DAE Graduates Participate in Beyond Design Frontiers Exhibition
Four recently graduated students will present their work as part of Agáta Hošnová's curated exhibition titled Beyond (Design) Frontiers. The exhibition will focus on themes of ecology, social, cultural and planetary issues. DAE graduates will present alongside UMPRUM Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Elisava School of Design and Engineering in Catalonia, Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Konstfack – University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Sweden.
Agáta Hošnová curator of the show picked graduates from each of these institutions because of something in particular, for Design Academy Eindhoven graduates it was their strong research.
“All the pieces selected from DAE have excelled in emphasising the importance of thorough research in design. Besides the artistic and aesthetic value the designers have brought to their works, they have all worked interdisciplinary – Alessio Pinton experimented with the field of physics by activating geological matter, Marine Bosi engaged with site-specific research into biology and local laws, Sophia Kukuwitakis worked with feminist theory and sociology, and Poorvi Garag has taken a decolonial and speculative approach. I see that this seamless crossing of boundaries between different fields is what makes the works from DAE so special.” Agáta Hošnová, Curator.
For one graduate, Poorvi Garag, it was important to exhibit her project outside of Eindhoven, elsewhere in Europe, so more people can focus on Europe's colonial impact on the world. “Especially with my project Peperduur, I find it important that viewers can reflect on colonial aspects of Europe's history and how it continues to shape the world today through the most basic of the things we consume - pepper.” Poorvi Garag, MA Social Design, 2024.
Sophia Kukuwitakis aims to transform the way emotions, particularly anger, are understood. Anger, like many other emotions, is often something we’re conditioned to suppress. By showcasing it more openly, Sophia hopes to shift people's perceptions and foster a deeper understanding of what anger truly is. “I hope that through the exhibition at UMPRUM more humans raised as women will start to think about the anger they are suppressing and feel inspired to have a look at an emotion that we are trained to ignore, although it carries so much wisdom and care.” Sophia Kukuwitakis, MA Social Design, 2024.
For students, exhibiting further afield can allow them to build connections with other universities and their students and faculty members. “As a young artist-designer, I am convinced that it is essential to go beyond geographical and disciplinary boundaries to create a global dialogue, continue encouraging collaborations, and jointly anticipate the challenges ahead.” Marine Bosi, MA Contextual Design 2024.
Exhibiting abroad for the first time is a moment to grow as a professional and be exposed to problems and situations that they had never experienced before. “Preparing the project to be sent to another country and exhibited for a relatively long period of time was a challenge I had never faced before, that certainly made me grow as a professional but also grew the project towards further iterations.” Alessio Pinton, MA Geo Design 2024.
Within the exhibit, there are three main thematic circles. Work-related to ecological problems and the need to find sustainable alternatives or ways of acting. The exhibitors experiment with mycelium, speculate on natural disasters, and combine physical and new media. Motivated by the idea of sharing new possibilities of using and engaging with unconventional material. Other exhibitors produce work that critically examines social constructs set by dominant social groups.
With a focus on women, various ethnicities, seniors, children and other minorities. These exhibitors are motivated by goals like emancipation and decolonisation. The third imaginary circle deals with processes of loss, disappearance and invisibility. Not just on a personal or societal level but also on an ecological level. Mostly pointing out design’s practices in the world where it does not meet or address the problems. The goals are to make people aware of just how environmentally and socially fragile the world is that we live in their entanglement is at threat currently.
DAE alumni will be exhibiting their designs that deal with a wide range of contemporary issues at the exhibition Beyond (Design) Frontiers from the 12th of December up until February 4, 2025.