For the past few weeks, we have been under the threat of a new invisible enemy and we had to face it all together. The Covid-19 surprised the world with its speed of light and brought a series of emergency measures from countries all over the world.

The partial lockdown rules that the Federal Council has issued for the population will gradually ease as of April 26th and lead to reopening of public places. The CF also decided Thursday April 16th not to force the population to wear a mask but strongly recommends its use in public places as well as for people at risk or sick.

Besides the limitations of social and physical contact encouraged by the measures, the mask has a strong role to prevent the transmission of the virus from one person to another. A simple object strongly influenced by medical culture.

Design is a flagship discipline in Switzerland and it isn’t uncommon to see many projects from our Swiss design offices shine internationally. Our Swissness and ingenious design style is recognised and respected around the world.

To bounce back on current events and offer a strong response from our industry, we are inviting our designer colleagues to redesign this famous protective mask.

The goal of this project is to make a design proposal in line with the excellence of our field and to exhibit our Swiss know-how in terms of innovation while combining a sharp aestheticism, a vanguard supported and ingenious functionality.

The brief is open and interpretations are completely free, the aim is to offer a showcase of our designer skills in such a special time. There are no technical or material constraints.

We are convinced that, despite the sensitive subject, we will be able to restore our fundamental values through this project which is intended to be light and go beyond the current climate.

We are looking for external partners to produce a selection of masks, we are also looking to disseminate this project as much as possible in the press. More information will follow.

We invite you to take ownership of the project in all its forms and draw on the symbolic and historical artefacts of the mask family. The idea is to move away from the hygienic and austere character of the medical world and to offer an aesthetic palette to this functional object.

To open free and limitless fields of creation, the projects will first be presented in the form of 3D models on a website which will be created expressly for the occasion (in the manner of the Ecal Digital Market) with a virtual vernissage.

Then, we will host a physical exhibition of projects printed in 3D in our Hyperaktiv space in Renens in September 2020 with a physical vernissage this time.

The projects are therefore to be returned by e-mail in the form of a 3D file in STL or OBJ format as well as a rendering image and a description of the project and its intentions.

• Monday 20 April: E-mail invitations

• Wednesday 22 April: Participation answer per email

• Monday 4th may: 3D files rendering

• Monday 11th may: Presentation and communication of the project

• If possible and depending on the situation: Mid-September: Physical vernissage of the 3D-printed projects

It is important to us that this project is independent and that everyone feels free to participate according to the values they want to transmit. We won’t make a selection of projects to exhibit.

Each mask belongs to its author and Hyperaktiv is only the initiator of the project, there will be no other use than to expose the project on the digital and physical platform and disseminate it in the media.

We aim for a minimum of 20 projects on the 80 invited Swiss designers.

Hyperaktiv, formerly known as the LAB, is a spin-off of Studio Raphaël Lutz. Oriented innovation, its action is to support exchanges between the creative community and the companies and start-ups of the region.

Freshly installed in its new premises in early 2020, Hyperaktiv’s value is to put the user at the center of all conceptual concerns and to focus on the contributions of design in terms of innovation.

Our space is also made available for stimulating initiatives and other events such as conferences, symposiums, workshops, etc.

We are a team of 3 people: Manfred Baud, Designer; Julien Gaillard, Innovation and Methodology specialist and Raphaël Lutz, Designer.

Studio Raphaël Lutz is a design office founded in 2012 by the eponymous designer. Its artistic direction is oriented to various projects such as scenographies, design of single or series objects, crockery and tableware concepts and various experiments like the Designer’s Table project.

The work of Studio Raphaël Lutz gives pride of place to artisans in the region and it is not uncommon for the vast majority of drawn objects to be found stamped made in Vaud. It’s a great pride for the studio to be able to collaborate with exceptional artisans in our beautiful region.

Each project is an opportunity to rediscover and to push new ways of exploring different artisanal methods, in order to experiment design in its best way and to bring all the necessary innovation.