Introducing Studio Better Matter

This year, DAE introduces Studio Better Matter, a new interdisciplinary Bachelor Studio led by Vlasta Kubušová (Crafting Plastics! Studio), with Charles Gateau and Odin Visser (Studio LoopLoop) as the head tutors.

DAE alumna Emma Lucek speaks with the team about the Studio’s foundations, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of the designer as a mediator between matter, people and planetary systems.

Rooted in a shared fascination with the intersection of science and design, Studio Better Matter sets out to explore how materials and the systems they’re part of can be radically rethought for a sustainable future. Combining Vlasta’s expertise in biobased materials and circular design with Charles and Odin’s deep research into non-extractive production and plant-based anodising, Better Matter invites students to engage hands-on with materials science, biodesign and systems thinking. The studio will provide the tools to experiment, collaborate and navigate complexity, bridging lab, field and studio practice.

→ Emma Lucek: How did the idea behind this collaboration begin?

Odin Visser: Charles and I met at the first edition of Alcova Miami. It was a really small group, so it felt a bit like a school trip. Then we met Vlasta and, obviously, we have the same passion for materials, sustainability and circular systems (and also a great passion for tacos!).

Vlasta Kubušová: At our second meeting (and our second taco meal together), we already began discussing the difficulties of sustaining a career as a material designer. We discussed the urgency of design-driven material innovation and why we think designers could have more impact if education helped them find their agency, showing them not to be afraid of taking on interdisciplinary collaborations.

The setup of the Studio is quite interesting because we all have different backgrounds: Charles with material science, Odin with sustainability engineering, and mine is in product design and film. That combination brings different perspectives, and we all have more than a decade of experience in the sustainable material design field.

→ EL: Can you explain more about the challenges of sustaining oneself as a material designer?

VK: It's about asking: how do you turn material design into a profession and design your position in a way that allows you to sustain yourself in the long run? Not just making samples. We actually thought of calling our studio "No Sample Studio" because that feels like the biggest barrier. Students make amazing samples at design universities, but to cross the gap into something functional, scalable and meaningful is a different question.

→ EL: It sounds like you're trying to instil a kind of toolkit early on in the designer's education.

Charles Gateau: 'Toolkit' is a really good keyword here – especially giving students access to scientific tools that often feel out of reach in art and design education. It’s about empowering them by making these tools accessible and understandable, so they feel confident in engaging with other disciplines. Coming from a background in material science and then studying design, I experienced both sides: engineers thinking they aren’t creative, and designers thinking they can’t touch science. There’s this inner saboteur on both ends. Breaking down those walls and building interdisciplinary confidence is a big part of what we want to do.

→ EL: How do you help students cross the gap between experimentation and scalability?

VK: Often the thinking about the entangled systems around new materialities, including scale, comes too late. We want to structure the semester so that students first zoom in: they learn how material experimentation and research actually works and gain the confidence to propose new material solutions. But then we also help them zoom out: to see the broader system their work exists in. Who are the stakeholders? Where might a new material be introduced? What companies are already trying (and maybe failing) to communicate around this? Zooming in and out is truly essential. This kind of interdisciplinary approach is one of the most exciting parts of design. Because it’s not just about changing minds, it’s about supporting ecosystems to thrive. Designers are uniquely positioned to do this. They can talk to scientists, policymakers, manufacturers and the public, and they can do so creatively; that’s something we want to encourage from the beginning. It’s nice that Charles pointed out that he came from science looking at designers, and I came from design looking at science. We both felt that distance. Now we want to help close it.

"We want to structure the semester so that students first zoom in – they learn how material experimentation and research actually works and gain the confidence to propose new material solutions – but then we also help them zoom out to see the broader system their work exists in." 

– Vlasta Kubušová

→ EL: Collaboration with new disciplines, developing new systems, it’s all a recipe for unexpected outcomes. How do you think about the concept of failure in the context of design and research?

OV: You can see it as a hypothesis. You test it, and whether you get the result you predicted or not, you learn. There’s always something to take forward. Expectations are part of it, and students often have many. We can learn from the setup of scientific research, focusing on curiosity instead of expectations. But even if the project doesn’t go where you hoped, that’s still a valuable result.

VK: In science, even a failed hypothesis can be a paper. In design, we’re scared to show that something didn’t work. But in Crafting Plastics, many things don't work and, still, every failure taught us something, especially in material-related design, which is so explorative, you almost never really fail. Failure doesn’t always have to be an endpoint but rather a feedback loop.

→ EL: Working with a hypothesis and continuously tweaking that as you glean results suggests a mindset shift in the design process. What other mindset shifts do you hope to instil?

CG: I believe there’s truth to the left-brain/right-brain model. Today’s society leans heavily on left-brain thinking: structured, goal-driven, materialistic and intolerant of deviation. While simplified, this model is useful to understand ourselves. We want students to stay explorative by embracing right-brain qualities like presence, intuition and openness. Connecting with one’s whole brain is not only a powerful tool against anxiety, which is commonplace amongst art and design students and the world at large, but is also an invaluable asset in accessing one’s true creativity and sense of meaning.

→ EL: Let’s shift gears. How, in all of this, do you approach form in material design?

OV: That’s where seduction comes in. New materials have different aesthetics, different functions. Designers can use beauty and storytelling to shift perceptions. Storytelling is humans’ superpower – it’s about the emotions of the material. It’s interesting how materials are valued very differently across different parts of the world.

CG: Totally. Materials carry narratives, politics, histories...

VK: Plastics are deeply political. One reason why biomaterials or bioplastics haven’t scaled the way they could is that there’s a lot of lobbying behind conventional plastic recycling. Policymakers often don’t even know there are better alternatives because they’re being pushed in a particular direction. But instead of offering one “perfect” replacement, we believe in presenting five or ten viable alternatives that make more sense in the long term. That’s where designers can play a huge role as mediators and connectors.

"Between technological optimism and systemic critique lies a fertile terrain for experimentation. That’s where Better Matter wants to operate."

– Vlasta Kubušová

→ EL: Do you feel overwhelmed by responsibility in this kind of work?

OV: Designers are often the ones who can speak across disciplines. It is a lot but students should learn it’s okay to play one small part in a bigger system. There are no simple answers. Teaching our students that this is the environment in which they’ll be working and introducing them to it will be crucial. It’s also about letting go of ego.

VK: And to find joy in that part. Not everyone has to lead the whole project. Some are great at conversations. Others are shaping ideas. Finding your role is a success. That’s something I would have been grateful for learning in my studies, to have more time to refine what brings me joy within this discipline.

→ EL: Right, some people have certain skills and predispositions. I can imagine bringing in real-world practitioners will also help open students up to this world.

VK: Yes, it’s actually a great time to start this type of studio. Ten years ago, this was an emerging field; it was hard to orient oneself. After a decade of attempts, failures and successes, we now have a landscape to learn from. It’s crucial that we invite lots of guests from practices that are already changing the industry.

→ EL: Do you have a project that's really stayed with you?

OV: One of our guest speakers will be Bob Hendrix. He runs a company that makes mycelium coffins. His project was the first time I saw mycelium used in a way that made sense on every level, and it was one of those works that ticks all the boxes.

CG: That shows the value of material-led design. You don’t start with “I want to design a coffin,” you ask what the material can do, then follow where it leads.

VK: I really admire projects in this field that are not just creating materials for themselves but that also support local economies. For example, Zuzana Gombošová, co-founder of Malai biomaterials, is based in Kerala and she’s growing bacterial cellulose leather and creating jobs and teaching skills to people who didn’t have access to these things before. It’s a whole ecosystem. She’ll be a guest speaker in the Studio.

→ EL: Is the Studio also a response to the frustration of greenwashing?

OV: [Laughs] Actually, this week we had a call about an assignment we're working on called "Bullshit Bingo", which looks at things like a toothbrush that says "70% biopolymers" and slaps a USA flag on it. We want to help students decode these things but in a light way to get the topic of greenwashing on the table and to improve legibility of these kinds of misleading slogans.

→ EL: Despite the complexities, however, I get the impression that you’re optimistic. Would you say so?

CG: 100% yes.

VK: I’m very excited to show the students the positive examples that exist and also the examples that didn’t work out. I think we can totally transform this industry. Between technological optimism and systemic critique lies a fertile terrain for experimentation. That’s where Better Matter wants to operate.

OV: Somewhere on the whole "tech fix" vs "degrowth" spectrum, there are so many opportunities and chances, as long as you keep curious and see the whole system. But I’m definitely optimistic.