I recently attended “Health First. An Exhibition with Side Effects” in Stapferhaus, Switzerland.

As a creative director, I was particularly interested in how the exhibition would tackle the complex themes of health and illness through design elements like infographics, typography, and storytelling.​

Due to a previously entertaining visit to Stapferhaus (on the now rather topical subject of lying) I expected a high standard of design and presentation, and boy I wasn’t disappointed!

The Waiting Room

The entrance to the exhibition is actually a medical waiting room complete with plastic chairs, hushed voices, and the creeping sense that you’ve forgot your CPR number! You’re left to sit and wait for an unspecified period of time in an awkward silence which felt like hours, but probably no more than a couple of minutes.

This pause in the journey not only prompts reflections of one’s own personal experiences of healthcare, but also cleverly staggers the flow of visitors, something that you come to appreciate once inside. A buzzer announces your turn to enter and in through the surgical double-doors you go.

From there on you wander around a series of engaging and interactive spaces where you can explore everything from historic and somewhat horrific medical instruments to contemporary issues such as mental health, vaccine politics and the use of AI in diagnosis.

In dimly lit rooms the exhibition asks you challenging questions - the kind usually reserved for your 3am worries: 

“Are you really healthy?” 
“Whose job is it to look after you?” 
“Do you trust your healthcare system?”

Developed in collaboration with Dutch design agency Kossmanndejong, the exhibition balances informative and interesting content with engaging visuals and interactive elements.

Presumably to lighten the mood towards the end of the exhibition there’s a fully equipped gym area where visitors can have a go on functioning fitness machines. 

Of course, you are also mercilessly questioned about your fitness motivation along the lines of is it for health, or is it actually for your next Instagram pic?

Suddenly in a surprising twist all TV screens in the gym simultaneously switched to a retro workout session by a neon lycra clad Billy Blanks, who seems to have been a 90’s US TV fitness legend. 

Luckily everyone else also joined in with the aerobic session! :D

Summary

This is a very intelligent exhibition that makes great use of spatial storytelling, interaction, typography, light and even humour. It runs until 26th October 2025 so if you happen to be in Switzerland before then, it’s absolutely worth a visit!

© All images copyright: Stapferhaus / Anita Affentranger