A Museum Rooted in Everyday Experience

Since its opening in 2000 and after more than one hundred exhibitions, mudac (Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts) has built up a reputation for having an inquisitive and incisive attitude to the things that shape the way we live in the twenty-first century, and has always sought to ask pertinent—and sometimes impertinent!—questions.

mudac’s ambitious programme features five to eight exhibitions a year, alternating between topical projects and ‘carte blanche’ invitations to designers from Switzerland and beyond, with a particular focus on young creators.

Along thematic exhibitions, mudac is the depository of a prestigious contemporary glass art collection, as well as the national repository of Switzerland’s contemporary jewellery and ceramic collections. Curated exhibitions of the collections are also permanently displayed.

mudac prides itself on providing a forum for dialogue and exchange, bringing together design with both applied arts and contemporary visual arts. This unique and bold approach is recognised throughout the world, with exhibitions staged from Paris to Seoul and Shanghai. Diversity, plurality and high standards are the three keywords that define mudac. Additionally, the museum regularly opens its doors to other art fields: choreographers, film directors, performers and musicians have further established mudac as a stage for interdisciplinary dialogue on an international level.

Lausanne’s international reputation as a centre of excellence in contemporary design is built on mudac’s strong identity as much as ECAL’s pioneering endeavours in education and research, and will be prominently embodied by the development of Plateforme 10, the grouping of Lausanne’s three museums of arts, design, and photography within centrally located brand new premises from 2021 on. This exceptional dynamic presents a major opportunity to strengthen this position and make design one of the main driving forces of the region’s cultural and industrial lives.

These exhibition is available in Materialise:

• Sneaker Collab
• Nez à nez. Contemporary perfumers
• Jewels in Play