Mechanical Marvels

Craftsmanship in movement

Celebrating Switzerland’s masters of mechanical art

Discover the world of mechanical art in this immersive exhibition which showcases an ambitious project involving design students from ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne and master artisans from the Swiss town of Sainte-Croix, who are recognised by UNESCO for their skills and traditions in the field of mechanical art. Together, these students and masters have created five truly marvellous mechanical installations which demonstrate the vibrant results of sharing traditional know-how with a young generation.

Discover the human heart and hands behind mechanical objects

Enter an immersive, interactive space which plays with light, materials and transparency, and where movement takes centre stage. Prepare to be surprised and delighted as you operate the mechanical masterpieces yourself by winding a crank and watch these carefully crafted, intriguing installations come to life. Mesmerising and hypnotic, they are far more than the sum of their mechanical parts, showing how creative thinking and exquisite craftsmanship can create something that touches the soul. This absorbing exhibition demonstrates the very human, very warm nature of these kinetic artworks, and the poetic and fantastical world they create.

Curated by

Nicolas Le Moigne
Nicolas Le Moigne is a designer and professor at ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne. For more than ten years, he has headed the Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship. This unique course allows the students to work in close collaboration with prestigious maisons, which can draw on a heritage of a hundred years or more, and to further their design education in areas of excellence as varied as fine watchmaking, tableware, fashion, gastronomy and the métiers d’art, or to learn particular techniques with regards to the use of noble materials and craftsmanship.
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Simon Kidston
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Simon Kidston is a world expert on cars. He began his career in the car auction department at Coys in London, before co-founding Brooks (now Bonhams) Europe in Geneva, spending the next decade staging high-profile car sale events. In 2006 he set up an independent consultancy for motor car collectors around the world. He has been involved in several heritage events for historic cars including Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d’Elegance at Goodwood, UK, and the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa Este in Italy. He also writes a monthly column for Classic Cars magazine.
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