ECHOES: a pattern to tell the story of Switzerland and Serbia
In 2026, the Swiss Embassy in Belgrade held an art competition for its new offices. I took part with a proposal called ECHOES. I was not selected. All the proposals were later presented at a reception at the Embassy. Here is what I proposed, and why.
The challenge: one image, two countries
An embassy represents a country. But it also embodies a relationship between two countries. Its visitors are Serbian and Swiss citizens coming to the consular desk, partners and official guests. The walls are part of how Switzerland presents itself in Serbia.
My answer: a bespoke pattern, printed as wallpaper, that tells the story of this relationship on several levels.
The reasoning: looking for common ground
I looked for what the two countries share. The first common ground is nature, and above all the mountains. The ECHOES pattern builds on my PEAK pattern (Mountain collection, 2020). It brings two peaks into dialogue, seen from their ridgelines: the Matterhorn and Midžor, the highest peak in Serbia (2,169 m). The colour palette draws on lakes and mountains.
Other shared symbols are hidden in the pattern:
- two interlocking rings, for cooperation;
- red, which appears on both flags;
- the cross, which also appears on both flags.
At first glance, the pattern is decorative. For a visitor waiting their turn, it becomes a puzzle to decode, and then a message.
One pattern for the whole building
The proposal covered the consular counter room, the waiting area, and the staircases and corridors on two floors, with two options for each space. The pattern stays the same throughout. Only its scale and position change. Each wall is different, yet the whole remains consistent.
For the installation, I specified a fire-retardant, washable adhesive wallpaper, printed by Remarq in Geneva and installed with a local partner in Belgrade.
From the walls to communication
A pattern does not stop at the walls. ECHOES was designed as an identity tool for the Embassy. It can be used on communication materials, as a backdrop for official events, or on gifts for guests: notebooks, scarves, cards.
This is the heart of my work: a pattern created for a place, which expresses its identity and carries it across every medium.
Looking back
A competition forces you to understand an institution very quickly: its history, and what it wants to convey. ECHOES allowed me to take this approach into a diplomatic setting. Today I offer it to very different places.
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