Lucy Mackintosh, Contemporary art gallery in Lausanne, Switzerland
Lucy Mackintosh was a contemporary art gallery in Lausanne located inside a converted EPFL architecture department building. The space displayed works by Swiss and international artists in an environment that dispensed with traditional walls and partitions.
The gallery opened in 2004 as a new space for contemporary art in Lausanne. It closed its physical doors in 2013 and shifted to online activities afterward.
The gallery used temperature zones to separate artworks instead of conventional walls, creating an unusual way to experience shows. Visitors moved through spaces that were defined by warmth and coolness rather than physical barriers.
The gallery was accessible through the EPFL campus grounds, so some orientation was helpful when visiting. Room temperatures were part of the artistic design, so visitors needed to be ready for varying climate zones.
Architects Jean-Gilles Décosterd and Philippe Rahm designed the space with a bold concept where temperature gradients replaced walls. This was an early example of architecture defined by invisible physical forces instead of solid structures.
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