Conceived as a constellation of objects, devices, and fragments of infrastructure, the exhibition approaches animals not as symbols, but as beings with whom we fully share our everyday spaces. It pays close attention to the quiet rituals of care, the subtle dynamics of cohabitation, and the often-overlooked domestic adjustments that reveal how we relate to the living world.

Rats, dogs, pigeons, frogs, and other species inspire six distinct proposals developed by the students. Each draws on a fable to open up new ways of imagining the relationships between humans and non-humans.

This project is part of an ongoing line of research developed within the MAIA – Master of Interior Architecture, focusing on the material and spatial forms of interspecies cohabitation. It extends the work initiated during the symposium Animals Inside: A History of Objects and Furniture for Pets in Domestic Interiors, held at HEAD – Genève in November 2025, which explored the history of objects, furniture, and architecture related to companion animals, from Antiquity to the digital age. At HEAD – Genève, this research informs a teaching approach rooted in experimentation, where design itself becomes a critical tool for investigating the relationships between space, living beings, and use.

Presented at Alcova, a leading platform on the international design scene, the exhibition positions HEAD – Genève within contemporary discussions on interior architecture, ecology, and curatorial practices. It reflects the MAIA program’s pedagogical approach, where research, experimentation, and full-scale (1:1) production are conceived as an integrated process.

Developed by the students of the Master in Interior Architecture, the project is led by Youri Kravtchenko, architect, professor at HEAD – Genève, and founder of Ykra, in collaboration with David Valadomiu Ceballos and Marie Schild, teaching assistants in the MAIA program. 

Six animals, six spatial narratives: 

There Are Seven Doves Dancing in My Home by Hugo Maia Schmitt and Letizia Milone ; Dogs Are Not Only Creatures by Stéphanie Hemidi, Kim Sherin Schönauer and Jérémy Troilo ; Frogs in Search of Wetlands by Martino De Grandis and Ailyn Pieyre ; MEUW (Socius Novus) by Jaemo Lee and Lisa Schober, video by Christof Nussli ; Feast for Rats by Matilde Arletti, in collaboration with the Collectif la Dalle (Julie Chavaz & Angélique Kuenzle), with drawings by Annie Bornet ; Some Animals Hide to Die by Diana Escalante and Karol Szmigielski

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