Approaches and prac­tices to archive design from French-speak­ing Switzer­land

Archives of design in French-speak­ing Switzer­land

The evolution of design in French-speaking Switzerland has generated a number of stories that have remained fragmentary until now. However, a number of strategies have already been implemented to better understand and preserve this heritage.

One such approach is mudac’s acquis­i­tion policy, which aims to include tech­nical draw­ings and proto­types by design­ers in its collec­tion. These initi­at­ives go beyond the simple conser­va­tion of objects, they capture the essence of the research that goes into the creation of these works. In this way, the museum focuses on a design­er’s design and produc­tion process, from the genesis of his or her research to the final product. These archives docu­ment the evol­u­tion of projects and create poten­tial narrat­ives around the works in the collec­tion.

At the same time, initi­at­ives to improve the access­ib­il­ity of archives have recently emerged in certain fields of design, such as watch design and graphic design. Meet­ings are already planned to present the progress of certain areas of research in French-speak­ing Switzer­land.

This approach raises funda­mental ques­tions for Archives du Design Romand, such as: how far should the museum go in archiv­ing the history of design in French-speak­ing Switzer­land? What elements should be preserved as a prior­ity to ensure a complete collec­tion? Are there new archiv­ing processes that avoid the accu­mu­la­tion of arte­facts? How can we estab­lish the vari­ous selec­tion criteria neces­sary for a mission such as this? And could all this take the innov­at­ive form of group­ing together centres of expert­ise?

This article is part of a series of six themes explored through­out the Archives du Design Romand exhib­i­tion, presen­ted at mudac from 13.09.2024 to 09.02.2025. This labor­at­ory-exhib­i­tion is accom­pan­ied by a rich and varied program, includ­ing confer­ences, round tables, and work­shops.