Preserving the history and herit­age of design schools

Archives of design in French-speak­ing Switzer­land

Moulding workshops at the Ecole des arts industriels, Geneva, Boulevard James-Fazy, around 1914. As early as the 19th century, young women were admitted to modelling and ceramics classes, and later to ornamental classes.

© Auguste Dubois

How can we preserve, archive, and promote the past and future history of design schools in French-speaking Switzerland?

This is a crucial ques­tion, partic­u­larly for renowned schools such as ÉCAL/Univer­sity of Art and Design Lausanne and HEAD – Genève, Geneva Univer­sity of Art and Design, which play a major role both locally and inter­na­tion­ally. Heirs to a rich indus­trial past, these schools are at the heart of the design scene in French-speak­ing Switzer­land, each with a strong, distinct­ive iden­tity that informs the aesthetic and concep­tual propos­als of its students.

It there­fore seems essen­tial to exam­ine how to archive the iden­tity of these schools and the projects of the students who attend them. It remains to be seen whether certain insti­tu­tions have already adop­ted such prac­tices or whether they need to be developed in order to preserve this herit­age.

Round-table discus­sions will bring together the direct­ors and teach­ers of these higher educa­tion insti­tu­tions, as well as those from voca­tional schools such as EDHEA (the Valais School of Art) and CEPV (Vevey Profes­sional Teach­ing Centre), to shed light on the current state of design and applied arts teach­ing and its future prospects. Finally, a lecture on the indus­trial past of these schools will provide a better under­stand­ing of the links between their past history, their current situ­ation, and future prospects.

This article is part of a series of six themes featured in the Archives du Design Romand exhib­i­­tion currently on view at mudac. The exhib­i­­tion is accom­pan­ied by a rich and varied program, includ­ing lectures, round tables and work­shops.