To further support and expand students’ practice, new approaches on re-use and design, new tools and improved access to workshops are continuously being added to the department’s portfolio.

These resources are intended to expand and simplify diverse workflows, enabling students to test, produce, and experiment more spontaneously and independently.
Different rooms are currently in transition, gradually evolving into a hybrid zone for print productions, archiving, and collaborative workspace.

The transformation reflects a broader commitment to a flexible, practice-oriented learning environment that encourages curiosity, experimentation, and self-directed work.

Where day remains, Night Chandelier, 2025
Supervision: Elisa Polner  

students: Johanna Pratzner, Lilli Forster, Su Güryay, Tobias Spinka, Mahsa Landarany, Gabriele Carnio, Rahel Paulig, Johann Janko, Daria Agapova, Fiona Prohaska, Mashshad Gharagozlou
During the summer semester, students experimented with translating digital processes into physical outcomes through one introductory and one open-ended workshop. 
The results are presented in this space. Students were introduced to digital production tools – technologies that are usually not part of our everyday practice, yet can be surprisingly useful when adapted for individual purposes. Students began by learning how to generate necessary data and have been exploring ever since.
 In the context of sustainability, reuse, and alternative production methods, these tools offer more than just new ways of making – they invite us to rethink how we make, and why.

on Re-Use

Supervision: prof. Andrea Curtoni, prof. Giulia Mazzorin with Andrea De Lorenzo, Davide Tagliabue

Inventario – Nikita Narder

This project presents a collective archive developed by students during the winter semester. It traces the journey of discarded materials, mostly sourced from cultural institutions, which were later explored and reimagined within an experimental design workshop focused on reuse. Fragments of the archive remain visible within the transformed spaces of the department, where some materials have taken on new forms and functions. Others have been catalogued and stored, awaiting future reactivation and use in upcoming projects. This work is also connected to ongoing thesis research on reuse practices in cultural institutions.

DISCO LABIRINTO – Margarita Gimaeva, Tomiris Dmitrievskikh, Leonardo Cattaneo

Made entirely out of reused materials, this spatial installation reimagines our hallway as a common space where we eat, drink, celebrate and spend our time together. The curvy, funky rail system allows the colorful curtains to move freely and adapting to different scenarios. Curtains in various colors, materials and patterns act like a room divider, creating one big room or up to three secluded spaces. The moveable textile elements offer different ways to enter and inhabit the space, transforming our hallway in a funky, colorful and cozy labyrinth.

Kitchen – Charlotte Vetter, Lea Radatz, Gabriele Carnio, Katharina Steinbüchler, Livia Schmitsberger 

Phew. Lots of demands. everyone wants something from you. you have to be functional. You have to have a living quality. You have to be able to store lots of things. you need water, you need electricity. You need space to wash, to cut, to sit, to eat, to cook, to store, to cool. Some want you to be cozy. some need bright light to work, others want warm light to hang out. You need to be easy to clean. You should be transformable. All your tools should be easy to use and preferably at hand from anywhere…

The Cozy Room – Alexander Huber-Nowak, Johann Janko, Lotta Bauer, Mortiz Gregor Böttjer, Rosanna Schmid, Viktorija Juzefa Venckutė, Gabriele Carnio, Katharina Steinbüchler, Livia Schmitsberger

Like a plant, the worms are born in the mother room, they sprout from what is already there, they take root, grow to full size until it is time to leave the familiar space and conquer new territories. The worms that create this space for rest, for reflection and for dreams find their central point in the “mother room”, or “cozy room”, a room designed specifically for this purpose. From there, they can be distributed flexibly and adaptably throughout the department and each individual room, spreading a feeling of warmth and comfort. The “cozy room” itself contains different hight levels and cave like structures, to provide possibilities to hide and retire and cover various needs.

BioLab – Johanna Pratzner, Nikita Narder 

Our idea was clear from the start: an experimental space for everyone! More and more students were immersing themselves in the world of biomaterials and needed a place to let their creativity out. So we got to work. 

A creative mix of recycling and improvisation resulted in a unique laboratory set-up: A green and white chessboard was quickly transformed into a tray, while a pink granite slab provided a sturdy base for an pot. Recycled 3.4-litre jars from the supermarket found their place, as did secondhand test tubes and mortars that now served a new purpose. 

PaGluCon (PGC) – Tanya Shtykalo

As it turned out, our department throws away kilograms of used office paper every day. This paper is already shredded in a special machine (Shredder). Thinking about how to use this already used paper, I remembered the technique that is often used when working with three-dimensional objects.

So, it was time to try this technique and do material tests.

An experiment was conducted to create a material consisting of paper, white glue, and gray cement (paper+glue+concrete = PaGluCon (PGC).