Department of Design

The exhibition «Museum of the Future – 17 Digital Experiments», which opened on 29 August 2025 in the Museum für Gestaltung, explores how digitalization and artificial intelligence can enhance the experience of objects in museums in the future. Among the 17 experiments in this «Museum of the Future», there are several works from the Department of Design.

Works created in the Minors «Digital Play» and «Cinematic Narration in Virtual Spaces»

Both contributions have in common that the respective students engaged in depth with the marionettes in «König Hirsch» by Sophie Taeuber-Arp.

The students of the Minor «Digital Play» explored the puppetry «König Hirsch» (1918) by Sophie Taeuber-Arp with a special focus on the marionettes. Inspired by Taeuber-Arp's transdisciplinary approach, they created four innovative «playful experiences» which make it possible to experience the sophisticated and rule-based combination of form, colour and movement of the 17 marionettes.

«Puppet Synth» by Lisa Bach, Lars Kristian Blom, David Bock, Jan Espig, Jan Hügli, Silvan Roth and Jan Thüring
«Assembly» by Katia Ditzler, Christian Fluri, Jan Hügli, Anic Müri and Silvan Roth
«Tumbling Tones» by Nico Frey, Leon Junge, Fabian Pitzer, Sharon Rieser and Dominic Sutter
«Critters» by Damian Gierer, Nadja Häfliger, Benjamin Scherrer and Michael Staub

The students of the Minor «Cinematic Narration in Virtual Spaces» approached the puppet theatre «König Hirsch» in an experimental way, creating the short film «Die perfekte Form» (2025). The wholly computer-generated film addresses the question how digital tools can be used to find individual forms of artistic expression in the digital space. To achieve this, students used motion capture to slip into the 3D models of the characters they had built - or they operated virtual cameras und created digital lighting moods.

Students involved: Muriel Ackermann, Sebastian Burckhardt, Gianmarco Di Vincenzo, Ariana Huber, Nina Hungerbühler, Loïc Krüger, Erja Kumar, Robin Richard, Manuel Troxler, Melisande Zeibig

Research Project «Spinne sein»

The research project is based on the audiovisual VR-360° film Barbara Schuler's Master diploma project «Mit den Sinnen einer Spinne – Ein arachnozentrisches Erlebnis» and makes it possible to immerse oneself into the living environment of a spider. The multisensory, interactive VR experience, presented to the general public for the first time in the «Museum of the Future», sparks the interest of the audience for small and inconspicuous living beings. The audience learns more about the sensory perception and way of life of a free hunting spider and about its role in the ecosystem.

Project Manager: Prof. Niklaus Heeb
Conception & Design: Barbara Schuler & Jonas Christen
Sound Design: Dr. Daniel Hug
Conception & Evaluation: Dr. Miriam Loertscher; Dr. Swen Kühne & Mirjam Jochim, Psychologisches Institut ZHAW
Product Design: Micha Baggenstos & Nathanael Boell

Supported by: DIZH, ZKSD

All projects will be displayed in the Museum für Gestaltung until February 2025.