Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - Image 1 of 41Soleil·s Solar Biennale exhibition at Mudac, Switzerland, 2025. Installation views. Image © Cynthia Ammann

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https://www.archdaily.com/1032370/works-by-takk-and-ecologicstudio-on-display-at-the-second-edition-of-the-solar-biennale-at-lausannes-mudac-museum

Soleil·s, the second edition of the Solar Biennale, is currently open at mudac, the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts in Lausanne, Switzerland. Following the first edition hosted at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam in 2022, this exhibition explores how design can drive the adoption of solar innovations toward a sun-powered future. The event is initiated by The Solar Movement, founded by designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, an initiative dedicated to making solar energy the default power source by combining design, technology, and advocacy. This year’s exhibition is curated by mudac and offers an immersive experience featuring new and existing projects by TAKK, ecoLogicStudio, Olafur Elíasson, and Andreas Gursky.

Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - Image 2 of 41Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - Image 3 of 41Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - Image 4 of 41Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - Image 5 of 41Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - More Images+ 36

The aim of The Solar Movement is to establish solar design as a recognized design driver worldwide, not from a purely technical standpoint, but by acknowledging the cultural dimensions of a solar-centric way of life. The movement proposes a shift toward a culture, materiality, and everyday life centered on the sun, guided by three principles: design-driven innovation to create functional, beautiful, and sustainable solar solutions; contextual inspiration and universal applicability of site-specific designs; and generative, positive transformation to foster a self-sustaining energy cycle. The exhibition is structured around three themes shaping a solar future: energy, politics, and popular culture.

Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - Image 8 of 41Soleil·s Solar Biennale exhibition at Mudac, Switzerland, 2025. Installation views. Image © Cynthia Ammann

While the first core theme explores material possibilities, the second and third focus on the sociopolitical and aesthetic implications of the transition to solar energy. The exhibition features a diverse array of immersive, interactive, and thought-provoking works, including eight new commissions by architecture studio TAKK, mischer’traxler studio, Alice Bucknell, Rocio Berenguer, Mathilde Pellé, Nathanaël Abeille, and ecoLogicStudio in collaboration with the Synthetic Landscape Lab.

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TAKK’s Fellaria’s Time Capsule is a two-meter-diameter sphere simulating the environmental conditions of 2070 on a plot of land beneath the future former Fellaria glacier in Lombardy. Meanwhile, ecoLogicStudio’s Cryo­florE: on cyber gardening the city uses computational design and a bio-catalytic energy network to envision a prototype city where architecture and living systems merge. Other new projects include a solar-powered furniture-assembling machine, reflective devices redirecting natural light, a performance register about material reduction, a participatory installation where visitors transform into hybrid human-plant beings, and a 3D science fiction documentary.

Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - Image 6 of 41Soleil·s Solar Biennale exhibition at Mudac, Switzerland, 2025. Installation views. Image © Cynthia Ammann

In addition to these new commissions, Soleil·s presents a curated selection of recent works by artists, designers, and collectives including Olafur Elíasson, Liam Young, Andreas Gursky, DISNOVATION.ORG, and academic institutions such as EPFL, HEAD, and ECAL. These works were chosen to deepen the exhibition’s discourse and connect contemporary design practices with global solar movements and historical perspectives on energy culture. The Solar Biennale exhibition runs from the spring equinox to the autumn equinox of 2025, March 21 to September 21. Special visits and participatory activities are listed on mudac’s website.

Works by TAKK and ecoLogicStudio on Display at the Second Edition of the Solar Biennale at Lausanne's Mudac Museum - Image 3 of 41Soleil·s Solar Biennale exhibition at Mudac, Switzerland, 2025. Installation views. Image © Agence Muto – Solar Biennale

Other exhibitions taking place worldwide include Louis Vuitton’s “Visionary Journeys”, its first museum presentation in Osaka, designed by OMA/Shohei Shigematsu; DAM’s “Building Cities Today”, exploring the complexities of developing new urban neighborhoods in Germany; and MoMA’s retrospective exhibition on Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower. The 19th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale will also remain open until November 2025, featuring four new national pavilions and an expanded list of participants in its international exhibition.