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Graduating as state-certified ceramic designers, they demonstrate a broad spectrum of ceramic design at a high level of craftsmanship and artistry. The works on display include freely turned, built-up and cast objects made of stoneware and porcelain. Different firing techniques were used, which further expand the variety of expressive possibilities. The spectrum ranges from individual artistic pieces to functional utility ceramics and ceramic game tables. The exhibition is characterized by creative diversity, high quality and a special individual signature.

With “körpernah”, Anneliese Abdinghoff created a free-turned, wood-fired utilitarian tableware that is also accessible to people with motor disabilities.
 
Max Biermann produced turned, reduction-fired vessels for the table, for making tea and as autonomous forms.

Inspired by East Asian ornamentation, Leon Park built ceramic game tables for Go, one of the world's oldest strategy games.

In her work “Wellenspiele”, Petra Herbe-Diekmann presents sets of bowls made of twisted and free-form stoneware. The shapes are based on organic forms and the color combinations are inspired by nature. The multifunctionally designed tableware brings variety, liveliness and joie de vivre to the table.

The work entitled “Souvenir” by Carolin Piechotta presents an artistic interpretation of various places she has traveled to. She incorporates personal feelings and found objects she has collected herself, which find expression in the form and structure of ceramic objects. Natural materials such as earth, beach glass, clay and stones are incorporated into the works - both as components of the objects themselves and in specially developed glazes and clay mixtures. The closed vessels are carriers of subjective memories and preserve them inside.

Based on the digital trend of “oddly satisfying animations”, Theresa Pazek creates a playful landscape of objects that transpose the digital phenomenon into real space. Her project “oddly useful objects” explores the aesthetics of order as a haptically and visually perceptible experience, which is shaped by the useful objects.

On display are selected projects by students of the Product Design course at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. The works were created as part of semester projects or as theses and reflect the creative diversity, conceptual depth and experimental approach of the course.

In the Bachelor's degree course in Design - Product and Jewellery Design and the Master's degree course in Material Culture Design, students design products, objects and processes and make them applicable for the diverse challenges of a dynamically developing living and working environment. The requirements for the development of sustainable concepts are demanding and subject to constant change. In addition to considering functional, technological and aesthetic aspects of the design brief, critical reflection on social and ethical contexts also plays an important role. The location of the course within the Faculty of Art and Design as well as in the engineering-oriented university environment offers an ideal environment for this.

Selected results from the semester projects and final theses will now be shown at the Grassimesse 2025.

Project - INTERTWINED
With “INTERTWINED”, Harika Lehman investigates the design potential of grown composites with a focus on their relevance and aesthetics. A furniture design is used to show how these materials can be used sensibly - without restricting functionality or usability. It becomes clear that it is no longer necessary to resort to finite or unsustainable resources. Instead, alternative, organically grown materials offer a sustainable solution that is both ecologically and creatively convincing.

Project - Ceramics
Lasse Johannes Köhler presents various ceramic works. In free composition, he models forms that grow out of the process. Their reactive surfaces are created through experimental glazes that run, layer and break open - open to chance, dynamics and material reactions. His works are characterized by gestures and demand a haptic, direct engagement with form and surface. An early approach to philosophy and music characterizes his attitude: reflective, intuitive, open to the unplanned.

Project - Ephemer
“Ephemer - Der Anfang im Ende” by Korinna Rennefeld deals with the potential of ephemeral product design. The focus on transience is intended to open up a new perspective on today's product design. Themes such as the cycle, the increase in value through transience and decay as a positive aspect are thematized in this consideration and illuminated with regard to their significance for the design process. In the practical discussion, the potential of ephemeral product design is demonstrated, in which transience is not understood as a flaw, but as an integral component.

Participants: Harika Lehmann, Lasse Johannes Köhler, Korinna Rennefeld, Julia Behrens, Helen Tamira Grübel, Paula Zodel 

The lively Münchberg research campus of Hof University of Applied Sciences enables future-oriented studies in textile design. The combination of design, application and technology at this traditional and innovative location creates an inspiring environment for creative and practical work.

In the Bachelor's degree course, students learn basic design processes, analog and digital design techniques, materials science and textile technologies. Artistic, technical and analytical skills are trained through independent and themed projects, exhibitions and collaborations with industry. Modern laboratories and workplaces provide direct access to the latest textile technology and promote application-oriented, creative work. Sustainability, social responsibility and interdisciplinary thinking form the basis for a future-oriented understanding of design.

The English-language Master's course deepens these skills and is aimed at graduates from various design disciplines who want to focus on textile skills. The focus is on the development of complex surfaces and innovative application scenarios. Textile design is understood as a cross-sectional discipline that enables interdisciplinary solutions for functionality, eco-design, performance and marketability. Individual specializations and project-oriented work prepare students specifically for careers in areas such as fashion, interiors, architecture or self-employment.

In the MFA programme in Medium- and Material-based Art, students have the opportunity to develop their practice and research within a range of material specialisations: ceramics, textile, print and drawing, metal and jewelry. The programme’s interdisciplinary structure promotes collaboration across the department and within the institution, with the aim of fostering experimentation and innovation in artmaking and scholarship. The programme faculty members’ wide range of competencies is further enriched by national and international collaborations and by local partnerships with the professional art institutions of Oslo. The study programme emphasises an experimental approach to artistic practices that respond to the urgencies of our time with hands-on skills rooted in material traditions.

Participants: Lynn Gerstmair, Sara Marie Hødnebø, Cristina Mariani, Siri Pettersson, Aleksandra Popova, Mitra Shamloo, Jens Thygesen, Stella Vallik

The Faculty of Applied Arts Schneeberg stands for practical studies between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design issues. In small groups, with direct access to workshops and original materials, innovative solutions are developed here for business, culture and, above all, for people. The courses in wood design, fashion design, textile art/textile design and musical instrument making combine the workshop principle with a unique learning atmosphere.

Supervised by Prof. Jacob Strobel, the sixth semester wood design project “Seasonal Cuisine” focused on the following questions: 
How can the preparation of food outdoors be rethought? Is it actually possible to cook between a park bench and a curb? 
Does an outdoor kitchen always have to look like a luxury showroom? The aim was to design outdoor kitchens that are suitable for everyday use, can be assembled and dismantled seasonally - functional, flexible and with a personal touch.

Madita (Hannah Bayer): Convertible outdoor furniture for children, can be used as a mud kitchen, store or puppet theater. Promotes creativity and craftsmanship thanks to a flexible grid system.
Hackenküche (Nick Bechinger): Inspired by the shopping trolley, the “Hackenporsche” becomes a mobile kitchen and social meeting point - ready for use anywhere.
KochKiste (Jonas Fischer): Modular kitchen cabinet, transportable in a Eurobox. Flexible use, can be assembled and disassembled without tools - ideal for on the go.
Unit:K (Anna Möckel): Compact kitchen case for mobile camping. With clever storage space solutions and sturdy table legs, quick to set up and easy to transport.
VYRA (Ludwig Schlegel): Multifunctional balcony kitchen for cooking, gardening and working in the smallest of spaces. Flexible tubular steel system with movable work surfaces.
Octa (Charlotte Quasdorf): Modular kitchen as a social space. The modules based on octahedrons can be flexibly combined and stowed away as a flat pack without tools.

All projects were realized as 1:1 prototypes and are made of weather-resistant Compact panels (solid HPL panels) in combination with the ingenious and simple wedge connector. Many thanks to the project partners Fundermax GmbH, Ackermann GmbH, Keilverbinder and Wilhelm Reichel (Tuffner Möbelgalerie) for material, know-how and support as well as Prof. Jacob Strobel for his inspiring guidance.

„Gut Ding will Weile haben – Der Stand der Dinge“ 
is the starting point for an ongoing examination of objects – in situ. The project questions objects and things in relation to their appearance, function, form, history, materiality, (in)utility and use, and the potential to be the starting point of a narrative...

"Stand der Dinge“, to be continued = https://outputin.de

The Grassimesse is a public event that takes place amid a collection, exhibition, and publication of objects: in the Grassimuseum.
We — the typography class — enter the audience as spectators and publishers during the fair and beyond, until February.
We gather and enter: into the context of the objects, things, and their spatialization in exhibition, collection, and archive;
We take the occasion of the presentation as a starting point: to act on site; 
We work in connection with the institutional environment and an audience; 
We ask questions, consider existing themes and things, and connect in narratives and perspectives—in content and form.
We are a working group that deals with questions of publishing and exhibiting in terms of content and design. 
We are designing an on-site intervention as a public and presumably publishing infrastructure that will take place over the period and event.

Anna Lena von Helldorff and André Grau with students of the typography class: Fritzi Bosch, Hannes Brühl, Johanna Daferner, Coco Dahlke, Hannes Görner, Luisa Graf, Henriette Gröper, Mimi van Handel, Diva Lindenberg, Anita Olarescu, Ricardo Sander, Anton Van Volxem, Samuel Wendland, Winni Willsch, Kyra Winkler

Love stories move and inspire us. Art objects symbolize the special moments we shared with our dear ones. Applied arts, crafts and design can silently express our emotions and precious memories in the most eloquent way. 

SHORT MOVIES ABOUT LOVE & OBJECTS invited artists and designers to direct and produce short videos of untold stories about love and their favorite objects. These tender and humorous videos form an amalgam of the multiple facets of love. The artists' videos talk about happiness and fragility, passion and adversity, infatuation and disappointment, separation and return, death and existence, spirituality and union, and prove jewelry's storytelling power. The videos help us gain a better understanding of the makers’ work and contribute to the artists’ creative profiles.

Participants: Daniella Saraya  •  Adriana Radulescu  •  Sophie Molins  •  Francesca Cecamore  •  Rosana Lukauskaitė  •  Roberto & Victoria  •  Noa Yankovitch  •  Sajeda Mokary  •  Ashgan Waked  •  Rana Kaabiya • Aaron Pexa  •  Jewelry Poems  •  Christoph Ziegler  •  Q Hisashi Shibata  •  Loukia Richards  •  Ji Young Kim

The videos can be watched from 23–26 October on the 1st floor of GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts.

SMCK On Reel is the first video festival inspired by jewelry and wearable art. Visit the SMCK On Reel-Website for more information.
 

SMCK Magazine's goal is to make art lovers familiar with the history and potential of applied arts, design and crafts, while focusing on contemporary jewelry as a tool of storytelling, cultural diplomacy and political communication. The online, digital and print magazine strives to bridge art and craft disciplines, to discuss contemporary social practices, and make artists aware of market challenges. SMCK  magazine also serves as a podium for independent artists to address interdisciplinary considerations, to share stories of failure and success, and to acquaint readers with multiple cultural perspectives on how to appreciate and use art.

SMCK Magazine issue No. 12 – titled Fashionable – focuses on the question of what this means in times of a global shift – an era of profound changes and creative potential. Fashionable examines which practices, materials, and ideas in art, design, and craft define our contemporary horizon.

The digital edition of SMCK Magazine No. 12 will be available free of charge from October 23 on the SMCK Magazine website, both for online reading and download.

www.smck.org   | instagram: @smck_magazine