Image: GO2+ courtesy Curling Computer Club - Unstated.co

The new edition of the World Expo will open its doors on 13 April in Osaka – and will be open until 13 October 2025 – to offer insights and new perspectives under the theme ‘Designing future society for our lives’. After the last events in Milan in 2015 and Dubai in 2020, it is now Japan’s turn to host Expo 2025.

The Master of Arts SUPSI in Interaction Design has been selected as part of the Swissnex Window programme of the Consulate of Switzerland in Osaka to present Swiss excellence in design, digital and interactive art, during the first month of Expo 2025 Osaka, through the exhibition Synthetic Interactions, with the support of Presence Switzerland (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs).

Two installations designed by Master’s students, Tangible Algorithm (Alice Mioni, Sophie Sprugasci and Alessandro Plantera) and Echoes of Exclusion (Cathrine Hansen, Hanna Kastrytsa and Amina Fatou Cissé), explore the relationship between technology and photography and allow us to understand how technology influences our society, decoding and critically analysing the images generated by artificial intelligence. Interaction design provides keys to understanding our world and how we interface with technology, and the installations shed light on the biases that perpetuate discrimination of various kinds and question the way we perceive photography in the digital age.

The two installations are the results of the course Prototyping Interactive Installations 2023–2024 led by Leonardo Angelucci as part of the Master of Arts SUPSI in Interaction Design. On show also Go2+, a project by Curling Computer Club that investigates the relationship between interaction design and technology. The exhibition project is curated by Angelucci himself, Serena Cangiano (head of the SUPSI FabLab and researcher at the Institute of Design SUPSI) and Marco De Mutiis (digital curator at the Fotomuseum Winterthur).

The exhibition is a collaboration among the Master and architecture and design companies based in Canton Ticino – Veragouth e Xilema and Cristallina SA – together with the contribution of the two Japanese organizations Tokyo Photographic Research and FabCafe Kyoto.

On the occasion of Swiss National Day, scheduled for Tuesday 22 April, a delegation led by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin will visit the exhibition. 

Opening and exhibition period

The opening of Synthetic Interactions is scheduled for Wednesday 9 April 2025 at 18:00 at the Consulate of Switzerland in Osaka, Swissnex in Japan (Umeda Shinmichi Bldg. 1F, 1-1-5 Dojima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0003). The exhibition will be on view from Thursday 10 April to Tuesday 6 May 2025 (Monday–Friday 10.00–17:00, closed 24 and 25 April). Free admission, by registration.

Master of Arts SUPSI in Interaction Design

Blending cutting-edge methodologies, creative strategies, and the insights of leading professionals, the Master of Arts SUPSI in Interaction Design not only meets the evolving needs of the professional market but shapes its future. Rooted in advanced research in digital ecosystem design, prototyping, user research, and emerging technologies, the program prepares students to lead in an era where AI is revolutionizing society, equipping them with the vision and skills to employ intelligent technologies and address complex, real-world challenges.

Swissnex Japan

The Consulate of Switzerland in Osaka is the first Consulate in Ja¬pan with a primary focus on science. As part of the Swissnex global network, it connects Switzerland, Japan, and the world in educa¬tion, research, and innovation. Its mission is to support the outreach and active engagement of its partners in the international exchange of knowledge, ideas and talent.