9 April 2026, 9:30 a.m.
Aula, Weißensee Academy of Art and Design Berlin, Bühringstraße 20, 13086 Berlin
On the third Sustainability Day at the Berlin weissensee school of art and design, the greenlab – Laboratory for Sustainable Design Strategies is hosting the symposium re:lokal – closing cycles. It marks the start of the interdisciplinary design project at greenlab of the same name, which addresses the question of how regional resources and production methods can contribute to sustainable, cycle-oriented economic and lifestyle models.
In the context of our metabolism with the world and the transition to a circular economy, designers can play a pivotal role in shaping tomorrow's product culture from the ground up, starting with the use of resources. The symposium therefore focuses on local and regional potential: What raw materials are available to us in our immediate environment? How can materials be thought of in terms of cycles, waste be used as a resource, and production processes be organised in a decentralised manner? And what role does design play in enabling new forms of self-efficacy, community, and responsibility?
Experts from the fields of design, research and practice will discuss their approaches along the three main themes of cellulose, wool and microorganisms. The spectrum ranges from paludiculture and the use of plant-based raw materials to new processes for previously unused local wool and working with microorganisms in fermentation, dyeing and material development.
The symposium is open to the public. Everyone interested is welcome to attend. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Register here
Speakers
Jasmin Jouhar – moderation
Dr. Angelika Richter – opening
Agora Agrar
Katharina van Bronswijk
Bettina Tacke
Swantje Furtak
Dr. Ing. Steffi Silbermann
Esther Kaya Stögerer & Jannis Kempkens
Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten
Maxie Grüter
Fabienne Rako
Maxi Nicoletta Kneiseler & Katja Schmidt
Mareen Baumeister
Malu Lücking
Birke Weber
Emma Sicher
Programme
9:30: welcome note, Jasmin Jouhar
9:35: opening, Dr. Angelika Richter
9:40: tba, speaker from Agora Agrar
10:00: Beyond (naïve) Hope - Confidence in permanent crisis, Katharina van Bronswijk
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cellulose
10:20: tba, Bettina Tacke
10:35: tba, Swantje Furtak
10:50: Experimental Material Research with Regional Shrub Willow, Dr. Ing. Steffi Silbermann
11:05: Unlocking the Potential of Cellulose By-Products, Esther Stögerer & Jannis Kempkens
11:20: Revaluating Pine Bark – Properties and Potentials of Pines sylvestnis bark, Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten
11:35: panel talk
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12:05: lunch
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wool
13:20: tba, Maxie Grüter
13:40: Among Sheep: Fat containing nonwovens in circular systems, Fabienne Rako
13:50: warm, Maxi Nicoletta Kneiseler & Katja Schmidt
14:00: Robotic Felting – Systematic Potentials of Digital Craft Traditions, Mareen Baumeister
14:10: panel talk
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14:40: coffee / tea
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microorganisms
15:00: Microalgae: Material Relationships and Speculative Futures, Malu Lücking
15:20: The colourful world of fungi, Birke Weber
15:40: Microorganisms as allies for Bioregional Resilience, Emma Sicher (EN)
15:40: panel talk
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16:10: end
About the speakers
moderation
Jasmin Jouhar
Freelance Journalist
biography
tba
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speaker from Agora Agrar
Agora Agrar
biography & abstract
tba
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Katharina van Bronswijk
Psychologists/Psychotherapists for Future e.V.
biography
Katharina van Bronswijk is a psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice. She has been active in climate protection since 2009 and, as a spokesperson for Psychologists and Psychotherapists for Future, she is well-versed in the complex connections between environmental crises and psychology. She also works as a lecturer and author.
abstract
Beyond (naïve) Hope - Confidence in permanent crisis
Hope, as they say, dies last. However, ecological crises and social injustices can certainly make one feel hopeless at times. To remain resilient in this world of multiple crises, and ideally to live a happy life, we need optimism. Psychologist Katharina van Bronswijk offers insights into psychological research and explores which attitudes can be helpful in these times.
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Bettina Tacke
biography & abstract
tba
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Swantje Furtak
biography & abstract
tba
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Dr. Ing. Steffi Silbermann
Research platform Bau Kunst Erfinden, University of Kassel
biography
Steffi Silbermann studied product design at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin until 2009. Early in her career, she focused on the design of materials and processes rather than finished products. Following international residencies, including in Iceland and India, she became a member of the research platform Bau Kunst Erfindenat the Institute of Architecture at the University of Kassel. Since 2014, her research there has explored the production of continuous willow wood filaments and their applicability in textile structures at the intersection of design and engineering sciences. She received her doctorate in 2025.
abstract
Experimental Material Research with Regional Shrub Willow
Rather than focusing on the design of products, my interest shifted toward the materials that make them possible. Where do materials originate, and how are they connected to specific processes and tools? In my diploma project, I identified regional shrub willow from the Oderbruch region as a material and recognized woven baskets as curved, textile-like wooden surfaces with considerable functional and aesthetic potential. Following extensive experimental studies at the Academy of Art, I joined the University of Kassel in 2014 to investigate this topic scientifically. The presentation reflects on my transition from product design to academic research and addresses questions of integrating design into engineering research and navigating third-party funding structures. It presents key outcomes developed along this path, ranging from early textile willow-rod surfaces to continuous filaments, their associated machinery, molded components, and the current state of shrub willow research.
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Esther Kaya Stögerer & Jannis Kempkens
weißensee school of art and design
biography
Esther Kaya Stögerer and Jannis Kempkens are graduates of the weißensee academy of art berlin and work as researchers in the DXM research cluster. As part of the LignoLight research project, they are working within an interdisciplinary consortium to develop materials and products based on lignin. Together with other designers, they founded Circology, a design studio for materials research and circular design.
abstract
How can side streams from the cellulose industry be used in ways that enable carbon storage in products? We provide insight into our current work within the LignoLight research project, in which materials and products are being developed based on lignin, a by-product of cellulose and bioethanol production. In contrast to the current thermal utilization of the raw material, lignin is used materially in LignoLight and used in the production of materials for the furniture and fashion industries. Through high-quality material use in the manufacture of modular furniture components and shoe components, the carbon contained in lignin can be bound in the long term. The resulting material combinations and products can be separated by type after use and can be reused or recycled by partner companies through return systems.
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Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten
Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (biomaterials department), Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity (Humboldt University Berlin), University of Salzburg (Department Chemistry and Physics of Materials)
biography
Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten is a fashion and material designer with a strong interest in biomaterials and material innovation. She studied at the Maastricht Institute of Arts and the KHB Weissensee and graduated with a master’s in fashion design in 2021. Currently she is working on a dissertation on the properties and potentials of Scots pine bark that comprises techniques and concepts of folding, interlocking, and the extraction and synthesis of color.
abstract
Revaluating Pine Bark - Properties and Potentials of Pinus sylvestris bark
Revaluating Pine Bark is an interdisciplinary research project that explores the properties and potentials of pine bark, a waste product of the wood industry. The material is studied through a combination of basic research and design, including the analysis of the structural composition of pine bark and investigations into material processing and form-finding. Following a material-driven design approach, the material is seen not as a resource to control, but as a carrier of potential uses.
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Maxie Grüter
biography & abstract
tba
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Fabienne Rako
University of Applied Sciences Potsdam
biography
In 2023 Fabienne Rako completed her product design studies with a focus on sustainable product development at the Kunsthochschule in Kassel. In her thesis Among Sheep she investigated the qualities of fat-containing nonwovens made from European wool and developed a technical textile with beneficial health properties. Since 2024, she has been working as a research associate at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, where she is responsible for teaching in the field of textile technologies and is also responsible for organizing and supervising the Textile Workshop.
abstract
Among Sheep: Fat containing nonwovens in circular systems
The presentation provides an insight into the research on fat-containing nonwovens (FatTex) and reviews the project findings of the last three years. The thesis Among Sheep (2023) builds the foundation for this examination, in which new applications for domesticwool, mostly considered worthless, were first outlined concepually and then tested and investigated practically. The presentation discusses the various positive ecological benefits that sheep have on the environment, questions political regulations governing the handling of sheep's wool in Europe and addresses the development of new and unconventional material cycles.
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Maxi Nicoletta Kneiseler & Katja Schmidt
weißensee school of art and design berlin
biography
Maxi Nicoletta Kneiseler: I am 23 years old and a product design student at weißensee school of art and design Berlin. At the center of my work is experimentation with materials and processes. I place particular emphasis on sustainable design solutions.
Katja Schmidt: I am a textile and material design student at weißensee school of art and design Berlin and work at the intersection of cultural education and sustainability in the field of textiles. My approach is usually collaborative/participatory and practice-oriented.
abstract
warm
At greenlab 2025 Co-Habitation Transforming Spaces, we (Camilla Hein, Maxi Nicoletta Kneiseler, Leon Meree, Katja Schmidt) explored the question of how local wool can contribute to improving the quality of life for homeless people. Our project connects current sustainability topics with social issues in Berlin/Brandenburg. Wool provides warmth, insulation, fertilization, binds pollutants and absorbs sound. Yet, in Brandenburg, 290 tons of sheep’s wool are discarded unused every year. At the same time, thousands of people in Berlin live without permanent housing. Could this local wool provide warmth and protection to homeless people? Using regional wool, we experimented with hand and robotic felting techniques and conducted felting workshops at the Bahnhofsmission to better understand the emotional and practical value of wool. The result is a portable felt mat, designed for multifunctional use by homeless people, along with a collection of valuable knowledge about regional wool
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Mareen Baumeister
weißensee school of art and design berlin
biography
Mareen Baumeister is a designer working at the intersection of ecology, craft, and technology. She explores how the intelligence of matter itself can guide design, unlocking hidden potentials of materials, production processes, and value chains. In addition to conducting her own internationally awarded and exhibited research, she teaches as a research associate in the departments of Product Design as well as Textile and Material Design.
abstract
Robotic Felting – Systematic Potentials of Digital Craft Traditions
The wool of native sheep, which are mainly kept for landscape conservation, is currently mostly disposed of despite its excellent properties. Its coarse fibre qualities make it less suitable for applications close to the body, and the infrastructure for processing it is missing. The lecture provides an insight into how new applications can be opened up through traditional and modern processing methods. The focus lies on how almost forgotten techniques of felt craftsmanship and digital robotic manufacturing can complement each other to open up new aesthetic and functional possibilities. The lecture explores the question of how felt, as a natural monomaterial, becomes versatile through diversity in fibre qualities and the processing itself.
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Malu Lücking
Politecnico di Milano
biography
Malu Lücking is a designer and researcher exploring how design can engage with marine ecosystems through biodesign and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her work focuses on algae-based materials and speculative interventions that bridge creative practice with ocean science. She is a PhD candidate at Politecnico di Milano, investigating the material and spatial potential of the sea as a site for design innovation.
abstract
Microalgae: Material Relationships and Speculative Futures
Algae are among the oldest life forms on Earth, yet their potential for design and innovation remains largely untapped. This presentation explores the extraordinary capabilities of microalgae — microscopic organisms that produce over half of our planet's oxygen, sequester carbon, and hold promise for addressing some of our most pressing ecological challenges. Through two practice-based projects, the talk illuminates how designers can work with living systems to create new material relationships and speculative futures. The first project, Remote Symbiosis, explores the bioluminescent properties of dinoflagellates through an interactive curtain. Human touch triggers glowing responses from the algae, creating a playful interspecies dialogue that recalls Tamagotchi-like care dynamics. The second project, Landless Food, turns to microalgae as agents of flavor regeneration in an uncertain climate future. As biodiversity loss threatens the tastes we know, this work speculates on how cultivated microalgae might preserve, recreate, or reimagine lost flavors — offering both practical sustenance and cultural memory in a transformed world.
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Birke Weber
Technical University Berlin, weißensee school of art and design berlin
biography
Birke is a textile and material designer. Her work focuses on fungal-based dyes and their biotechnological production and application in sustainable material and textile systems at the intersection of science and design.
abstract
The colourful world of fungi
Our colourful planet has created three large kingdoms of organisms: flora, fauna and funga. Funga? In fact, the world of fungi, in its diversity of forms and functions, is only partially visible to the eye, but is fundamental to the formation and interaction of natural elements. Nowadays, it even offers numerous possibilities to stop the harmful and destructive dynamics of our industrial production methods. My presentation will give you an insight into my research. It focuses on the various possibilities of extracting dyes from fungi for use in textiles, which can replace synthetic dyes with harmful side effects. The focus is on the development of ecological extraction and dyeing processes, as well as the controllable growth of mycelia in bioreactors. The goal is to create a constantly growing color palette that can also be transferred to other materials.
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Emma Sicher
IMD Institute for Material Design – HfG Offenbach am Main, Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity (Humboldt University Berlin)
biography
Emma Sicher is a designer, fermenter, and TEDx speaker working on materials and foods made with microorganisms. She worked on projects exhibited internationally, including at the Vitra Design Museum and V&A Dundee. Currently, she is affiliated with the HfG Offenbach am Main and the Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity at HU Berlin in Germany. Her doctoral research weaves design, microbiology, and field research, aiming to foreground biodiversity and situated approaches in Biodesign.
abstract
Microorganisms as allies for Bioregional Resilience
This talk discusses Biodesign, a field where designers collaborate with microorganisms to grow materials aligned with biospheric cycles. Engaging with living microbial materialities, designers operate at the intersection of technological innovation, material properties, and meaningful applications, in constant dialogue with unruly microbial agencies. While current efforts largely focus on packaging, fashion, and temporary architecture, often at the research or prototype stage, situated perspectives reveal new/old ways to expand societal, ecological, and cultural impacts. Drawing on two case studies, namely fungal growth and bacterial cellulose fermentation, the talk illustrates how Biodesign can foster bioregional resilience through fermented foods and materials grown with locally sourced microbes and plants. In doing so, it supports the creation of adaptive production models, and becomes a platform for synergies between designers, researchers, and local stakeholders, promoting place-based practices that foreground biodiversity, regional specificity, and situated knowledge.
Acknowledgement
greenlab would like to thank its partners and sponsors for their support of this symposium: Preußenquelle and the weißensee school of art and design berlin