german design graduates making noise dutch design week first time

German Design Graduates at Dutch Design Week

The German Design Graduates, an initiative powered by the German Design Council, is making its debut appearance at the prestigious Dutch Design Week (DDW) in Eindhoven – one of the biggest design events in Europe with more than 350,000 visitors. From a modern take on a funeral ritual to a post-collision space debris containment, all 25 projects cover designs within the current conditions of a world in transformation. Thanks to curators Amelie Klein and Jana Scholze, the displayed works by the recent laureates are being presented under the ‘Making Noise. Suggestions for a Complex World’ exhibition until 29 October, 2023.

(above) Designed to Die by Janek Beau | © Janek Beau

(banner) Ilco Kemmere | © German Design Council

all images courtesy of the German Design Council

Since 1953, The German Design Council (GDC) has been operating as one of the world’s leading competence center for communication and knowledge transfer in the field of design. Through events, congresses, competitions, jury meetings and expert circles, the platform promotes young talents, and networks its members and numerous other international brand experts and promotes discourse. On this note, the GDC is taking The German Design Graduates initiative at the Dutch Design Week (DDW) in Eindhoven, for the first time, where the graduates get to show the world their take on the future of design through the ‘Making Noise. Suggestions for a Complex World,’ exhibition running until October 29^th, 2023.

PFDMLEO by Konstantin Goertz | © Konstantin Goertz

Curated by internationally acclaimed experts Amelie Klein and Jana Scholze, the showcase features 25 projects from recent graduates of various German design schools, united under the theme ‘Making Noise: Suggestions for a Complex World,’ and offering a diverse spectrum of approaches. The carefully chosen exhibits explore and address the complex challenges facing a world in the midst of transformation. While some projects present single, definitive solutions, they all acknowledge the intricate web of interconnected issues surrounding them.

‘One of our primary objectives at the German Design Council is to support emerging design talent. We are thrilled to participate in DDW with the German Design Graduates initiative, led by Katrin Krupka. These inspiring projects demonstrate the immense potential of young German talents to drive essential change for the environment, society, and the economy. The exhibition offers a diverse selection of concepts and implementations, symbolizing the innovative spirit of the younger generation,’ expresses Lutz Dietzold, CEO of the German Design Council.

Ilco Kemmere | © German Design Council

25 projects from critical ideas to functional concepts

Some treat the situation as a crisis that necessitates revision and change, while others promote activism, rituals, or community engagement. Some redefine humanity’s relationship with the non-human world, reconsider materials as non-exploitable resources, or engage in world-building. For instance, Lea Mader from Folkwang University of the Arts raises the question of sustainability in design with ‘Unwhite,’ challenging environmentally harmful aesthetic conventions. Janek Beau, also from Folkwang University, proposes a new funeral ritual with ‘Designed to Die,’ creating a place for urn burials in modern funeral culture.

Unwhite by Lea Mader | © Lea Mader

Marie Hutabarat from Magdeburg-Stendal University seeks to digitize the representation of embryonic heart development through virtual reality. Konstantin Görtz from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim develops a concept for containing space debris after satellite collisions with ‘PFDMLEO.’ Esther Kaya Stögerer and Jannis Kempkens from Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin establish an ‘Interspecies Design Studio,’ exploring cross-species, inclusive design. Moreover, Björn Naumann and Karl Anton Schinkel from Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle developed ‘C.O.W.’ – a self-sufficient cooking station for local communities and recycles organic waste into fuel gas and fertiliser through natural decomposition. Lastly, Katharina Mludek from Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle rewrites design history with ‘Toastbrot.’

The curators Amelie Klein and Jana Scholze are particularly interested in presenting the works in an open framework that allows for on-site discussions: ‘To encourage ideas, discussions and hopefully even collaboration, the exhibition aims to offer points of contact rather than a ready-made narrative. A list of terms – our glossary for design conversations – provides possible contexts for understanding the impact and potential of the works on display. We invite designers and visitors to apply the terms to the projects – to exchange, add or remove them. We hope to make it possible to experience how the selected works respond in many ways to the complex demands of our current world.’