The Musée cantonal de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains plunges into the world of survivalism, also known as the "prepper" movement. The exhibition covers both the scientific and material aspects of this movement.

The end of the world - and the new universe that will follow. This is what "preppers" are waiting for, or rather anticipating. While it may seem far-fetched, especially from our French perspective, this movement unites several million people around the world, particularly in the United States, who have developed a veritable culture and way of being. These are recounted in an exhibition featuring over 400 works, including architectural models, photos and drawings, as well as video archives evoking fantasized post-apocalyptic worlds. Also on display are speculative design pieces and 300 products designed by the popular prepper community. It should also be noted that some of the works were created specifically for the exhibition by artists such as Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Martí Guixé, Jasper Morrison and Simo Heikkilä.

If the theme of the exhibition rings a bell, it's because it first took shape at the last edition of Milan's Salone del Mobile, where the installation Prepper's Pantry: Objects that Save Lives presented a series of objects and tools that could save lives and meet existential needs in the event of a disaster.

"We Will Survive" unfolds along three axes. The first focuses on the dangers threatening human existence. It introduces us to the US Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and its "doomsday clock". Until January 2023, this clock estimated that humanity was only 100 seconds away from midnight, a way of signifying our mad proximity to the end of time. Since then, the clock has revised its calculation, estimating that we would be 90 seconds before midnight.

The second theme concerns the measures implemented by certain governments in preparation for future disasters. These include American campaigns in the sixties to encourage citizens to build fallout shelters in their backyards, and, closer to home, plans for the temporary relocation of the Neapolitan population in the event of volcanic activity. The final section of the exhibition focuses on individual preparation for survival, presenting the "Prepper Supermarket" - everything needed to ensure a successful post-apocalyptic life. The program includes seed banks and a kit for lighting a fire by hand.

While this movement, which originated in the United States during the Cold War, may seem remote and foreign to us, it's hard not to see an urgency in it. It's an urgency that echoes our own world in the throes of climate change. A question then arises. Shouldn't we also become survivalists?

" WE WILL SURVIVE" MUDAC
PLACE DE LA GARE 17, LAUSANNE (SWITZERLAND)
UNTIL FEBRUARY 9, 2025
MUDAC.CH