Exhibitions

The exhibition “Relics of the Future,” is organized in partnership with ECAL / University of Art and Design Lausanne, from 17 September 2026 to 25 April 2027.

Photographers, designers, typographers, and digital artists reinterpret the medieval symbols of Chillon. Through installations and images created specifically for the site, the students blend heritage and innovation to imagine “Relics of the Future.” The exhibition thus offers a contemporary perspective on the castle, inviting the public to rediscover it as a living heritage and a source of inspiration for the creators of tomorrow.

Events related to the exhibition:

The projects presented offer a variety of ways of interpreting Chillon’s heritage. Each department at ECAL thus proposes a different approach:

Throughout the castle, shapes, patterns and traces of time served as the starting point for the ECAL Bachelor of Graphic Design students. Painted decorations, coats of arms, openings and objects were observed, then stylised, enlarged, broken up or reconstructed into new compositions. These transformations demonstrate how heritage details can be reimagined through a contemporary lens, playing with rhythm, variation and graphic form.

Every room, space and object can spark a certain ambiance or story. ECAL Bachelor of Photography students explored the castle’s rooms, observed details and collected images as food for thought. From these observations, they chose a point of view and an artistic direction. The images on display do not simply document the site: they depict characters, accessories and imaginary situations, revealing new stories shaped by Chillon’s architecture and atmosphere.

When it comes to the Middle Ages, certain places and historical elements have long shaped the collective imagination. The ECAL Bachelor of Media & Interaction Design students drew on visuals and references from the castle to create objects and forms shapes, using digital tools for a contemporary feel. Presented as animations across several screens, these images create a visual universe where the past, future and the imagination coalesce.

Some inscriptions still tell the story of gestures and voices from the past. The ECAL Master of Type Design students worked in the castle courtyard, engraving their letters into the stone using traditional tools. Inspired by writing styles from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, their shapes create a dialogue with the modern typography of the word ‘Chillon’. The inscriptions made here today could leave a lasting trace of our era for future generations.