ECAL MASTERS PORTFOLIO REVIEWS,19–27.02.2026,Online Event on registration intended for prospective Master s candidates who wish to receive feedback on their portfolio by a faculty member or an assistant from their chosen program. Future Master s candidates have the opportunity to present their portfolio during individual online appointments from February 17 to 29, 2026. PROCEDURE Each individual session takes place online via Zoom, in English or French. It lasts a maximum of 20 minutes. Prepare yourself accordingly with a short PDF presenting your portfolio. For each Master, 15-19 slots are available, between 8.35am and 5.10pm, on a first come, first served basis. You are authorised to register for ONLY ONE TIME SLOT. If the slot is not clickable, it means that it has already been booked. REGISTRATIONS (Doodle forms), Registration deadline : Monday 9 February Thursday 19 + Friday 20 February 2026 > Master Type Design Monday 23 February 2026 > Master Fine Arts Tuesday 24 February 2026 > MAS in Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship Wednesday 25 + Thursday 26 February 2026 > Master Product Design Wednesday 25 + Friday 27 February 2026 > Master Digital Experience Design Thursday 26 + Friday 27 February 2026 > Master Photography You will receive a confirmation email a few days before the event with more information and the Zoom linkDATES AND SCHEDULES19–27.02.2026 9.00am-4.15pm (Swiss Time) On registrationVENUEOnline, ZoomINFORMATIONFor specific questions, please contact rsvp@ecal.ch
ECAL at Art Genève,29.01–01.02.2026,Palexpo, Geneva On the occasion of Art Genève s 2026 edition, 2016 takes the form of an installation conceived by students of the ECAL Master in Visual Arts during a workshop led by artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. Created during a workshop led by artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, the 2016 installation unfolds like a mirrored space, both retrospective and projective, developed from traces and narratives from the ECAL Master Fine Arts. Conceived as the horizontal plane of a liberated time – an ellipse, a documentary fiction, a collective landscape – 2016 questions the relationships between time, images and things, leaving everyone free to define what belongs to an era. Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster lives and works in Paris. A figure on the international art scene, she has participated in the Venice Biennale, dOCUMENTA, and created TH.2058 at Tate Modern. Her work, often experimental, explores the sensitive relationships between bodies and real or fictional spaces.DATES AND SCHEDULES29.01–01.02.2026VENUEPalexpo, GenèveWEBSITEartgenève.chOPENINGWednesday, January 28, 2026, 2-9 pm by invitationSTUDENTSRoberta Argenta, Hugo Baud, Mykola Churmantaiev, Oana Cuozzo, Paul de Grossouvre, Zora Decherf, Axel Gradito, Martin Herengt, Asia Lapai, Charly Mirambeau, Jana Mosconi, Ogulniyaz Muhammetgulyyeva, Matteo Pizzolante, Matthias Reclus, Fotima SharipovaINVITED ARTISTDominique Gonzalez-FoersterHEAD OF PROGRAMME
ECAL at Solothurn Film Festival 2026,21–28.01.2026,Solothurn From January 23 to 25, four Bachelor Media & Interaction Design diploma projects will be featured in the immersive section of the 2026 Solothurn Film Festival. The 61st Solothurn Film Festival showcases four interactive projects from the Bachelor Media & Interaction Design, challenging how we perceive stories, space, and our digital lives. In UnBubble, lets a robot explore a user s Instagram activity, questioning how our digital traces construct a fragmented image of ourselves — one that is then used to guide our choices, desires, and attention. s Vulcan takes visitors into volcanic landscapes, contrasting the close-up work of a volcanologist with the fascination of the immensity of natural forces. ESC, by , explores the tension between control and constraint in virtual worlds, while What Lies Behind, by , shifts perspectives in VR to navigate between the immense and the minuscule. The festival also screens Always Wanted To Be God, Never Wanted to Do Good by Photography Bachelor alumni and Noa Epars, winners of the Award for Best Swiss Film 2025, presented by SUISSIMAGE and SSA (Société Suisse des Auteurs).VENUESolothurn, SwitzerlandDATESFrom 23 to 25 January, 2026HEAD OF PROGRAMMEWEBSITEsolothurnerfilmtage.chÉTUDIANT·E·S · · ·
Beyond The Screen – 2025 Beyond the screen - is a series of interactive machines developed by students in their first year of Bachelor Media & Interaction Design. These systems are inspired by the relationship between instructions and execution within a computer system. These machines create text through a modular typographic system.
In Loving Memory of Milo Keller (1979–2025) Milo Keller, photographer, teacher and researcher, a leading figure in contemporary photography in Switzerland and a recognised player on the international art scene, has passed away. His death deeply affects ECAL, where he played an essential role for nearly two decades, as well as all those with whom he shared his vision, his thoughts and his commitment. Born in 1979 in Lugano, Milo Keller obtained his Bachelor s degree in Photography at ECAL in 2005, which he complemented with a Postgraduate Diploma in Photography in 2007. An internationally renowned artist, he has had a rich and demanding career, marked by numerous publications and collaborations in the fields of architecture, design and fashion, notably for Wallpaper, Numéro, Vogue and L Officiel, as well as with fashion houses such as Balenciaga, Vitra and Moncler. His rigorous and open artistic practice has always been nourished by a constant dialogue with the transformations of the photographic medium. Alongside his work as an artist, Milo Keller has been committed with great vigour and remarkable generosity to teaching at ECAL since 2007. He has headed the Photography Department since 2012 and in 2016 founded the Master s programme in Photography, which he has developed as an international space for critical reflection, research and visual experimentation. Through research projects such as Automated Photography, Augmented Photography and, more recently, Soft Photography – a project scheduled for development in 2026 – he has thoroughly examined the changes in contemporary photography, exploring the relationships between technologies, uses, materialities and sensibilities in the production and circulation of images. Milo Keller conceived of this research as a genuine educational space, inviting students to become critical actors in contemporary imagery. Deeply committed to transmission, he saw pedagogy as a field of dialogue and mutual learning. Convinced that teaching is a living process, he often reminded us that ‘we always learn a great deal from our students. His approach, both demanding and benevolent, left a lasting impression and helped to shape a community based on exchange, curiosity and openness. Until his final days, Milo Keller remained attentive to the life of the school and the projects of its students, demonstrating his unwavering commitment and passion for photography and its challenges. ECAL extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and students. We express our profound gratitude to Milo for his unwavering commitment, his pedagogical acumen, and his invaluable contribution to the school. His artistic, intellectual, and human legacy will continue to inspire future generations. Thank you, Milo.
Welcome 2026! Artist Louisa Gagliardi presents the 2025 greetings for ECAL with Aphrodisiacs (for 2026), a work that blends digital imagery and tactile materials. Louisa Gagliardi lives and works in Zurich. A graduate of ECAL, she creates paintings from digital images printed on PVC, a material whose gloss evokes the light of a screen. On these surfaces, she applies gels, varnishes, glitter, or latex, giving her works an iridescent depth and an almost virtual presence. Between illusion and materiality, her compositions reinvent social scenes marked by ambiguity and strangeness, revealing the tension between reality and artifice characteristic of our connected era. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries from Seoul to New York and across Europe. Her pieces are included in prestigious international collections, including the Banque Pictet Collection and MAMCO in Geneva, FRAC Normandie, Fondazione Sandra e Giancarlo Bonollo in Thiene, Kistefos Museum in Norway, and TANK in Shanghai. @louisagagliardi louisagagliardi.com
ECAL XMAS MARKET 2025,17.12.2025,ECAL, Renens The ECAL XMas Market is back to light up your festive season, Wednesday 17 December from 6pm to 9pm at ECAL. The ECAL Xmas Market is back! Join us on Wednesday, 17 December, from 6pm to 9pm at ECAL for an evening of design and festive cheer. It s the perfect opportunity to support ECAL talent and find original gifts with a unique touch. You ll discover work from our students and graduates including posters, jewelry, editions, objects, photographs, silkscreens, calendars, confectionery, clothing and accessories. A panoply of unique pieces to offer or to treat yourself to! This year also features a special pop-up presentation of HOMEWORKS, a limited collection designed by students from the Bachelor of Industrial Design in collaboration with the Swiss brand Micasa. Sixteen designers have developed smart, minimalist and characterful pieces for contemporary living from which a selection will be available on site. Extend the fun by booking your place now at our Christmas dinner table to share a fondue in a festive and musical atmosphere.DATES & SCHEDULE17.12.2025 6-9pmVENUEECAL Avenue du Temple 5 1020 RenensXMAS TABLEFondue registration form CHF 22.-/per person
100 BESTE PLAKATE 24,17.12.2025–15.01.2026,Gallery l elac, ECAL From December 17, 2025, to January 15, 2026, come and see the 100 most beautiful posters of 2024 from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland at ECAL. This exhibition, organized by 100 Beste Plakate, showcases the award-winning designs from the 2024 competition. Opening, Wednesday December 17 at 6 pm. VENUEGallery l elac ECAL/Ecole cantonale d art de Lausanne Avenue du Temple 5 1020 RenensDATE & SCHEDULESDecember 17 – January 15, 2026 Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm Free entryOPENINGWednesday, December 17, 2025, 6pmWEBSITE100-beste-plakate.deThe 100 Best Posters Germany Austria Switzerland competition is held annually and serves to document and disseminate exemplary achievements in poster design from the three participating countries. Through its yearbook and a series of exhibitions, it provides a curated overview of current design practices and visual communication trends. Now in its 23nd international iteration, the competition has established itself as a significant reference point within contemporary poster design. Every year, numerous graphic designers, students at art academies and universities, as well as agencies, studios, and printing companies participate in the competition. In the current edition, 711 entrants submitted a total of 1,498 works – including 1,103 individual posters and 395 series containing 1,406 posters – resulting in an overall total of 2,509 posters. Jury Adeline Mollard, CH–Zurich Anouk Rehorek, AUT–Wien Prof. Hans Günter Schmitz, D–Wuppertal Prof. Stephanie Specht, BE–Antwerp Jonas Wandeler, CH–Zurich Winning ECAL Alumni Federico Barbon chez Federico Barbon Studio Nicolas Bernklau Alix Debraine & Martial Grin Aude Gunzinger Raphaela Häfliger Robert Huber Aurore Huberty chez Shelf & File Guy Meldem, Julien Tavelli, Daniel Haettenschwiller & David Keshavjee chez Maximage Chi-Binh Trieu & Chi-Long Trieu chez Office for Typography Jonas Zesiger David Zwicker
COUNTDOWN – 2025 The students worked on an interactive countdown in a web environment. Each day, they were tasked with creating a new sketch, culminating in their own collection, which could also be combined with projects from the entire class.
Jan Michalski Foundation Grants 2025 The Jan Michalski Foundation and ECAL highlight the most outstanding Bachelor final-year thesis projects. On 9 December 2025, the Jan Michalski Foundation for Writing and Literature proudly highlighted its ongoing commitment to nurturing creative talent. Located in Montricher, Switzerland, the foundation brings together a writers residence, a library, an auditorium, and an exhibition hall – all dedicated to the promotion of the written word. In a continuing partnership with ECAL, the foundation awarded its 2024 grants, supporting the final-year thesis projects of students from the Bachelor programs. These scholarships are designed not only to provide financial support but also to offer emerging artists and designers greater public visibility for their work. We warmly congratulate the recipients: , graduate of Bachelor in Graphic Design – CHF 5,000 , graduate of Bachelor in Industrial Design – CHF 5,000 The laureates were celebrated at an event at the Jan Michalski Foundation, where their projects were presented.
Glass Reflections at Design Miami 2025 Bringing together craft, experimentation, and contemporary design, ECAL designers and alumni contribute to NOUVEL s Glass Reflections showcased at Design Miami 2025. The Glass Reflections exhibition, presented by NOUVEL, was selected as a special project by Glenn Adamson, Director of Curation at Design Miami, and showcased during the 20th edition of Design Miami, under the theme Make. Believe. Combining craftsmanship, experimentation, and contemporary design, this exhibition is a cross-cultural exploration of glass practices between Mexico and Switzerland. It features the following Swiss designers and graduates from ECAL: Grid – Nicolas Le Moigne A modular glass-brick system that enables a wide ange of architectural configurations. Beyond spatial solutions, it serves as a building element for creating furniture and accessories. Licorice – Dimitri Nassisi Inspired by the sweet candy of our youth. These vases draw a parallel between industrial caramel production and manual glass-shaping techniques. Isla – Julie Richoz It is a metaphor, as its name in Spanish indicates. The dot in the center represents an island with an irregular shape resulting from the artisanal process of encapsulating a pre-cut round piece. nouvel.glass
WORKSHOP - CGI WITH AREA OF WORK – 2025 The Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) Workshop is an introduction to 3D creation software that allows you to create images with photographic qualities that are not photographs. This workshop centers on the theme of “Minimal,” inviting students to explore the creative and technical foundations of contemporary CGI image-making. It emphasizes materiality and the expressive impact of reduction. Every form, light, and texture has a specific role, negative space guides the emotional tone, and fine details unify the composition.
Masterclass ECAL – Thierry De Peretti,01.12.2025,Leenaards Auditorium, ECAL The ECAL Cinema Department welcomes filmmaker Thierry de Peretti for a masterclass, offering a unique insight into his approach to cinema and storytelling. Originally from Ajaccio, Thierry de Peretti is an actor, stage director, and filmmaker. Trained at the Cours Florent, he began his career in theater, directing authors such as Koltès and Fassbinder, and received the Prix Révélation du Syndicat National de la Critique in 2001. In cinema, he is known for notable roles in Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train by Patrice Chéreau and Yves Saint Laurent by Bertrand Bonello, before turning to directing. His career as a filmmaker includes several acclaimed works: Les Apaches (Directors Fortnight 2013), Une vie violente (Critics Week 2017), Enquête sur un scandale d État (San Sebastian Film Festival 2021), and À son image (Directors Fortnight 2024). Often set in Corsica, his films depict the island s social, political, and intimate tensions with a mix of realism and poetic sensibility, confirming his position as an engaged and committed filmmaker. Thierry de Peretti has a distinctive approach to casting and acting, combining professional and non-professional actors to create a collective energy that serves the story. His direction emphasizes authenticity: performers draw on their personal connection to the story and the filmed location, enriching the narrative with a genuine emotional truth. The discussion will be moderated by , Head of ECAL Cinema Department.DATES & SCHEDULE01.12.2025 1:30 pm Free entryVENUELeenaards Auditorium, ECAL
ECAL x PAPERBOY Paperboy ECAL is the result of a close collaboration between Paperboy Magazine and first-year students of the Master Photography program. Under the guidance of photographer Charles Negre , they explored the potential of everyday objects to create mysterious and playful still lives.
ECAL at OFFPRINT Paris 2025 During Paris Photo 2025, ECAL will present a selection of its books at OFFPRINT Paris. ECAL Master Photography is pleased to present a selection of books created by its second-year students. This event offers an opportunity to engage live with the young photographers, exploring the origins of their projects and the stories behind each of these publications.