June 21-28.
Free Admission.
SNFCC. Athens.
Created for Nostos 2026
Exclusive support from the
Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
ARTEFACTS
Speculative Future Medical Technologies
As emerging technologies reshape what it means to be human, how should we respond?
These speculative sculptures represent technologies that don't yet exist. Crafted by artists across Europe in collaboration with researchers from the Health Ethics & Policy Lab, these sculptures merge classical aesthetics with cutting-edge 3D printing, marble dust, and living matter. From artificial wombs to neural implants, the collection spans the trajectory of human life, challenging us to confront the boundaries of biotechnology, identity, and the human body before the "what if" becomes the "what is."
These speculative sculptures represent technologies that don't yet exist. Crafted by artists across Europe in collaboration with researchers from the Health Ethics & Policy Lab, these sculptures merge classical aesthetics with cutting-edge 3D printing, marble dust, and living matter. From artificial wombs to neural implants, the collection spans the trajectory of human life, challenging us to confront the boundaries of biotechnology, identity, and the human body before the "what if" becomes the "what is."
AI ECHO
Ethical Deliberation and Visualisation
Curious about the worlds these artefacts come from?
The artefacts do not remain silent. Using a bespoke AI tool developed by ETH Zurich's Interactive Visualization & Intelligence Augmentation Lab (IVIA) in collaboration with the Health Ethics & Policy Labs, you can step into a live conversation with each sculpture.
Through interactive dialogue, you will uncover the "memories" of these future relics and unearth the ethical tensions behind their promises.
As you chat, the system maps your responses to generate your personalized Ethical Aura, a unique visual summary of the values, uncertainties, and perspectives that shape your view of tomorrow's technology.
Speak with the Artefacts
The artefacts do not remain silent. Using a bespoke AI tool developed by ETH Zurich's Interactive Visualization & Intelligence Augmentation Lab (IVIA) in collaboration with the Health Ethics & Policy Labs, you can step into a live conversation with each sculpture.
Through interactive dialogue, you will uncover the "memories" of these future relics and unearth the ethical tensions behind their promises.
As you chat, the system maps your responses to generate your personalized Ethical Aura, a unique visual summary of the values, uncertainties, and perspectives that shape your view of tomorrow's technology.
Speak with the Artefacts
CREDITS
Acknowledgements
Director
Effy Vayena
Artistic Director and Curator
Joanna Sleigh
Conceptual Development and Curation
Alessandro Blasimme; Eirini Petrou
Chatbot Development
Rita Sevastjanova, Kirill Heitzler, Menna El-Assady, in partnership with ElevenLabs
Artists and Artefact Producers
Nikolas Athanasopoulos, Richard Beckett, Jan Contala, Erzë Dinarama, Olaf Egner, Johanna Jonsson, Jessica Lundin, Iacopo Neri, Pietro Odaglia, Levent Ozruh, Massimiliano Pelletti, and Hangchuan Wei
Scenography
Burri Mahlknecht Szenografen
Graphic Design
Tommaso Prinetti
Photography
Arthur Heck
A Project by
ETH Zurich
Created for
SNF Nostos 2026, with exclusive support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
Acknowledgements
Alessandro Arganese, Zakharii Bolotnikov, Oliver Buchholz, Dimitris Chasiotis, Malte Dömer, Sunniva Flück, Matthias Gabathuler, Roger Gasser, Soroya Glutz, Arthur Heck, Yifei Huang, Heidi Lee, Matthäus Leidenfrost, Vagelis Louzis, Yullie Matsouka, Claire McBride, Eric Owens, Androniki Petrou, Eri Pyrgidi, André Teixeira, Derme Tiziano, Noel Ullreich, Henry Welch, Oliver Zgraggen, and all others who made this project possible. With special thanks to the SNF Nostos 2026 team.
Nostos 2026
SNF Nostos is a gathering free and open to all organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), an international grantmaking organization. A multifaceted event filled with conversation, art, bold ideas, music, dance, performance, and athletics, it runs from June 21 to 28 at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), a world-class, fully accessible public space in Athens created at SNF’s initiative and through its exclusive support and given to the Greek state in 2017. SNF Nostos 2026 is organized in partnership with SNF’s close collaborators from the nonprofit journalism iMEdD (Incubator for Media Education and Development) and this year we are celebrating SNF's 30th anniversary, together with our partners from around the world.Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), which is celebrating 30 years of grantmaking in 2026, is one of the world’s leading private international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. SNF supports organizations and programs worldwide that aim to achieve a broad, lasting, and positive impact for society at large and exhibit strong leadership and sound management. The Foundation also seeks to support projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as an effective means for serving public welfare. Since 1996, SNF has committed almost $4 billion to more than 3,100 grantee-partner organizations in 137 countries around the world. Find out more at snf.orgETH Zurich
ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities for science and technology, defined by an institutional mandate to drive pioneering research and develop sustainable solutions for global challenges. This project directly manifests that mission by uniting specialised expertise across three of its departments: bioethics from D-HEST, interactive human-AI visualisation from D-INFK, and future fabrication from D-ARCH. By bridging these computational, material, and ethical disciplines through speculative design, the exhibition serves as an active laboratory for public engagement, thereby transforming academic knowledge into a tangible dialogue about the future of emerging technologies.Health Ethics & Policy Lab
Led by Prof. Effy Vayena | Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST)The Health Ethics & Policy Lab, based at ETH Zurich, examines ethical and regulatory questions arising from developments in digital health and precision medicine. Its work combines theoretical and empirical approaches, with a focus on governance, responsibility, and public engagement. Within this project, the lab leads the conceptual and curatorial development of the exhibition.
Interactive Visualization & Intelligence Augmentation Lab (IVIA)
Led by Prof. Mennatallah El-Assady | Department of Computer Science (D-INFK)The Interactive Visualization & Intelligence Augmentation Lab (IVIA), part of the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, investigates how visualisation and computational methods can support reasoning and decision-making. The lab focuses on the design of interfaces that enable interaction between human and artificial intelligence in complex contexts.
Digital Building Technologies (DBT)
Dr. Pietro Odaglia | Department of Architecture (D-ARCH)Based within the Chair of Digital Building Technologies at ETH Zurich, Dr. Pietro Odaglia conducts research in additive manufacturing with a focus on material processes and sustainable fabrication. As a postdoctoral researcher, he specialises in the development of inorganic binder jetting techniques for architectural applications.