Résultats pour “Ella needs some help: Bigger BoobsByMaster-TF” (524)
Michaela Theus – Dehors (Photography) It is raining in the park. Natacha and her son Eli are looking for a shelter for the night. Walter wanders alone with his guitar. Fiction / 23 mn Synopsis The rain wets the park where Eli is playing alone. Drops fall on Natacha s embarrassed face as she searches through her phone book for a solution. Not far away, Walter is wandering alone. The sound of his guitar travels up to the mother and child who are seeking shelter for the night. The hostility of the outside world, the fear of being left behind and an encounter, that of a mother and child who have recently become homeless with an outsider: for a moment, in all their modesty, they inspire us with a semblance of a blended family. An actress, a child, a bohemian. Unstable weather, a lot of improvisation and flexibility. A lesson in freedom, simplicity and letting go. For me, as for others, the experience of a project flirting with the documentary was like a powerful rite of passage. Student s comment The film Dehors was a journey that brought me and my collaborator, friend and director Charlène Girel closer than ever. Between planning and improvisation, depth and flight, emotional chaos and creative release, we went through all the phases. We never left the boat: I remained on board as cinematographer, as high as the waves breaking on the deck, and we did our best to keep the sails oriented towards the vision of the filmmaker. Trust and fascination for the director became essential components to be able to put our hearts into a project. Thanks to all those who helped us stay on course. The birth of this film was not easy, but it was only the beginning of many journeys into unknown waters. Michaela Theus
ECAL Milano 2021 – ECAL x MUJI: Compact Life,05–10.09.2021,MUJI Store, Milan Japanese brand MUJI presents – on the occasion of the Milan Design Week (5-10 September) – a collection of clever household furniture and accessories to help tidy up our daily life, imagined by Bachelor Industrial Design students from ECAL. Following the MUJI method of carefully observing everyday routines to uncover specific needs, leading to the creation of intuitive and handy products, Japanese brand MUJI presents – on the occasion of the Milan Design Week (5-10 September) – a collection of clever household furniture and accessories to help tidy up our daily life, imagined by Bachelor Industrial Design students from ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, under the guidance of Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard, Head of the programme, and Swiss designer Michel Charlot. HD Images Video Poster with explanations An important part of MUJI s product development is based on detailed photographic studies of people homes. Thus, Bachelor Industrial Design students were asked to follow the same design process by documenting the spontaneous state of their own home and other peoples surroundings to reveal the way they interact with products and identify how objects are put to use as direct inspiration for their design. The resulting collection of household furniture and accessories features a series of discreet steel wire basket trolleys designed to roll and stow away seamlessly under your furniture; a collapsible flat angle chair that also serves as a handy minimalist side table; a simple pole with slits that can be fitted with just about any hook or hanger to organise your clothes; a compact bedside table with just the right proportions and a convenient adjustable storage shelf to hide your smartphone away when you turn in for the night; sleek and easy-to-mount frames whose outer edge doubles as a clip for your notes and cards; and a wall organiser made of sturdy laminated Crepe paper, available by the metre – to name just a few. Press preview : 5 September, 9am – 11 am Opening hours : 5 – 10 September, 11am – 7pm MUJI Milan Store Via Torino 22 20123 Milano www.muji.com
ECAL Milano 2021,05–10.09.2021,SPBH Space, Milan ECAL at the Milan Design 2022 Fantastic Smartphones ECAL presents a series of extraordinary projects and installations developed by Bachelor Media & Interaction Design students, investigating our relation with smartphones and the way they impact our day-to-day behaviour Press preview : 5 September, 9am – 11am Opening hours : 5 – 9 September, 11am – 8pm 10 September, 11am – 4pm Spazio Orso 16 Via dell Orso 16 20121 Milano www.ecal.ch ECAL x MUJI : Compact Life MUJI presents a collection of clever household furniture and accessories to help tidy up our daily life, designed in collaboration with Bachelor Industrial Design students of ECAL. Press preview : 5 September, 9am – 11 am Opening hours : 5 – 10 September, 11am – 7pm MUJI Milan Store Via Torino 22 20123 Milano www.muji.com The Lost Graduation Show In 2020/21, thousands of design students graduated without having had the chance to present their works to the public. Curated by ECAL faculty member Anniina Koivu, this exhibition gives the opportunity to re-establish the important dialogue that centres around the future of design by bringing young designers from all over the world together on one large stage. Among them, ten ECAL graduates from 2020 were selected to showcase their graduation projects. Bachelor Industrial Design Clémence Buytaert Charlotte Krzentowski Theo Luvisotto Jeanne Mercier Master Product Design Benjamin Bichsel Sarah Hossli Mathilde Lafaille Jeffery Lambert Timothée Mion Fabien Roy Opening hours : 5 – 9 September, 10am – 7pm 10 September, 10am – 4pm Rho Fiera Milano Hall 2/4 Strada Statale del Sempione 28 20017 Rho Design graphique: ECAL/Arthur Seguin Fonte : Fugue , Radim Peško
ECAL x MEHARI EDEN The 2CV Méhari Club Cassis has developed an electric version of the iconic Citroën released in 1968 : the EDEN. From its inception, this car was designed for summer sports and leisure activity. Our current renewed interest in outdoor activities together with electric technology makes this car particularly attractive. With this in mind, the 2nd-year BA students in Industrial Design, under the direction of Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard, Head of Programme, and designer Elric Petit, showcase a series of accessories for tomorrow s electric Méhari. A genuine “LEGO car”, the Méhari lent itself perfectly to being reinvented by ECAL s students : a steering wheel with a built-in Bluetooth speaker, a rowboat doubling as a roof for the ride towards your favourite boating spot, practical surfboard and bike racks, a ready-to-use picnic set hidden in the tailgate, a waterproof roof cover made from banana plants, or the backrest of the rear seat that converts into a side table are just some of products on display.
ECAL x MUJI: Compact Life A collection of clever furniture and household accessories to help organise everyday life. Following the method of carefully observing our daily routines to identify unique needs and then creating intuitive and practical products, the Bachelor of Industrial Design students imagined a collection of clever furniture and household accessories to help organise our daily lives, under the guidance of designer Michel Charlot. As an important part of the development of MUJI products is based on detailed photographic studies in people s homes, the students were invited to follow the same process by documenting the spontaneous state of their own homes and other people s environments in order to reveal how they interact with the products, and to identify how the objects are used as direct inspiration for their design.
Excerpts from Master Type Design theses AUTHOR: Simona Alina Andone TITLE: The Aura of Type Design The Aura of Type Design stems from the necessity of creating a critical discourse around the type design discipline. In which cultural and social settings is type design embedded? This thesis explores some of the contexts in which type design manifests itself – from Instagram to institutions, exhibitions, archives, and so on. What effects do these manifestations have on perceptions about how type design works? ---- AUTHOR: Romain Tronchin TITLE: To be seen not read SUBTITLE: The formal expression of typography Without even being conscious of it, I have always been interested in typography and its shapes. When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the numbers on football shirts. Later, it was graffiti, with its illegible letters. Today, it is the typefaces of designers like Herb Lubalin, Jean Alessandrini or Zuzana Licko that awaken my interest. All these typefaces have one thing in common: they are typefaces that are not meant to be read, but seen. Their formal aspect comes first, before their functionality. So, we can see these expressive typefaces as images before considering them as tools. This sentence by Herb Lubalin sums up this phenomenon well: “Sometimes you sacrifice legibility to increase impact.” ---- AUTHOR: Marcel Saidov TITLE: The Telephone Directories of Total Design and Ladislas Mandel SUBTITLE: Modernist Internationalism and Cultural Identity By comparing the iconic phone book by Total Design with the typefaces and their application in telephone directories by Ladislas Mandel, I want to create a dialogue between traditionalism and modernism; internationalism and cultural identity. I will not only examine the differing design approaches, but also compare two opposing philosophies. In addition, I would like to investigate which kinds of technical knowledge gleaned from the design of telephone directories and their typefaces can still be of use today. By comparing two opposing ideologies of the past century, I will try to conduct a contemporary discourse on type and culture. ---- AUTHOR: Alberto Malossi TITLE: Extraordinary Gentleman SUBTITLE: The typefaces of Giovanni Mardersteig History is something that I have always been keenly interested in. Luckily, I found a way to channel it into my work, which I feel is very much based on historical awareness. Especially as a type designer, the saying “standing on the shoulders of giants” is something that I think about daily: I see my practice as bound to both enshrine the memory of those who came before me, and to build upon their work. That is why I felt a deep connection with the typefaces of Giovanni Mardersteig (1892-1977). His work was always aware of the past, while somehow completely contemporary. ---- AUTHOR: Paul Christ TITLE: Pixels, Geometry, Theosophy, Philosophy In the following thesis, I will be taking a deeper look at geometry, theosophy and the pixel in the oeuvre of JLM Lauweriks (1864–1932). At the same time, I will reflect on the relationship between mysticism, philosophy and geometry in contemporary design through an interview with Dimitri Bruni from NORM, while conducting a short investigation of Jurriaan Schrofer s work. ---- AUTHOR: Chiachi Chao TITLE: Type Design in the Zeitgeist Letters are shapes with intentions. A typeface is an instrument built to convey meanings and information. The design criteria for a typface are clear: it must facilitate the efficiency of the reading process, allowing the eyes to identify the image shape, then glide through the line as fast as possible. Since ‘reading and ‘seeing are two fundamentally different physical mechanisms, the functionality (readability and legibility) in types is always more important than the ‘style of letter-shapes given that text is meant for reading. Its form is determined by the condition in which the typeface intends to be applied. With this premise, type design draws a clear line between graphic design in which personal expression plays a significant role. ---- AUTHOR: Nicolas Bernklau TITLE: Critical Regionalism in Type Design SUBTITLE: A survey of moments in history when social, political and economic systems change in parallel with typography Typography is a substantial part of visual identities and thus a means of identification for countries, corporations and communities. Type can be used as a transporter of aims and values. It can provide orientation and a sense of purpose. Once you see a certain type connected to a particular era, style or area it immediately evokes certain feelings and tells you its narrative. It is a very powerful means. So on the one hand, whenever there is change, type can play a leading role in expressing this change and on the other hand, a new type can be introduced in order to cause change. Examples of such changes could be: A political ideology is associated with a certain style of type, a country switches its script from Arabic to Latin or a type design studio designs a multi-script typeface. All these changes are triggered by different intrinsic or extrinsic motivations and reasons: e.g. historical, economic, political, educational, aesthetic or modernisation reasons. In these cases type is used to embody these changes and socio-political shifts as a transporter of ideas and values. The thesis consists of three parts, the transition from Fraktur to roman, the world political topic of changing type through alphabet shifts as well as internationality in type design today with the topic of expansion. ---- AUTHOR: Benedetta Bovani TITLE: The role of intertitles SUBTITLE: From a typographic necessity to a means of expression Intertitles have been a topic of discussion throughout the more or less thirty years (1895–1930) in which they were largely used. When one would talk about these elements, it was usually to criticise them or to highlight their flaws. Indeed, intertitles were controversial. The use of the word, and especially the written word, in cinema – then a silent medium – was by most seen as unnecessary, even dangerous. Admitting that writing was necessary to the success of cinema was like admitting that silence was a deficit. Nevertheless, intertitles slowly became an essential element, that even today has left its trace in modern films. The goal of this master thesis is to investigate and map the use of intertitles. Starting from their inception, when they were just a typographic necessity, to their prime – when they played an active role in the narration of movies and represented a means of expression as important as picture itself. ---- AUTHOR: Anne Seseke TITLE: Barbara Radice & Fragments of Terrazzo (1988–1995) Ever since I discovered post-modernist objects, I have fostered an ambivalent relationship to them. Their shape, patterns and materials. The more I researched, the more I found interesting writings, interviews and a lot of lesser-known projects. I scraped the shiny, plastic, colourful surface and discovered thought-provoking reflections on society. In this master thesis I will approach my topic in a manner similar to the way in which Barbara Radice edited Terrazzo magazine (1988–1995): strong research roots tied together by a spiderweb of associations. ---- AUTHOR: Antonio D Elisiis TITLE: The Eldorado of Legibility SUBTITLE: Optical sizes, variable fonts and accessibility in the digital environment Designing aesthetically pleasing fonts that remain legible in various situations of use. Achieving this difficult balance has always been the ultimate goal in type design. Sought by punchcutters first, and later by the most modern type designers. These applied two fundamental practices to character design: optical size, and optical correction. I will analyse both practices and how they have evolved over time – especially with the change of various technologies (printing, information support and visualisation, tools that allow the design of characters, etc.). I will also analyse how optical corrections were applied, and why. ---- AUTHOR: Lucile Billot TITLE: Colophons etc. SUBTITLE: A collection of colophons, from medieval to contemporary, and the related stories they tell This master thesis focuses on the narratives of colophons, and some related paratextual devices, such as design notes, acknowledgements etc. The thesis builds bridges between different periods, highlighting (for example) relationships between medieval and contemporary colophons. At first sight, colophons seem to be a quite dry part of any book, as they only deal with credits. But they are not simply the ‘finishing stroke of a book. They also give clues and backdrops, both about the book itself (its content) and its context (in terms of design / production / circulation). This thesis explores the colophons evolution and transformations, as well as the contextual stories that are hidden in them, and the effect they can have on our understanding of a book.
Collaboration with Hermès – 2021 For this first collaboration with the department Hermès Maison, the students worked on the theme of the mirror, under the direction of designer Sabine Marcelis. L illusioniste Sarah Rémy L illusioniste is a game of lines. A full mirror in the front, it reveals itself by changing ones perspective. From the side, one can discover coloured lines reminiscent of jumping bars, helmets and blankets, the lines of the roofs of Paris, the lines of Hermès. Its reflections make L illusioniste a simple object at first glance and yet surprising. Miroir Ailé Ricardo Beira This object is strongly inspired by equestrian products, which are the basis of Hermès history. The symbiotic interaction between rigid and flexible elements, creates an integrated whole that functions like biological systems, where one element reinforces the other, allowing both stability and movement. This spatial organisation forms a continuous field of tensions and compressions in constant balance, in a play of forces that defies gravity. As a result, the mirror appears to be lighter and levitates above the base, yet can be manipulated freely. Miroir à Courroie Maxime Zenderoudi Suspended lightly, this object intrigues with its large oblique loop, yet reveals a reflection that is perfectly true to life. The leather strap has a function that dictates its course. It envelops the mirror in a continuous movement, sometimes supporting, sometimes balancing and sometimes protecting it. The mirrored glass plays with appearances by borrowing its finishes from leather craftsmanship, with perforations and hand finished edges in a contrasting colour. Made integral by means of two straps, the elegant fluidity of the whole echoes the House s emblematic double-turn bracelets. Phi[Φ] Yosuke Shimano Mirrors reflect the world with light as it is. They look like they have everything, but they can also be seen as empty objects with no will. This is why I have called this mirror Phi[Φ] (group of emptiness). Phi[Φ] completes the loop handle through its reflection with playful, as if hanging in space, reconnecting you with your reflection. Both sides of the mirror are identical. This gives an ele- ment of playfulness inviting you to interact with it. Style H Chen-Ta Hsieh Inspired by the works of the De Stijl art movement, this piece attempts to introduce contemporary art into our daily lives in the form of a mirror. In line with the idea of a segmented geometric composition, functional sculpture and simplicity, I try to bring a new interpretation to Hermès while remaining in line with the visual and material direction of the brand. The extension of the marquetry language at the back creates the frame of the mirror. Part of the marquetry on the back can be detached to become a support for the mirror. The chamfer of the support gives the mirror a perfect angle for reflection. Aether Salman Rouhani This object gives the user a new perspective on their environment and allows them to play with perception. This wall mirror allows the user to see their whole body without the need for a large standing mirror.
Joanna Wierzbicka – Nothing is connected to everything; everything is connected to something What is a body, where does it start, where does it end? How do we experience having a body and being a body, especially among other bodies? How can we resituate ourselves within earth others, and rethink relations on a wider level between human and nonhuman actants to account for a more ethical living? The project aims to interrogate the notion of bodily matter, recapture our corporeality and challenge the assumption that our bodies end at the skin. Instead, they are redefined as radically open systems, human and non-human assemblages, corporeal chimeras, microbiotic multi-species in the constant process of becoming. Matter, when recognised as an active agent, helps to acknowledge infinite interactions within complex networks of agency between various porous corporealities and entities. Trans-corporeality disrupts divisions between a body and the world. Bodies leave traces everywhere, ascribing themselves into various corporeal, technological, political narratives, but also traces are ascribed onto bodies - mediating and altering their flesh. As captured by Haraway in the figuration of compost - we are always becoming with others, together creating a lively matter of compost, composing and decomposing each other. “Nothing is connected to everything, everything is connected to something” takes a form of an installation, a speculative self-portrait as compost, built out of images of my own body (made with different apparatuses including Scanning Electron Microscope, digital microscopes) mixed with still lifes of food and different materials representing the transformation and movement, as in compost. Additionally, sculptures are accompanied by the video that expands on the idea of corporeal companionship and brings in the notion of uncanny-like lump of flesh covered with skin. It is a performative act, a result of wondering how to become a microorganism, a bacteria and if I am already enough of one. All the parts of installation, exploring the line between oppositions such as human/nonhuman, internal/external, self/the other, refer to the definition of an abject and are meant to translate that moment, or a sensation - how a breakdown in meaning, something expelled from “I” eventually comes to define “I”. What is a body, where does it start, where does it end? How do we experience having a body and being a body, especially among other bodies? How can we resituate ourselves within earth others, and rethink relations on a wider level between human and nonhuman actants to account for a more ethical living?The project aims to interrogate the notion of bodily matter, recapture our corporeality and challenge the assumption that our bodies end at the skin. Instead, they are redefined as radically open systems, human and non-human assemblages, corporeal chimeras, microbiotic multi-species in the constant process of becoming. Matter, when recognised as an active agent, helps to acknowledge infinite interactions within complex networks of agency between various porous corporealities and entities. Trans-corporeality disrupts divisions between a body and the world. Bodies leave traces everywhere, ascribing themselves into various corporeal, technological, political narratives, but also traces are ascribed onto bodies - mediating and altering their flesh. As captured by Haraway in the figuration of compost - we are always becoming with others, together creating a lively matter of compost, composing and decomposing each other.“Nothing is connected to everything, everything is connected to something” takes a form of an installation, a speculative self-portrait as compost, built out of images of my own body (made with different apparatuses including Scanning Electron Microscope, digital microscopes) mixed with still lifes of food and different materials representing the transformation and movement, as in compost. Additionally, sculptures are accompanied by the video that expands on the idea of corporeal companionship and brings in the notion of uncanny-like lump of flesh covered with skin. It is a performative act, a result of wondering how to become a microorganism, a bacteria and if I am already enough of one. All the parts of installation, exploring the line between oppositions such as human/nonhuman, internal/external, self/the other, refer to the definition of an abject and are meant to translate that moment, or a sensation - how a breakdown in meaning, something expelled from “I” eventually comes to define “I”.
Excerpts from Master Product Design theses 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? AUTHOR: Adam Huxley-KhngTITLE: ON in the absence of OFFOn 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 SchulTITLE: 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 ÅmanTITLE: Waste mattersSUBTITLE: 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 CheungTITLE: Japanese miniature culture: netsuke and gachaponSUBTITLE: 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 ChouTITLE: Unpack flat-packSUBTITLE: 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 JeonTITLE: Soft, small and far, far awaySUBTITLE: 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 VilligerTITLE: About repairabilitySUBTITLE: 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 RiblerTITLE: The FactorySUBTITLE: 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 SumTITLE: 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 AshfordTITLE: FractionsSUBTITLE: 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 GoldenbergTITLE: Empire State of PlaySUBTITLE: 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 ManilTITLE: 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 RonacherTITLE: 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 RudebeckTITLE: 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?
Swiss Graphic Design and Typography Revisited The research project Swiss Graphic Design and Typography Revisited is divided into three sub-projects: ‘Principles of Education , ‘Networks of Practice and ‘Strategies of Dissemination . This three-year project is the biggest research collaboration established in the design field since the SNSF began its activities. Swiss graphic design and typography are representative of Swiss culture, but have themselves also had an impact on this country s national identity. In the SNSF project Swiss Graphic Design and Typography Revisited, seven universities engage in joint research into the status of Swiss graphic design from today s perspective. Coordinated by the Bern University of the Arts, researchers of the universities of applied sciences from Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano, and Zurich, as well as from the University of Bern are participating. In the three sub-projects, mixed groups of researchers from the different institutions investigate into different aspects of Swiss graphic design – its teaching, its networks and its forms of publication. The result is a critical contribution to our understanding of the emergence and current self-perception of Swiss graphic design and typography. Above and beyond this, the project helps to consolidate ‘design history as a field of research and practice in Switzerland, and provides new, relevant findings for the international scholarly discourse on visual communication.Main applicantsHKB – Haute école des arts de Berne Arne Scheuermann Michael Renner Sarah Owens Peter J. SchneemannResearch teamCo-coordinators and researchers Robert Lzicar Researchers Chiara Barbieri Rudolf Barmettler Roland Früh Jonas Niedermann François Rappo Doctoral students Sandra Bischler Constance Delamadeleine Ueli Kaufmann Sara ZellerParticipantsFHNW HGK – Academy of Art and Design Basel HKB – Berne University of the Arts (Main applicant) University of Berne, Institute of Art History HEAD – Genève – Geneva School of Art and Design ECAL – Ecole cantonale d art de Lausanne SUPSI – University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland ZHdK – Zurich University of the ArtsPeriodOctober 2016 – June 2021Supported bySNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation)DisseminationPublication Davide Fornari, Robert Lzicar, Sarah Owens, Michael Renner, Arne Scheuermann, Peter J. Schneemann (eds.), Swiss Graphic Design Histories, 4 volumes, Zurich: Scheidegger & Spiess, 2021. With contributions from Chiara Barbieri, Rudolf Barmettler, Jonas Berthod, Sandra Bischler, Constance Delamadeleine, Davide Fornari, Roland Früh, Ueli Kaufmann, Sarah Klein, Robert Lzicar, Jonas Niedermann, Sarah Owens, Michael Renner, Peter J. Schneemann, Arne Scheuermann and Sara Zeller. Website sgdtr.ch
ECAL x MEHARI EDEN at Design Parade Festival,25–27.06.2021,Villa Noailles, Hyères On the occasion of the Design Parade Festival in Hyères from 25 to 27 June 2021, ECAL presents the "ECAL x MEHARI EDEN" project. The 2CV Méhari Club Cassis has developed an electric version of the iconic Citroën released in 1968: the EDEN. From its inception, this car was designed for summer sports and leisure activity. Our current renewed interest in outdoor activities together with electric technology makes this car particularly attractive. With this in mind, the 2nd-year Bachelor students in Industrial Design at ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, under the direction of Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard, Head of Programme, and designer Elric Petit, showcase a series of accessories for tomorrow s electric Méhari. A genuine “LEGO car”, the Méhari lent itself perfectly to being reinvented by ECAL s students: a steering wheel with a built-in Bluetooth speaker, a rowboat doubling as a roof for the ride towards your favourite boating spot, practical surfboard and bike racks, a ready-to-use picnic set hidden in the tailgate, a waterproof roof cover made from banana plants, or the backrest of the rear seat that converts into a side table are just some of products on display. After a stopover in Lausanne at the hands of the students, the EDEN returns to its stamping ground equipped with its new functions and heads for Villa Noailles for the 15thDesign Parade Festival. From 28 June, the car and its accessories will be on display in the showroom of the 2CV Méhari Club in Cassis until 29 October 2021. ----- This project was carried out in partnership with the 2CV Méhari Club Cassis and initiated by Massilia.design and Nathalie Dewez with the valuable support of Bananatex® and the Design Parade Hyères Festival. As part of the Summer University programme of the Board of Higher Education(DGES) – State of Vaud.
Image Creation – 2021
AIZI / AI字 / 爱字 Artificial Intelligence-Aided Type Design AIZI research projects is a collaboration between ECAL and EPFL Computer Vision Laboratory. Its aim is to develop an artificial intelligence tool to help the creation of hanzi. The idea is to train an AI to generate glyphs from a small number of ‘seed characters, using Generative Adversarial Network (GAN): two algorithms fighting each other, endlessly attempting to outperform one another. Chinese script is rich of thousands of hanzi, but their construction is, on many point, very logical and systematic. It processes by assembling a limited number of radicals in order to produce new signs. For the designer, a major difficulty is that depending of the surrounding components, the design of the radicals changes, always self-adapting to the context, in order to achieve harmonious forms. A Latin typeface contains a mere 400 to 700 glyphs, on average. Thanks to the alphabetic system, these relatively few characters can spell out every word that exists in a given language. A single style of a Chinese font must contain a minimum of 6,763 commonly used glyphs to be of any use, while typefaces for literary use, for instance, need thousands more. Famous Chinese historical dictionaries contains between 47,000 and 54,000 hanzi (characters), the most complete going to the incredible number of 106,230. Thus, creating a Chinese can only be achieved though long time and team effort. Those two elements are inhibiting creativity. First, it makes type foundries tend to not take risks with their design. Second, it prevent freelance designers (Chinese or not) to design for the script, which volume makes it unattainable. This situation cuts type designers for a script used by 900 million native speakers of Mandarin language, and around 400 million second-language readers. The output of the research project is a database, of the different glyph constructions that exists in Chinese. It currently covers 90,000 hanzi, and will be freely accessible online, as a encouragement for the type design technological scene to develop. The project was also the occasion to think about the role of computer-aided design in the field of typography, its future development, and its application within the field of type design education.Main applicantECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne (project leader)Research team, Mathieu Salzmann, , Periodjanuary 2020 – june 2021Supported byECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne Strategic fund of the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO RCDAV)DisseminationWebsite aizi.ch
ECAL at Mapping Festival,13–23.05.2021 On the occasion of the Mapping Festival which will take place in Geneva at the API - Association pour le Patrimoine Industriel in the framework of the exhibition "Mots Futurs", ECAL is pleased to present two projects created by students of the Bachelor Media & Interaction Design. ECAL is pleased to present two projects created by students of the Bachelor Media & Interaction Design. XY by ECAL Presentation of five analogue oscilloscopes diverted from their initial function as measuring devices, in order to exploit their graphic and interactive potential. Created during a workshop given by the American artist and designer Ted Davis (assisted by Sébastien Matos) to students in the Bachelor s programme Media & Interaction Design, the projects created propose animated sequences developed with the help of the free software "Processing", ranging from a labyrinth game to an intergalactic journey, via typographic research. Hide/Reveal by ECAL Collection of Instagram filters to be experimented in various places of the Festival (selection also available on smartphone via @ecal_ch). Students in the Bachelor Media & Interaction Design programme worked on the "Hide/Reveal" theme during a workshop given by artists Ines Alpha and Aaron Jablonski (assisted by Pierry Jaquillard and Kylan Luginbühl), enabling them to develop a visual universe using Spark AR software and to discover how tracking and facial analysis can sequence and animate graphic content. Students Elodie Anglade, Loris Briguet, Soraya Camina, Julien Caulet, Antoine Contreras Salazar, Basil Dénéréaz, Salomé Dotter, Samuel Dumez, Nora Fatehi, Mélanie Fontaine, Martial Grin, Jamy Herrmann, Lily Rose Hold, Lisa Kishtoo, Achille Masson, Iris Moine, Bogdan Nastase, Michael Pica, Jorge Reis, Nathanaël Vianin The project "Hide/Reveal" is also presented at Le Commun (Rue des Bains 34, 1205 Geneva). The exhibitions at API will also be accessible on the occasion of the International Museum Day on Sunday 16 May from 11 am to 6 pm and open until 6 June. API - Association pour le Patrimoine Industriel Rue du Vuache 25 1201 Geneva More information on the Mapping Festival http://2051.mappingfestival.com/
The Sources of Jan Tschichold s The New Typography Jan Tschichold s essay Die neue Typographie (The New Typography, 1928) is a game-changing book, acclaimed as the curtain raiser of modern graphic design. While it takes the form of a critical essay and an operative manual, its sources have been understudied because of their difficult identification. This project aims to reconstruct the body of sources that Tschichold drew on to understand the broader cultural context of the book, through an international conference on its impact and a travelling exhibition. The year 2018 marked the 90th anniversary of the publication of Jan Tschichold s Die neue Typographie (The New Typography). After almost a century, Tschichold s game-changing book, together with the typographic movement that stemmed from it, still attracts the interest and curiosity of graphic design historians and practitioners. The book has entered the historiographical canon and its appeal has not faded. Yet, The New Typography is a victim of its own success: it enjoys the benefits of canonisation, while suffering some side effects. Having reached an almost mythical status, The New Typography is often taken for granted and rarely questioned or closely scrutinised. This paradox is the starting point of the present research project. Jan Tschichold (Leipzig 1902 – Locarno 1974) was a German-born, Swiss-naturalised typographer, type and book designer, teacher, typography theorist and critic. In the 1920s he became one of the leaders of the New Typography movement. His conversion to the Modernist cause was mediated by the Bauhaus lesson. This was learnt first through a visit to the Bauhaus exhibition in Weimar in the summer of 1923, and encouraged in the following years through acquaintance and friendship with key exponents of the Modernist movement such as László Moholy-Nagy and El Lissitzky. With the Nazis rise to power in 1933, Tschichold escaped Germany and took refuge in Switzerland, where he spent the rest of his life with the exception of two stays in England, in 1937 and between 1947 and 1949. Published in Berlin in 1928, Tschichold s The New Typography is a manifesto. It follows an earlier statement published in October 1925 in a special issue of the trade magazine Typographische Mitteilungen, entitled “Elementare Typographie.” It was intended as a textbook for graphic designers, printers, typesetters and typographers. The term “New Typography” was first used by László Moholy-Nagy in the Bauhaus exhibition catalogue of 1923. The New Typography, also known as “elementary” or “functional” typography, is the manifestation of Modernism in graphic design and printed communication. Its rules included the privilege for sans-serif typefaces, non-centred page layouts, photography and photomontage, standardised paper sizes, and the active use of white space. After the war, Tschichold gradually distanced himself from the New Typography. He condemned the rigidity of the movement from both a political-moral and a strictly typo- graphical perspective. The research project relies on the hypothesis that, despite being broadly considered a pivotal and game-changing book that paved the way to modern graphic design, The New Typography deserves further and closer scrutiny. Building on the hypothesis that bibliographic sources are among the so-far overlooked and neglected aspects of The New Typography which are waiting to be identified, discussed and contextualised, the research project employs them as a means to open the black box in which Tschichold s book has been kept until now. Once the bibliographical references (books, magazines, grey literature) have been identified, the project investigates what they can tell us about the lineage in which The New Typography was rooted and the kind of discourses and networks it stemmed from. The focus on the sources aims to provide a more complex alternative to the worn-out rhetoric of the “pioneers” of graphic design.Main applicantECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne Matthieu Cortat Davide FornariResearch teamChiara Barbieri Martin SøbergPeriodMay 2019 – June 2021Supported byECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne HES–SO, Fonds stratégique RCDAVDisseminationWebsite die-neue-bibliographie.ch Conference Jan Tschichold s The New Typography: Its Roots and Impact on National Scenes, 26 April 2023, ECAL/École cantonale d art de Lausanne
Cryptocurrency During this workshop, each student had to design a poster presenting a cryptocurrency. Each student had to visually reinterpret the characteristics of his cryptocurrency while taking into account an imposed grid in constant evolution. The posters printed with the plotter will then be overprinted.
Mapping Workshop - Nature morte The first year students in Graphic Design and Media & Interaction Design and Photography worked on mapping projects. The structures, which the different groups created with blocks of polystyrene, allowed them to experiment and create video, 2D and 3D content while playing with notions of space, depth and rhythm.
HERE AND THERE A new educational model for a post-pandemic world The global pandemic has forever changed how we work, learn and play, making virtual communication the primary form of human interaction. Here and There is a new digital pedagogy that enables students to create networked physical interfaces with limited material resources and tools, while being away and stripped from a traditional in-person studio and workshop setting. Initiated during a week-long workshop in Cambridge (USA) in March 2020, it brought together students in Bachelor Media & Interaction Design from ECAL and students from MIT s Undergraduate Design Minor and Bachelor of Science in Art and Design programs. During the 2020 spring quarantine, a series of open source software and hardware tools were developed to allow students to build electronic objects from simple and readily available materials. These objects were then dynamically routed and connected to each other to physically augment video chatting and to allow students to extend their virtual reach into each other s tangible spaces. For the first phase of this project, students had to imagine, design and implement two interfaces, whose design and behavior allowed and suggested a new form of communication between two people, in two separate places. Notions of remote presence, simultaneous actions, shared experience and telepresence were explored, fundamentally expanding the ways through which we interact and communicate. Open to other academic institutions and the public at large, we plan to continue improving the software routing interface, the techniques for documentation and sharing prototypes, as well as the remote interfaces that we hope will help foster a more human and connected post-pandemic world. A collaboration between ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne and MIT Department of Architecture www.hereandthere.io Tutors Pauline Saglio, Head BA Media and Interaction Design, ECAL Gael Hugo, Interaction Designer, Associate Professor, ECAL Marcelo Coelho, Lecturer, MIT Department of Architecture & Head of Design, Formlabs Teaching assistants Pierry Jaquillard, Ous Abou Ras, Benjamin Hoyle, Thaddeus Lee, David Allen White ECAL students Ivan Chestopaloff, Basil Dénéréaz, Nora Fatehi, Paul Fritz, Sébastien Galera Larios, Rayane Jemaa, Dorian Jovanovic, Lisa Kishtoo, Valentine Leimgruber, Valerio Meschi, Ignacio Pérez, Michael Pica, David Reitenbach, Malik Sobgoui MIT students Violetta Jusiega, Nikodimos Sendek, Leslie Yan, Katie Bacher, Justin Christensen, Ailing Zhang, Hassaam Ali, Teis Jorgensen, Chenlu Wang Hub prototyping and development Alain Bellet, Gaël Hugo Web design and development Pietro Alberti, Clio Hadjigeorgiou, Pierry Jaquillard, Sébastien Matos Images Gianni Camporota Coordination Skylar Tibbits, Associate Professor in Design Research and Design Program Director, MIT Department of Architecture Cécile Vulliemin, Strategic Partnerships - R&D, ECAL Hosted at the MIT International Design Center; supported by the General Board of Higher Education State of Vaud and its Summer University program.
Phantom Power Phantom Power questions the social configurations of the non-audible narratives of aural practices in performances and public sound installations. How does a performance or an installation acquire substance? How does it come to matter to the people who experience it? And do we account for it? The research project Phantom Power attempts to answer these broad questions by means of a descriptive study of three public performances and sound installations organised at ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne. Each case has been chosen for the specificity of what the invited artists (Leif Elggren, Arto Lindsay, Marja-leena Sillanpää, La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela) call upon: electronic voice phenomena (EVP), the interiority of sound, and transport through sound. All three are the object of an ethnographic approach using original methodology: for each event, one day is devoted to the experience of performances and installations, followed by a discussion between the public and the artists, monitored by guest researchers (Vinciane Despret, Salomé Voegelin and Juliette Volcler). The next day 1st-year BA students in Fine Arts re-enact the performances in front of the artists themselves. In other words, the chosen methodology offers a collective conceptual analysis on the first day and a collective analysis through practice on the second day. This is meant to help produce a field survey account of sound and of the narratives and the relational modes of existence of the works. Phantom Power is a research project initiated by the BA in Visual Arts department at ECAL. It questions the social configurations of the non-audible narratives of aural practices in performances and public sound installations.Main applicantsECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne (project leader) (project leader)Research teamVisiting lecturers Vinciane Despret, Leif Elggren, Arto Lindsay, Marja-leena Sillanpää, Salomé Voegelin, Juliette, Volcler, La Monte Young, Marian ZazeelaPartnersInstitut Supérieur des Beaux-Arts Besançon / Franche-ComtéPeriodfebruary 2021 – january 2023Supported byECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne Strategic fund of the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO RCDAV)DisseminationPerformance 29 April 2021: Leif Elggren and Marja-leena Sillanpää Exhibitions From 25 November 2021 to 31 January 2022: Dream House by La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela (sound and light environment) May 2022: Parade by Arto Lindsay Talks 29 April 2021: Vinciane Despret, Leif Elggren, Marja-leena Sillanpää and the 1 BA AV students 1 December 2021: La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, Yung Hee Choi, Salomé Voegelin and the 1 BA AV students (online) 2 December 2021: Branden W. Joseph May 2022: Arto Lindsay, Juliette Volcler and the 1 BA AV students Website visioncreationnewsound.chStudentsECAL 1st-year BA students in Fine Arts (class of 2020-21 and class of 2021-22)
The Emergence of Video Art in Europe (1960–1980): history, theory, sources and archives. To date, there is no European-wide history of video art. It is this gap that the present research programme proposes to fill. Firstly by gathering data on the artists, the works and the events that enabled the emergence of this new artistic practice in the 1960s, or that were important in its development in the following years in Europe, and by bringing to light specific national conditions of production and distribution. This programme is based on an initial mapping of video art on a European scale undertaken between 2016 and 2020 thanks to the organisation of research seminars at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), the Institut d histoire de l art in Paris (INHA) and ECAL in partnership with the Université Paris 8. This first research programme was jointly funded by the Arts H2-H laboratory of excellence and then ESTHC, with ECAL and the BnF as partners. This indexing should be continued in many other regions with the aim of transnational rewriting. The objective of the research project is twofold. On the one hand, it aims to re-evaluate continental production, to take the measure of its richness and variety, and to identify a European identity – mixed, plural, open, but nevertheless forming a cultural whole – in the practice of video art. On the other hand, the aim is to rewrite the history of this medium on an international scale, counterbalancing the America-centric character of the specialised literature on the subject in order to draw other topographies, which also include Japan or South America, with Europe constituting a node within a wider network. In order to carry out this project to renew the approach to video art, both historiographically and theoretically, we are relying on the network of some fifty national and international specialists, researchers, archive holders, artists, and witnesses that the previous programme enabled us to establish. By questioning the medium of video, the aim is also to contribute to the creation of an archaeology of new media in Europe through a series of publications and an exhibition. Main applicantsECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne (project leader) Grégoire QuenaultResearch teamSégolène Liautaud Stéphanie SerraPeriodfebruary 2021 – february 2025Supported bySwiss National Science Foundation Agence Nationale de la RechercheDisseminationExhibition ZKM (under discussion) Publication A series of books in English (ECAL/Les presses du réel)PartnersUniversité Paris 8, Saint-Denis Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris Zentrum für Kunst und Medien, Karlsruhe
Hans Emmeneger - Fondation de l Hermitage During the retrospective organized by the Hermitage Foundation, photography students from ECAL/École cantonale d art de Lausanne pay tribute to this little-known artist. Without having seen his works beforehand, they explore his universe through the analysis of reproductions and some biographical elements. Throughout the semester, students delve into the mysteries of Emmenegger s work, pondering what his paintings could reveal under an X-ray scanner or how he would have used photography if given the opportunity. They employ contemporary techniques such as analog and digital photography, video, and 3D software to offer personal and poetic interpretations of his work. Their creations, presented as part of the retrospective, provide fresh perspectives on Emmenegger s oeuvre and invite viewers to discover this mysterious artist through the eyes of ECAL students. Exhibition at the Fondation de l Hermitage, Lausanne June 25 to October 31, 2021
Carhartt WIP × ECAL Earlier this year, Carhartt WIP (for Work in Progress) teamed up with ECAL, inviting Bachelor Photography students to interpret in their own way some of the emblematic pieces of the American clothing brand, which develops its own collections from the original Carhartt work clothes. The students, led by art director Nicolas Poillot, produced an editorial report, which was included in the latest issue of "WIP Magazine" published by Carhartt WIP and some of whose images will be exhibited at the ECAL on the occasion of the launch of this book.
Reinterpret Recompose Refer Choose a paperback book on political engagement from a library or bookstore and from this existing book, propose 2 expanded versions of it (adding other texts, images, graphics, etc.). One version must be recomposed without the help of a computer. Choose a paperback book on political engagement from a library or bookstore and from this existing book, propose 2 expanded versions of it (adding other texts, images, graphics, etc.). One version must be recomposed without the help of a computer.
Bichromix – 2021
Editorial design – S1 2020
Tacos A website developped during a semestre using a recipe as content chosen by the students during the course Screen Design lead by Harry Bloch, second year Bachelor Visual Communication. Here, Tacos: A taco (Spanish: [ˈtako]) is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a small hand-sized corn or wheat tortilla topped with a filling according to Wikipedia. INGREDIENTS 1 medium frybread 250g of minced meat 150g of cheddar 1 tomato some salsa sauce Visit the website for instructions!
¡Paella! A website developed during a semestre using a recipe as content chosen by the students during the course screen design lead by Harry Bloch, second year Bachelor Visual Communication. Here, Paella: Paella is a Spanish rice dish originally from Valencia according to Wikipedia. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 pound whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled 1 tomato, finely chopped 15 ounce can butter beans 10 ounce package frozen green peas salt to taste 10 teaspoon mild paprika, or to taste 1 pinch saffron threads 1 pinch dried thyme to taste 1 pinch dried rosemary to taste 1 cups uncooked white rice, or as needed Visit the website for instructions and more recipe!
Extra – 2020 A one week workshop with Cyril Diagne where students were asked to question the browser and its use, to change the experience of the web thanks to chrome extensions. Trace ECAL/ TRACE is a Chrome extension that lets you visualize your path through images on the web. An alternative to the classical browsing history and a simple project mixing graphic design and data visualization. History Bubble ECAL/ History Bubble, a Chrome extension helping you visualize your browsing history on a day-to-day basis. Chrome Pollution ECAL/ Chrome Pollution allows you to see the invisible working with real time air quality data. iEye ECAL/ iEye is the best add-on for your browser in this decade. Switch tabs, scroll down, interact with your browser… just with your face. This Chrome extension uses ml5.js for facetracking. Rekt Animation ECAL/ “Website Animations suck” With the Chrome extension “Rekt Animation”, remove any pointless and invasive animation on any website.
Timothée Mion – CSTM-01 Space debris is a growing threat to current and future space activities. The “ClearSpace-1” project under the Adrios programme, which is partially funded by ESA (European Space Agency), was created with the aim of fostering and developing space debris capture and deorbitation technologies in order to help preserve a sustainable future in space. My mission was to develop a concept study of the capture system in collaboration with the ClearSpace start-up. The four aluminium and rubber robotic arms are designed to be produced in a simple and cost-effective manner. The plates are cut, folded and put under tension to form a light, yet rigid structure. timothee.mion@gmail.com https://timotheemion.com
Ryo Katayama – Corner Urinal Corner urinals do not require partitioning but can protect privacy and reduce urine splashing. By standing at an angle, the field of vision between neighbours does not overlap and privacy is protected, so people do not need to have partitions. In addition, hitting the urinal surface at an angle reduces splashing. The urinal s opening is oriented towards the entrance to create a smooth flow of people. Furthermore, there is no need for partitions, which allows for more space. riokatayama@gmail.com http://ryokatayama.site
Enabled by Design Enabled by Design is a joint research project between EPFL and ECAL, funded by Gebert Rüf Stiftung, which aims to foster collaboration between young entrepreneurs involved in technological projects and designers. Over recent years, EPFL has identified a genuine need for design expertise to successfully transform laboratory technologies into products that are available to users. Design is now a crucial resource in innovatory projects because of its user focus, strategic vision, iterative methodology and creativity. Collaboration with designers offers added value to products/services and allows the young entrepreneurs to reduce uncertainty, validate market opportunities and communicate a coherent and persuasive message to potential customers and investors. The research team has created a web-based platform to create links between entrepreneurs and designers seeking to collaborate on technological projects. The platform offers different design missions (UX/UI, industrial design, graphic design, video, animation and photography), displays the findings from a variety of collaborative projects and provides a series of tools and articles to facilitate collaboration. There is currently a design center within the EPFL Startup Unit which offers this service to start ups on an ongoing basis and seeks to transform emerging technologies into usable products.Main applicantsECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne (project leader) (project leader)Research teamIsabel Casado PartnerEPFL/Federal Polytechnic University of Lausanne, Enable programmePeriodmarch 2019 – december 2020Supported byECAL/Ecole cantonale d art de Lausanne Gebert Rüf StiftungDisseminationPublication medium.com/enabled-by-design Website enabledbydesign.ch Press N.a., Supporting entrepreneurs from lab to market, in Startupticker.ch, 6 September 2019 Tiago Peres, How to build a good prototype, in Technologist.eu, 2 January 2019
Luca Gruber – Nimbus-Catalysis Our environment consists of a constantly changing accumulation of energy potentials. The ego-subject represents even more stimulated energy potential. This excited potential can be defined simply by a vibration and if several vibrations meet, this inevitably leads to interference. This project aims to create an interactive installation in which the subject becomes more open and helps energetic radiation to react to its environment. The interference of the subject with its environment is metaphorically visualised and through its interactivity, refers to the reflection of the ego. info@luca-gruber.de http://www.luca-gruber.de
Philipp Klak – wasserturm() Mention Bien Randomness is a crucial quality in artistic practice. This project addresses the issue of the extent to which machines can help further enhance and overcome the human aspect by programming an image and randomly generating unlimited variations of the same scene and the same type of object. During my time at ECAL I developed an interest in studying hidden processes and structures. For this project, and in reference to the history of photography and in particular to the Bechers typologies, I randomly generated images with the help of a fully automated system. Mention BienRandomness is a crucial quality in artistic practice. This project addresses the issue of the extent to which machines can help further enhance and overcome the human aspect by programming an image and randomly generating unlimited variations of the same scene and the same type of object. During my time at ECAL I developed an interest in studying hidden processes and structures. For this project, and in reference to the history of photography and in particular to the Bechers typologies, I randomly generated images with the help of a fully automated system.
Vuk Vukmanovic – Soraya Luna (sound) A cinematographic necromancy calls the spectres of the past: by the means of VHS find the spectator submerges into the Berlin family s intimate play of the author s childhood. iamvuk@gmail.com https://www.iamvuk.com Fiction / 24min Synopsis A violent event of death shatters the author in spring 2019. So she start a cinematographic necromancy calling the spectres of the past : by the means of VHS find she submerges into the Berlin family s intimate play of her childhood. An attempt of purification which passes the limites of time, language and space in order to transform a profound wound into something sublime. Student s statement In order to ensure a sound that was both artistically and technically appropriate for my classmates graduation films, I worked closely with all departments involved in the production process, scouting locations, attending rehearsals, and choosing the right equipment. I also helped develop the narrative aspects of one of these projects by adding or taking away layers of music, moods and effects to the sound editing, and then refining this complex soundscape in the mix until it fitted imperceptibly into a larger context.
Sarah Rathgeb – Stray (direction) Joana has just moved in with her boyfriend and her dog Boris. This is an important step in their relationship, a life-changing step.In their new apartment they have everything they need for their future together: except a mattress. sarah.rathgeb@hotmail.com Fiction / 17min Synopsis Joana (30) has just moved in with her boyfriend Timo and their dog Boris. It s an important step in a relationship, a life-changing step. In their new apartmentthey have everything they need: exept a matress. Joana decides to go out and buy one. Confronted with the choice of a new mattress, doubts arise. Joana is no longer sure what she really wants. She begins to have doubts about her decision, her relationship and the world around her. Moments later, she s sitting in the delivery truck with her dog and Antonio, the mattress salesman. Joana doesn t seem to be in a hurry to get home. As it turns out, Antonio doesn t seem to be in a hurry either. He also finds himself facing a major change in his life. His mattress shop is about to close and his future also seems to be full of doubts and uncertainties. Little by little, both of them realize the similarities of their situation. They both find themselves at a point in their lives where they don t know what to do. But if they don t know what to do or where they want to go, one thing unites them, following the dog s example, they will follow their instincts. Student s statement The universe depicted in the film is an absurd one that reveals how we can feel like strangers in the world we live in. We feel humankind s constant plight, torn between hope and despair. The characters run away from all their problems in their own way and avoid getting involved in other people s problems. Existential crises are a central theme of our time. Nowadays, there is constant doubt about the possibility of establishing any meaningful relationship with the world around us.
Riccardo Sala – BPZ This set of works bears witness to the neoliberal world and its ability to replicate itself through the machines of desire. The images come from assembly instruction leaflets of small toys found inside Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs. Some of them are transformed and shown again through the process of lithographic printing. One of them is painted enlarged on canvas. riccardo.sala@mail.com https://www.riccardosala.online
Emeline Herrera – A Moment of Bewilderment Corridors go around in circles and doors lead nowhere. Only artificial light passes through the blinds. There is dust on the ceiling and you realise that these hands do not belong to you. Something is wrong, you are confused. Just before the dust settles on the floor and radiates on your body, you should leave. When you come back to reality, it is already too late. There is no way to prevent this. There is no coming back. Some elements are made to stay and others to vanish. Studio A. Set 1: somewhere in a moment of bewilderment. emelineh1188@gmail.com
Bastien Claessens – Taalee At bedtime there is nothing like reading a tale alone with your child to smoothly transition from excitement to calm. Snuggled up against you, your child enjoys this intimate moment and escapes into his/her imagination to the rhythm of the story. With the help of soundscapes, Taalee seeks to reinforce this magical moment. Taking the form of a mobile app, Taalee offers a creative and sharing space accessible to all and thus enables anyone to add to their stories with the use of featured compositions or by creating your own.
Maya Bellier – Strike the Pose In performing arts, there is often, by convention, some distance, an invisible screen that separates the audience from the actors in the performance. Yet these respective positions have changed over time. Bauhaus artists actually aimed for total theatre, where the entire venue would be the stage. Strike the Pose is a participatory VR experience that begins from the moment we wait. A re-interpretation of Oskar Schlemmer s “Triadic Ballet”, this complete and inclusive work invites all participants to enter through their acting into a total composition, both physical and digital.
Martin Stricker – Notch Designed to meet the needs of experienced skiers, “Notch” is a ski helmet with integrated goggles. Nowadays, wearing a helmet and goggles is self-evident: these two objects have every reason to be merged into one. Visor helmets seen on ski slopes have a bad reputation with experienced skiers who deem their design and functionality disappointing. Based on my own experience as a professional skier, the project was developed in an innovative fashion in order to blend together the best existing solutions in a completely integrated design.
Estelle Rougerie – Clip This project addresses the temporality of furniture. When does one need a table, for how long, and for what use? “Clip” is an auxiliary table made from wood, intended for indoor and outdoor use and to meet daily needs. It can easily be assembled, moved, disassembled and stored. The top is attached to the legs with a clip system. Thanks to the use of wood, the table fits comfortably in a variety of environments. For an aperitif, an improvised meal or a sociable moment, one clip and Bob s your uncle!
Jeanne Mercier – N167 During a night at sea, at anchor or in the harbour, boats are immersed in darkness. This lamp illuminates the sociable moments you have on the boat. The user suspends the lamp, inspired by mooring cleats, with a rope according to his/her needs. Waterproof and shock-resistant thanks to its protective ring, the lamp is adapted to the risks of its environment.
Charlotte Krzentowski – Emineo Mention Très bien In most households the dining table is at the heart of the action. It is seen as a lively place, where people eat, work, play and cook but most of all, where people gather together. “Emineo” is a height-adjustable dining table that can be adjusted with the help of a piston for various possible uses.
Nadia El-Hindi – Chef ! Immersion into the highly codified world of cutlery made me discover the delicate and threatening duality of knives. Guided by my observations of the forms and details relating to steel work, I chose to open up the boundaries of this field with the help of a craftsman. Thus, I created “Chef!”, a line of kitchen knives that combines the intelligence of craftsmanship with the precision of the industry. The steel blade, protected by a natural anti-corrosive treatment called “seasoning”, is attached to the handle thanks to assembly that is directly inspired by hammers.
Louis Bétin – Traveler Enjoying sustainable transport, stopping wherever you want and bivouacking without trouble were the three main markers of my thought process. “Traveler” is designed to meet the essential needs of an independent traveller: transport, sleep and shelter. The polypropylene shell provides a safe and waterproof storage space. The suspended bed offers a comfortable sleeping area and easy access to the cargo hold. Finally, the aluminium roof structure keeps the equipment sheltered and guarantees effective protection against the weather when opened out.
Jérémy Aberlé – NATT As some great architects of modernism used to say, the issue for major cities is that man is completely disconnected from nature. This is why I decided for my graduation work, to create urban structures at the crossroads of design and architecture that aim to reconnect human beings with nature. These consist of tubular steel elements on which nets are strung for people to rest. These structures are intended to be set up around trees, in parks or schoolyards, where human activity interacts with green spaces.
Thibault Rodrigues – Taking the desert (editing) Cevennes, 1702. In a totalitarian political state, four men take up arms. Fiction / 14 min Commentaire My graduation project consisted of editing Noémie Guibal s film. The main experience of this film editing was to find, in the narrowness of a collaboration interrupted by coronavirus hazards, the strength of a shared desire to give the film the space and time it required. Rhythm. Fluidity. Slowness. Shock. Structure. Balance. Acts. Discourse. These are some of the many tools that enabled us to manage the film s “respiration”. Leaving behind the order of the script to find in the freshness of the rushes, the film s coherent disorder. Thibault Rodrigues
Nora Longatti – Strangers A young woman challenges the daily grind with an unusual habit: getting in touch with strangers. Fiction / 20 mn Synopsis A young woman collapses in the midst of an anonymous city. Strangers go by or bend over her. Strangers is a silent research on resonance in a world of passerbys. Comment An almost silent wide shot opens the film on a gray building, the entrance to number 36, framed by two balconies with sloping umbrellas. At the bottom of the building a form lies, we discover that it is a young woman... when she gets up. The narration repeats itself, slowly, the sets change at the rhythm of the falls, the camera is of a voluntary stability, it films like the witness of an external glance; the carefully chosen settings are graphic, of a beautiful sobriety, playing on a range of cold colors nuanced with some warm notes, the light is natural, everything is clean and simple. This young woman falls - syncope fainting loss of consciousness abandonment? We don t know. She fades away from time for the space of a glance, she melts on the material until she finds herself on the ground, whether it is outside or inside, she collapses gently either with her head resting on a shoulder, or wrapped in arms, or brooded, or embraced, by human beings who, while being delicate, will watch over her until she wakes up, always silent and motionless, they will respect her temporality until she returns to movement. She finds the movement again, falls again, the narration repeats itself, her collapses punctuate the film like the refrain of a sweet lullaby. Hush! Let her fall. Stéphane Lévy, DOP
"Offline" Magazine n°10 and new dedicated website,26.11.2020,www.offline-online.ch On the occasion of the publication of its tenth issue, the magazine "Offline", entirely produced by ECAL students, now also offers you an online rendez-vous thanks to its double digital format. offline-online.ch thus offers you a selection of interviews, dossiers and portfolios, allowing you to (re)discover the best of what has been produced within the framework of the magazine. offline-online.ch allows you to consult the content according to your interests via an index and a search tool that will help you to probe the themes in a targeted manner. offline-online.ch also gives you the opportunity to browse through the first ten issues at a glance and go to ecal-shop.ch where you can order the copies you are missing to complete your collection. Enjoy your reading!
Mindaugas Matulis – Modern House and Green Garden The project is based on the aimless wandering of Mendog, a fictitious artist/businessman who navigates through a transitional period, elaborating traumas of the past and creating new wounds as he pursues his dreams of suburban happiness. It is set in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, right after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At that time freedom, coupled with the ideological influence of the West, drove people to reshape their lives. After the fall of the authoritarian regime, people were allowed to dream again and some made their dreams come true.