Lake Cadagno is not an ordinary Alpine body of water. Thanks to the phenomenon of crenogenic meromixis, its waters are permanently stratified, hosting in their depths primitive microorganisms that “breathe” sulfur, similar to those that inhabited the Earth billions of years ago. To enhance this unique scientific heritage, the Institute of Microbiology and the Institute of Design SUPSI (Department of Environment Constructions and Design), in collaboration with the Alpine Biology Center Foundation (CBA) and with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), have developed a comprehensive science communication campaign, with the exhibition representing its most significant outcome.
The opening event, scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 18:00 at the SUPSI Campus in Mendrisio, will feature speeches by the Director of the Department of Environment Constructions and Design, Jean-Pierre Candeloro, and the Director of the Institute of Microbiology, Francesco Origgi. The exhibition will be presented by its curators, Nicola Storelli (Institute of Microbiology) and Max da Rocha Fonseca (Institute of Design), who led the integration of scientific rigor with contemporary visual languages.
The exhibition Cadagno Meromictic: a journey to the origins of life represents the culmination of a collective creative process that began with a residential co-design workshop in Piora, where scientists, designers, and citizens collaborated to translate the complexity of research into accessible experiences. Through the use of interactive multimedia content and virtual reality (VR) technologies, the exhibition makes the invisible microscopic world of the lake “tangible,” offering visitors a true portal into the primordial conditions of the Earth.
This cross-media approach has already enabled the project to reach a broad international audience. A notable example is the educational animated short produced in collaboration with TED-Ed, which went viral with over one million views, as well as the traveling installation currently engaging students from the high schools of Mendrisio, Bellinzona, and Lugano 3, in addition to the Cantonal School of Commerce in Bellinzona. In these settings, the dialogue between young people, researchers, and designers demonstrates how science can become a shared public good through creativity.
The exhibition will be open to the public until Friday, July 31, 2026, on the ground floor of the SUPSI Department of Environment Constructions and Design Campus in Mendrisio (via Flora Ruchat-Roncati 15), Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 19:00 (closed on Thursday, May 14; Monday, May 25; Thursday, June 4).
At the end of the exhibition period, once construction of the Piora Visitor Center has been completed, the installation will be relocated to continue its educational and outreach function in its original natural context.