evaluating production techniques through collaboration, conviviality and exchange. Natsuko Uchino develops a transversal practice ranging from art to ecology. Her installations and performances combine the multiple materials of sculpture, image, functional object and the living. She has taught in the framework of the Master in Visual Arts at ECAL with Matthew Lutz-Kinoy.

Matthew Lutz-Kinoy

Born in 1984 in New York (United States), Matthew Lutz-Kinoy lives and works in Los Angeles (United States) and Paris (France). Working across various mediums including sculpture, printmaking, ceramics and painting, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy’s allegiance is not fixed to a single medium but depends on their shared developments in form and a simultaneity in practice. He was a guest lecturer for the MA in Fine Arts at ECAL with Natsuko Uchino.

Wataru Kumano

Wataru Kumano is a Japanese product designer. After studying at Aalto University (FI), Kumano worked for Jasper Morrison’s Tokyo-based studio. He has now founded his own design office « kumano ». In 2021, he was nominated Associate Professor at Musashino Art University. His simple and functional designs are inspired by Finnish woodworking techniques as well as traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Kumano will be a guest lecturer in the Bachelor Industrial Design and Master Product Design throughout the spring semester 2021. For his residency project, he will examine the Swiss and Japanese artisanal woodwork techniques to conceptualise new shapes, at the intersection of nature, tradition and daily convenience.

Danielle Lessovitz

Danielle Lessovitz, screenwriter and film director based in Brooklyn (New York), has been invited to teach in the Cinema department of ECAL for the fall semester 2020-2021. She will simultaneously work on her future film projects. Her practice varies between filmmaking and artistic or video installations. Her projects typically focus on marginalized communities and she often stars non-professional actors.

Mario de Vega

Mario de Vega, sound artist from Mexico City currently based in Berlin, was the second ECAL Resident at La Becque, from October 2019 to February 2020. Sonority, presence and invisibility are the starting points of his artistic work and research. He taught in the BA and MA Fine Arts as well as in the BA Media & Interaction Design.

Mitch Paone et Meg Donohoe

Mitch Paone, partner and creative director at renowned Brooklyn-based creative design agency DIA Studio. Specialized in kinetic identity systems, graphic design and typography, Mitch Paone spent four months at La Becque developing his own research project while guest lecturing during the entire spring semester at ECAL, in the Bachelor Graphic Design and Master Type Design programmes.

Simone C. Niquille

Simone C. Niquille, Swiss designer and researcher based in Amsterdam, joined us from February to July 2020, in collaboration with François Zajéga, a software artist living in Brussels. Simone C. Niquille's practice, Technoflesh, investigates the representation of identity & the digitisation of biomass in the networked space of appearance. She taught in the MA Photography and BA Media & Interaction Design, as well as participate in the research project Automated Photography. François Zajéga started his carrier as a designer and web-developer in the early 2000. He later joined the numediart institute, a research lab from to the University of Mons (BE), as a specialist in image processing and human/machine interaction. In the same time, he started to exhibits his work across Europe in festival and galleries. Highly involved in libre software and libre culture, he’s teaching programming for art and videogames in several schools.

François Zajéga

François Zajéga started his carrier as a designer and web-developer in the early 2000. He later joined the numediart institute, a research lab from to the University of Mons (BE), as a specialist in image processing and human/machine interaction. In the same time, he started to exhibits his work across Europe in festival and galleries. Highly involved in libre software and libre culture, he’s teaching programming for art and videogames in several schools.

EXECAL Residence

As part of their partnership, the ECAL/Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne and La Becque | Artist Residency have set up the "EXECAL Residencies at La Becque". They offer the opportunity to ECAL alumni to benefit from a month long residency in July and September of each year, with the aim of developing a project related to their practice.

The EXECAL Residence at La Becque programme aims to encourage the development of projects and the excellence of young artists in art and design. During the summer of 2025, the EXECAL Residency at La Becque will offer two former ECAL students the opportunity to spend four weeks each developing a project in an exceptional creative environment, including accommodation, travel expenses and a grant.

The jury is composed of Catherine Othenin-Girard (Cultural Commission of Leenaards Foundation), Luc Meier (Director, La Becque) and Alexis Georgacopoulos (Director, ECAL).

1/6

2024 laureates

HUGO HECTUS

Hanna Rochereau

previous laureates

VIRGINIA ARIU

JOHANNA HULLÁR

RANI YASMINE PUTRI & DAVID LOY

Emmanuel Crivelli

Marie Cornil

Romain Cazier

Mélanie Courtinat

Iskander Guetta

Caterina De Nicola

Charles-Antoine Chappuis

Julien Mercier

Matheline Marmy

Aladin Borioli

Iris Andreadis

Pauline Lemberger

Thomas Grogan

EXECAL RESIDENCE APPLICATION

The EXECAL Residence programme includes

• Compensation for travel costs of CHF 800.00 (including return travel to and from Switzerland);
• A prize of CHF 1500.00 for the duration of the residency (4 weeks);
• Accommodation and workspace;
• Access to the spaces and infrastructures of La Becque;
• Advice and mentorship from the team of La Becque;
• Possible participation in events within the framework of ECAL and La Becque programmes;
• Promotion of the projects resulting from the residency on the communication platforms of ECAL and La Becque.

Hence, the EXECAL Residency Programme at La Becque offers selected residents the opportunity to live and work on the unique site of La Becque for one of the above-mentioned periods. Residents are allocated a flat (live-work space) for the duration of their stay. Each flat is approximately 80m2 in size and has a fully equipped kitchen, a washing machine, a dryer, a separate bedroom and a large, flexible main space of approximately 40m2. Each flat has a terrace facing Lake Geneva and free access to the wild garden of La Becque. A model workshop, a library and a conference and event space are also available.

Responsibilities of selected EXECAL Residents:

• Potential administrative procedures allowing the stay in Switzerland (visa, etc.);
• Obtaining the various insurances required (health, accident, travel, etc.);
• Agreement and respect of the rules related to the spaces of La Becque and the framework given by the EXECAL Residence programme in La Becque;
• Planning and production of content, related to the residency project, including documentation of the project for communication purposes and end-of-residency report;
• Involvement in any eventual activities organised within the framework of La Becque and the EXECAL Residence in La Becque.
• Availability of at least half a day during the residency period dedicated to the documentation of a testimony on the residency project and its development. 

The following documents are required for the evaluation of applications, please send them as a single PDF file (in English or French)

• Concept note on the residence project:
  A brief concept note (approx. 500 words) on the project, whether it is at a research or production stage, that you would like to carry out at La Becque as part of the EXECAL residence and why this project would benefit from being developed specifically at La Becque. Please note that La Becque "(...) pays particular attention to artistic projects exploring themes related to nature, the environment and technology, notions of our contemporaneity that are increasingly unavoidable and inseparable. With particular urgency, these themes feed into all disciplines of the art field - and artists are among the most capable of identifying alternatives, both in our relationship with technology and in our relationship with nature."
• Biography:
  A short professional biography (approx. 300 words).
• Text on your practice:
  Describe the concepts behind your projects in a text that helps the jury understand the themes and intentions behind your practice (approx. 300 words).
• Selection of 5 recent projects:
  A selection of five images/videos/recordings/etc. from your recent work with a description. The videos/recordings must be uploaded to Youtube or Vimeo. Please include any links and passwords to access them.
• Copy of your ECAL diploma:
  A copy of your diploma certificate (BA, MA or MAS) from ECAL. Please note that all candidates must have graduated from ECAL and have finished their studies at least 3 years before the start of the residency programme at La Becque in summer 2025 (i.e. candidates must have graduated in 2022 at the latest. Students graduating in 2023 and 2024 are not eligible to apply).

The candidate must

• Submit their application until Friday 24th January, 2025 at 23:59 CET through the following form: link to the form
• Assemble all documents in a single PDF file not exceeding 10 MB.
• Name the file as follows:
  EXECAL Residence at La Becque 2025_SurnameFirstname.pdf

Successful candidates will be informed by email by the end of February 2025. Unsuccessful candidates will also be informed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Artists Residency | La Becque?

Located on the shores of Leman Lake between Vevey and Montreux, close to all of Switzerland's cultural and natural attractions, La Becque | Artist Residency welcomes creators from all cultural and artistic backgrounds to its site. They benefit from an exceptional creative environment, conducive to in-depth research and to the realisation of the artistic project for which they have been selected, whether it is a research or production phase. The large wild garden of La Becque houses eight artists' flats, four additional studios, a model workshop available to all residents, a library, a conference and event space, rooms to facilitate short-term stays, and numerous common areas - not to mention unparalleled access to Leman Lake itself.

La Becque Website

What is the EXECAL Residence programme at La Becque?

The EXECAL Residence at La Becque is the result of a partnership between ECAL/Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne and La Becque and aims to encourage the development of projects and the excellence of young people in art and design. During the summer, the EXECAL Residency at La Becque will offer former ECAL students the opportunity to participate in a four-week residence to develop all or part of a project while benefiting from the unique facilities of the artists' residency, including accommodation, travel expenses and a grant.

How can I participate in the EXECAL Residence programme at La Becque?

By submitting your application. The 2025 EXECAL Residencies at La Becque are subject to an open call for applications until January 24th, 2025.

Who can apply for the EXECAL Residence at La Becque?

The call for applications is open to all ECAL alumni, from all disciplines, as long as they have graduated at least three years before the start of the EXECAL Residence period at La Becque in summer 2025.

Candidates must have graduated in 2022 at the latest. Students graduating in 2023 and 2024 are not eligible to apply.

The EXECAL Residence at La Becque programme is aimed at both emerging artists and established practitioners. However, applicants must have professional status in their field and have ambitions to develop their practice.

 

Are there any other residency programmes within La Becque?

Yes, La Becque has its own Principal Residency Program as well as other residency programmes in partnership (with Pro Helvetia for example). The application criteria and rules and the application form for the EXECAL Residency Programme are only valid for this one.

How long is an EXECAL Residency?

The EXECAL Residence Programme offers two residencies, each lasting 4 weeks. The length of a residency is set. At the time of application, candidates must choose the residency period that suits them to participate in the EXECAL Residency Program at La Becque:

- June 30th - July 31st 
- September 1st - September 26th 

Can I postpone my residence?

No. For organisational reasons, ECAL and La Becque cannot offer to postpone the EXECAL Residences that have been allocated.

Can duos, groups or collectives apply for a residency?

Yes, but it is important to remember that EXECAL Residences are awarded for a specific project. Whatever the applicant's constitution (individual or collective), the resources made available remain the same (see "what the EXECAL Residency programme includes"). Collective applications must therefore take into consideration the sharing of these resources.

What is expected from a resident?

Residents will be contractually bound to respect the code of conduct of La Becque and the framework of the EXECAL Residence. They are encouraged to interact with other residents, as well as with the contacts relevant to their project that ECAL and La Becque will provide. La Becque team will conduct simple interviews with the residents at regular intervals to ensure the progress of their project. Residents will also be required to document their project and provide a residency report upon completion. Before starting their residency, residents will organise their travel and any visas required for their stay, in consultation with ECAL and La Becque. They should also ensure that they have valid health and accident insurance covering their stay in Switzerland.

Can I bring my family with me?

Yes, partners and/or children are allowed to live with the residents during their stay. However, we remind you that the resources available to residents are the same whether they come alone or accompanied. La Becque does not offer any specific accompaniment or activities for the children of the residents.

What language(s) is/are spoken at La Becque?

The languages generally spoken at La Becque are English and French. A good command of English is essential to communicate well with the La Becque team and with other residents during the stay. French is a plus as it will enable residents to understand and explore their immediate environment, but it is not a requirement.

What does a residence cost me?

All costs outside of those covered by the EXECAL Residence in La Becque are at the resident's expense. Please note that the EXECAL Residence offers accommodation and working space in La Becque for 4 weeks, travel expenses up to CHF 800.00 and a prize of CHF 1,500.00, helping the resident to cover daily expenses, transport and possible production costs.

How is my application reviewed?

Applications are first examined to ensure that they meet the application criteria and rules. Applications that meet these requirements are then examined by a jury composed of three members from ECAL, La Becque and the EXECAL association. It should be noted that the decisions of the jury cannot be contested. Any appeal against ECAL or La Becque is excluded. All candidates will be informed by email by the end of February 2025.