The format offers a practice-based introduction to wool as a raw material and its relevance for contemporary material design. Starting from the fundamental properties of wool fibres, the structure, behaviour and specific qualities of the material are explored, alongside key processing methods from fibre to textile surface. Complementing the technical introduction, wool is situated within the context of conceptual textile design. The format demonstrates how the material can be understood not only in terms of functional applications, but also as a medium for design, narrative and cultural expression.
Building on this foundation, the basics of robotic programming are introduced as a means of connecting craft-based techniques with digital fabrication. Through robotic felting, participants explore both aesthetic and functional potentials that emerge from the targeted control of the interaction between tool, process and material. Lectures, discussions and selected hands-on elements combine material knowledge with experimental design practice, opening up new perspectives on wool as a contemporary and multi-layered design material. The aim is to develop a material-based understanding that integrates technical, sensory and ecological dimensions.
about
Gast Prof. Essi Glomb
weißensee school of art and design berlin
Essi-Johanna Glomb is a textile and material designer working at the intersection of experimental practice, material research, teaching, and socially engaged design. Since 2017, she has developed the BMBF-funded research project Textile Prototyping Lab at weißensee academy of art and design berlin, later evolving into the Soft Rapid Prototyping workshop and a spin-off company. In 2022 she co-founded the berlin textile coop. and, in 2025, initiated the Disruptive Materials Institute e. V. - a platform for interdisciplinary, socially and ecologically oriented material research. Since 2026, she has been Guest Professor for Experimental Practice in Textile and Material Design.
Mareen Baumeister
weißensee school of art and design berlin
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. Her work at weißensee school of art and design is funded by the Berliner Chancengleichheitsprogramm (Berlin Programme for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities for Women in Research and Teaching).