Partnerships with Mec-Art

Within the framework of the partnership between ECAL/University of Art & Design Lausanne and Mec-Art (Pour la Mécanique d'Art), the students of the Master in Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship had the opportunity to visit the manufactures and meet the artisans based in the town of Sainte-Croix. This region of the Franco-Swiss Jura arc gathers a great deal of know-how in watchmaking and art mechanics and is now part of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage.

These visits and encounters should enable the students of the ECAL program to create simple and fun mechanical parts that will illustrate the various skills specific to the region, such as automatons, music boxes or watchmaking.

Wind

Shangwei Zhou, Somchai Thumthatanuk
The mechanical components contrast with the natural and organic aesthetic of this clock, inspired by the iconic landscapes of Switzerland. Realized by the best craftsmen based in the small village of Sainte-Croix, this unique piece illustrates a perfect harmony between three typical Swiss mechanical arts: watches, automatons and music boxes. After every full turn of the minute hand, a music starts to ring and the blue metal pieces wave slowly, as the wind over the surface of the Leman lake.

Colours, illusions and concept of time

Sarah Yao
Based on a gradient optical illusion by Akiyoshi Kitaoka, our eyes perceive colours differently depending on the shade of the background they are placed against. I wanted to visualise the passage of time through colour - the resulting objects are a translation of this animated effect through the use of simple but elegant mechanics.

Wind ECAL/ Shangwei Zhou, Somchai Thumthatanuk

Couleurs ECAL/Sarah Yao

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