Mimêsis
Information
Temporary exhibition
From 22 May 2026 to 11 April 2027
Public
- Children
- For families
- All audiences
Mimêsis - nature at the origins of innovation
From 22 May 2026 to 11 April 2027
Public opening on 21 May at 6pm
What do skis, a snorkel, a 3D printer and a spy plane have in common? All of these inventions were created or perfected by drawing inspiration from nature. This exhibition highlights the animals, plants and minerals that served as models for these innovations.
Nature is full of inventive solutions, the result of four billion years of evolution and selection, whose effectiveness has been proven on a living scale. Numerous examples from botany, zoology and geology have given rise to remarkable biomimetic applications: lotus and hydrophobic coatings; burdock and Velcro; morpho butterflies and Morphotex textiles; spider silk and synthetic silk, mussel byssus and adhesives, etc.
By creating a dialogue between the natural environment and the human innovations it inspires, Mimêsis invites the public to rediscover nature from a new perspective: that of its intelligence, diversity and inestimable value. It also offers us a lesson in humility, as humans must mobilise complex and often energy-intensive means to try to match what nature accomplishes with an elegant economy of means.
Activities linked to the exhibition
Botanical Garden, Lausanne
Access
Montriond - Place de Milan
Bus : 1 et 25, station “Jardin botanique”
Metro M2 : station “Délices”
Address
Av. de Cour 14B
CH - 1007 Lausanne
Opening hours
Garden, greenhouses and botanical conservatory open:
10 am to 6:30 pm, April 1 to October 31
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., November 1 to March 31
Greenhouse closed on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 noon to 1 pm.
Annual closure from December 15, 2025 to January 18, 2026.