Congrats to our Graduates!

By February 12, 2023 February 14th, 2023 Event, News
Rémi Opalinski & Lucie Houel

Based on a transdisciplinary approach, the Master of Advanced Studies in Design Research for Digital Innovation invites students to reflect on emerging technologies with a human-centered perspective. They explore their potential and develop unprecedented uses in collaboration with designers, engineers and psychologists, while working on a real-life research project. A big congrats to our recent graduates, Lucie Houel and Rémi Opalinski.

Things That Talk (Image: Calypso Mahieu/EPFL+ECAL Lab)

Things That Talk by Lucie Houel

Museum exhibitions typically present multiple historical objects linked by theme or typology. However, this approach can neglect the rich stories that surround each piece, and thus misses an opportunity to engage and inform visitors. In this design research project, we set out to use digital content to contextualize a single historical object within wider themes. The objective was to increase emotional engagement and cognitive understanding amongst visitors. To design the final exhibition on historical scientific instruments, we blended archival images, original content and hands-on interaction. It presented interconnected narratives that aimed to allow visitors to generate their own stories and reflect on contemporary themes. Evaluations, involving 38 participants, showed that interconnection was appreciated and that visitors learned about the exhibited objects, but also considered the dilemmas in science. This work rethinks digital engagement in museums and shows the positive effect of digital contextualization.

Photobook Uncovered (Image: EPFL+ECAL Lab)

Photobook Uncovered by Rémi Opalinski

Romain Collaud

Romain Collaud

Romain is an Art Director living in Fribourg, Switzerland. In 2013, he received a BA in visual communication from ECAL & in 2017, earned a MAS in design research for digital innovation from the EPFL+ECAL Lab.