In a three-year collaborative project, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and Presence Switzerland have embarked on a mission to spotlight the future and dynamism of Swiss design to a global audience. With a new theme each year, the House of Switzerland is the physical culmination of the project, taking residence in Milan’s iconic Casa degli Artisti in Brera. Split across three floors, with indoor and outdoor installations, the house draws from the country’s design heritage, while addressing themes through a current lens and a future-focused vision.

Alluding to the visceral physicality of joy, this immersive experience will gently guide visitors through the space with the assistance of interactive graphics, objects, and instructions. Seeking to encourage its tenants to lose track of time and find themselves absorbed within its contents, the house hopes to personify ‘pure joy’ in allowing a sense of escapism while acting as a reminder that joy can be found in the most unlikely of places. Being an active emotion, joy exudes energy and life which will be witnessed through the immersive nature of the space, inviting all to take part in collective and individual ways.

Through distinct interpretations of the theme from the designers and studios involved, 2 and 3-dimensional works will draw you in; some with a touch of joviality as others address thought-provoking concepts that may challenge our own discernment of joy. Ropes, swings, ladders, and hammocks invite you to stay in the moment, while games and amusements ask for a childlike curiosity, giving us all the opportunity to reconnect not only with each other but also with ourselves, through the universal language of joy.

Often associated with a rigid and serious aesthetic, this experience also revokes the singular perception of Swiss design, encouraging us to become captivated by its playfulness with a pure and open naivety. And, through embracing the spirit of the playground, it allows us to step outside of our own individual worlds for a moment before revisiting them with a fresh, and albeit more joyful, perspective. 

The Artistic Direction is composed by Dorothee Dähler, Kaj Lehmann, Lukas Marstaller, Oliver-Selim Boualam, Yeliz Secerli. 

All exhibitors were nominated by an independent jury made up of renowned specialists:

• Johanna Agerman Ross/London, United Kingdom - chief curator design museum, founder and director of Disegno.
• Alessio Ascari/Milan, Italy - founder and creative director of Kaleidoscope magazine and Capsule, curator of Spazio Maiocchi.
• Wataru Kumano/Miyota, Japan - founder and designer of the design office Kumano.

The projects and design ideas involved reveal essential qualities of functional aesthetics and also contribute to the design of a more resilient and sustainable world.