During the Dessau Design Schau, we had the chance to discuss our work with visitors from many different backgrounds—students, researchers, designers, families, and curious minds. These exchanges reminded us that research does not end in the laboratory. It becomes meaningful when it is shared, questioned, and enriched through dialogue.
Could materials become active agents in our living environment? What new possibilities emerge when biology, technology, and design are explored together? Thank you to everyone who visited our exhibition, challenged our ideas, and imagined future material worlds with us.
Fotos: Timith Rodriguez – Automonous Materials by @virginia_binsch @ali.et.ti @jan.stckfl @kristian_gohlke @annemariehirmer @realfabianschmidt @manuel.kretzer
#DessauDesignSchau #HochschuleAnhalt #Materiability #DesignResearch #Biodesign #LivingMaterials #MaterialInnovation #SpeculativeDesign #Research #FutureMaterials #OpenLab #Dessau

The Dessau Design Schau @designhochschuleanhalt @hsanhalt was a great opportunity to open our labs and research to the public. It was inspiring to welcome so many visitors, exchange ideas, answer questions, and share ongoing explorations into bio-based materials, living systems, and speculative design. Every conversation reminded us that research grows through dialogue just as much as through experimentation. How can design help make emerging research tangible long before it reaches everyday life? Thank you to everyone who visited, discussed, questioned, and imagined these futures together with us.
Fotos: Timith Rodriguez – Lignin by @dannn_ny, InMyco by @anna_gronemeyer_ @design_and_more_by_sofia @louismoeckel
#DessauDesignSchau #HochschuleAnhalt #Materiability #Research #DesignResearch #SpeculativeDesign #Biodesign #MaterialInnovation #LivingMaterials #Design #Innovation #FutureMaterials #PublicEngagement #Dessau

WE ARE HIRING,

Research Associate / Biodesigner (m/f/d) – Living Materials
(2 positions, 50–70%, TV-L E13)

For the research project Innovative MycoLab at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, we are seeking two
highly motivated individuals to join our interdisciplinary research team at the earliest possible date. The posi-
tions are intended for applicants interested in experimentally exploring biological materials, translating them
into novel material systems, and developing prototype applications. We welcome candidates with an interest in
mycelium-based materials, chitosan, material development, biodesign, and hands-on laboratory research.

Innovative MycoLab is a research project dedicated to developing new value chains from regional organic side
streams. The project focuses on transforming bio-based residual materials into mycelium-based materials while
establishing a Mycotheque—a knowledge, culture, and material platform for future biomaterials.
Working closely with partners from design, science, and industry, the project investigates fungal materials,
advances them through design-led research, and translates them into functional prototypes. Current research
areas include the development of chitosan-based yarns and textiles and acoustically active mycelium materials. The project aims to explore
biological materials from technical, design, and speculative perspectives while demonstrating their application
potential through tangible prototypes and demonstrators.

We are looking for individuals who are eager to shape biological processes responsibly, investigate materials
systematically, and develop future-oriented application scenarios at the intersection of science, design, and
speculative research. The two positions require the canditates to be on-site at the Campus in Dessau.

Application deadline: 17th August 2026

Application should include:
- Portfolio / selected work (if available)
- Cover letter and statement of motivation
- Curriculum vitae (CV)

Applications to: louis-peter.moeckel@hs-anhalt.de
Contact & enquiries: louis-peter.moeckel@hs-anhalt.de

Auxe-Cuboid reinterprets the mechanics of the iconic Expandaball through the language of geometric metamaterials.
Beginning with the goal of recreating the toy`s auxetic behavior, the project evolved into a new cubic system that expands and contracts through its carefully designed joints. Fabricated in polypropylene and TPU, the structure demonstrates how simple modular geometry can generate complex mechanical responses. While the current prototype explores two-dimensional arrays, it lays the groundwork for future investigations into fully three-dimensional auxetic architectures.
Project by Enze Xu
Course: Meta Matters – Material & Technology
Ali Etemadi, Prof. Dr. Manuel Kretzer
#Metamaterials #Auxetics #ComputationalDesign #3DPrinting #MaterialDesign #GeometricDesign #DigitalFabrication #DesignResearch #MechanicalMetamaterials #Materiability

Morphosis investigates how geometry can redefine the behavior of a material.
Rather than changing the material itself, this project explores how computationally designed internal structures create localized stiffness and flexibility within a single 3D print. Using Rhino, Grasshopper, and Python, a series of mechanical metamaterials—including gyroids, spiral springs, and auxetic lattices—were developed and fabricated in TPU and polypropylene. The results demonstrate how engineered morphology can transform uniform materials into programmable structures with spatially controlled mechanical properties.
Project by Shayan Hassani
Course: Morphosis – Material & Technology
Ali Etemadi, Prof. Dr. Manuel Kretzer
#Metamaterials #ComputationalDesign #ParametricDesign #Auxetics #Gyroid #3DPrinting #MaterialResearch #DigitalFabrication #DesignResearch #Morphology #Materiability

Girih MetaMatter explores how geometry can become material behavior.
Developed during the Meta Matters expertise course, the project investigates metamaterials through a pattern inspired by traditional Iranian Girih geometry and auxetic principles. Combining rigid PETG hexagons with flexible TPU triangles, the 3D-printed structure contracts through carefully designed joints, demonstrating how material performance can emerge from geometry rather than composition.
Project by Golshid Hosseini
Course: Meta Matters – Material & Technology
Ali Etemadi, Prof. Dr. Manuel Kretzer
#Metamaterials #Auxetics #ComputationalDesign #3DPrinting #MaterialDesign #DigitalFabrication #DesignResearch #Girih #Architecture #Innovation #Materiability

If you could leave a message for yourself 30 years from now, what would you say?
To You in 30 Years is a speculative short film by @ofnonchalance & @adaniessner, presented as part of the Inspiration section of the Chengdu Biennale 2026.
The film follows a young woman who records a digital diary for her future self, imagining a life shaped not by constant performance, but by healing, balance, and contentment. It asks us to reconsider the relationship between mind and body, suggesting that the body`s subtle signals are an essential source of awareness—one that is often overshadowed by productivity, external expectations, and digital distraction.
Created using Midjourney, Nano-Banana, and Veo 3, the project deliberately juxtaposes AI-generated imagery with an intimate and deeply human narrative. Rather than opposing technology, it explores how creative tools can be used to imagine futures that are more reflective, mindful, and connected.
Created by Min Nguyen and Ada Maria Niessner, Exhibition Design by Martin Rendel
Integrated Design, Hochschule Anhalt Dessau
Presented at the Chengdu Biennale 2026
Watch the full video through our website (link in bio), image Credits: Tianfu Art Museum, Chengdu
#ChengduBiennale2026 #BackToLife #SpeculativeDesign #FutureDesign #IntegratedDesign #HochschuleAnhalt #MediaArt #AIArt #MindBodyConnection #DigitalWellbeing #DesignResearch

What if we could see life itself as light?
Through the Myriad of Lights is a speculative short film by Ecem Yilmaz and Adriane Spence, presented at the Chengdu Biennale 2026. The work reimagines coexistence through a simple but profound shift in perception: every living being carries its own light.
Inspired by the Chinese poem An Ode on a Lamp by Eastern Jin monk Zhi Tandi, the film understands light not merely as illumination, but as a way of revealing the invisible relationships that connect all forms of life. Humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms become luminous points within a shared constellation—distinct in their individuality, yet fundamentally interconnected.
Rather than proposing a future built on technological advancement alone, Through the Myriad of Lights imagines peace as an expanded condition that includes both human and non-human life. By making interdependence visible, the film invites us to reconsider perception itself as a foundation for empathy, coexistence, and a more harmonious future.
Created by Ecem Yilmaz and Adriane Spence
Integrated Design, Hochschule Anhalt Dessau
Presented at the Chengdu Biennale 2026 Watch the full video through our website (link in bio), image Credits: Tianfu Art Museum, Chengdu
#ChengduBiennale2026 #BackToLife #SpeculativeDesign #FutureDesign #IntegratedDesign #HochschuleAnhalt #MediaArt #DesignResearch #Interconnectedness #Coexistence #Ecology #NatureAndTechnology

How can we imagine futures in which nature and technology coexist in balance?
Presented at the Chengdu Biennale 2026 under the curatorial theme `Back to Life Back to Reality`, seven Master students from the Integrated Design program at Hochschule Anhalt Dessau developed speculative short films exploring how we might want to live in 2055.
The films were exhibited in the immersive Inspiration space – an 855 m² landscape of living plants, mist, and shifting light, with exhibition design by Martin Rendel.

One of the featured works, urg[end], by @aaronsiermann, @jan.stckfl & @niklasjossa imagines a counter-utopia to today`s digitally accelerated society. Instead of constant stimulation, it proposes a future where boredom is reclaimed as a valuable state—creating space for imagination, creativity, reflection, and genuine human connection.

A reminder that sometimes the most radical vision of the future is simply slowing down. Integrated Design, Hochschule Anhalt Dessau
Watch the full video through our website (link in bio), image Credits: Tianfu Art Museum, Chengdu
#ChengduBiennale2026 #BackToLife #SpeculativeDesign #FutureDesign #IntegratedDesign #HochschuleAnhalt #DesignResearch #MediaArt #NatureAndTechnology #SustainableFutures

The Mycel Bikebox initiative embodies a groundbreaking perspective towards sustainable material creation. It carries the potential to transform the manner in which we fabricate materials for constructing bike boxes, and possibly other products. This project significantly aids the progression towards an environmentally friendly, sustainable material economy. It does this by highlighting the multifaceted applications of mycelium technology, and exploring its potential usage in the delivery industry. Foto: @paulinaschroe #biobasedmaterials
#livingmatter #mycelium
#futurematerial 
#digitalfarming
 #digifab 
#generative #digitalfabrication 
#generatedmatter #biolab

The Mycel Bikebox project centers on the exploration and cultivation of diverse mycelium strains for the creation of bio-derived materials, employing organic industrial waste. Mycelium, the unseen fungal network, links organic substances via filamentous cells, growing as it consumes them. By deliberately nurturing mycelia with unique characteristics, we aim at generating novel, organic substances with variable material properties, dictated by the fungus type, nutrient base, and growth circumstances.
The primary objective of this research project is to engineer a specific mycelium composite for the construction of cargo boxes for bicycles used in delivery services together with our partners Bächer Bergmann GmbH @digital.productions and HiveBox Urban Cargo Systems. Preliminary explorations focus on understanding the material’s composition and requirements in respect to the target application and thus selecting suitable mycelium strains with exceptional properties in stability and lightness.

The initial findings from this research are highly encouraging. Mycelium-based materials possess the potential to supplant conventional building materials, insulation, plastics, foam, and other similar substances. Intriguingly, we can direct the growth of these materials into specific shapes, while maintaining their lightness, strength, and durability. Foto: @louismoeckel #biobasedmaterials
#livingmatter #mycelium
#futurematerial 
#digitalfarming
 #digifab 
#generative #digitalfabrication 
#generatedmatter #biolab

"Mycelium as a Design and Material System" Master thesis by Louis Wahlich
—⠀
Prof. Dr. Manuel Kretzer, Louis Möckel, WiSe 25/26, Master Integrated Design

@louiswhlch @materiability @manuel.kretzer @louismoeckel
@designhochschuleanhalt @hsanhalt

#resilience #architecture #biobasedmaterials
#livingmatter

#digitaLab, #digifab
 #generative #digitalfabrication
 #generatedmatter #adaptivedesign #materiabilitylab

We are pleased to announce the publication and release of the folio Biopolyester: Beyond Sustainability into Regeneration, by Vanessa Song. This folio is published by Riverside Architectural Press and is available as an open access PDF download at this link: https://livingarchitecturesystems.com/publication/biopolyester/

This publication comes out of Vanessa’s research as part of the Materiability Research Group, being supervised by Prof. Dr. Manuel Kretzer and Virginia Binsch. It is focused on redefining the fashion industry’s supply chain, transitioning from a take-make-dispose linear model to a reuse-re-make-revive circular model, effectively taking into consideration product’s end-of-life. By fusing design, material science, and circular principles, the research explores the potential of kombucha bacterial cellulose as a replacement of polyester in support of a circular fashion economy. The study questions the importance of traditionally used ingredients, such as table sugar, tea, SCOBY, and apple cider vinegar, in the making of kombucha material (commonly referred to as ‘kombucha leather’). Instead, experiments assess the potential of wheat starch-derived glucose and a resource-conserving recipe, producing a visually pleasing and robust material. The grown material is then transformed into threads and woven into a garment, highlighting its potential for textile applications. The research underscores the pressing necessity to move beyond sustainability towards adopting a regenerative approach.

With a shared interest in regenerative biomaterials, Vanessa Song joined the Materiability Research Group as a researcher in residency in March 2024. Building on the fully bio-based kombucha threads she developed during her master’s thesis, her following research delves into the integration of kombucha threads to create a hybrid textile fabric. This involves assessing the collective influence of weaving techniques and material combinations on textural behaviour.

@vcr____ve @lasg_research @materiability @philip.beesley @virginia_binsch @manuel.kretzer
#materialsresearch
#biomaterials
#materialproduction

"Mona" by Klassen & Rudolph
—⠀
GP "Synaptic Surfaces"
Exploring how perception shapes our interaction with the world — and how materials can sense, adapt, and respond in real time.
From EEG signals to shape-changing prototypes, this class investigated the interface between body, emotion, and environment through smart materials and experimental fabrication.
@materiability @manuel.kretzer @kristian_gohlke @virginia_binsch
@designhochschuleanhalt @hsanhalt
#smartmaterials #responsivedesign #materialintelligence #futureofdesign #biomaterials #3dprinting #adaptivearchitecture #interactiondesign #materialresearch #computationaldesign #softrobotics #wearabletech #designinnovation #materiabilitylab

"A Wearable Hug" by Maria Recuerdo & Veronica Jimenez
—⠀
GP "Synaptic Surfaces"
Exploring how perception shapes our interaction with the world — and how materials can sense, adapt, and respond in real time.
From EEG signals to shape-changing prototypes, this class investigated the interface between body, emotion, and environment through smart materials and experimental fabrication.
@materiability @manuel.kretzer @kristian_gohlke @virginia_binsch
@designhochschuleanhalt @hsanhalt
#smartmaterials #responsivedesign #materialintelligence #futureofdesign #biomaterials #3dprinting #adaptivearchitecture #interactiondesign #materialresearch #computationaldesign #softrobotics #wearabletech #designinnovation #materiabilitylab

"Cinetic Panel" by Schmidt & Neukirch
—⠀
GP "Synaptic Surfaces"
Exploring how perception shapes our interaction with the world — and how materials can sense, adapt, and respond in real time.
From EEG signals to shape-changing prototypes, this class investigated the interface between body, emotion, and environment through smart materials and experimental fabrication.
@materiability @manuel.kretzer @kristian_gohlke @virginia_binsch
@designhochschuleanhalt @hsanhalt
#smartmaterials #responsivedesign #materialintelligence #futureofdesign #biomaterials #3dprinting #adaptivearchitecture #interactiondesign #materialresearch #computationaldesign #softrobotics #wearabletech #designinnovation #materiabilitylab

"Bat Cave" by Fabian Schmidt, Louis Wahlich, Emily Helbig
—⠀
Elective "SYMB-IO-NTS" SS 25

Exploring how design might shift
from a human-centered discipline to one that embraces symbiotic
relationships with other lifeforms.
@materiability @manuel.kretzer @ali.et.ti
@designhochschuleanhalt @hsanhalt

#artificialintelligence #symbiont #aidesign #materialintelligence #3dprint #postnaturalism #morethanhumandesign #futureofdesign #generativedesign #parametricai #aiandcreativity #aiinfabrication #designtech #aiinmaterialresearch #adaptivedesign #smartmaterialsai #aimaterialslab #materiabilitylab #aidrivendesign

"Biomorphic Shell" by Mohammad Heidari Abhari, Tanvi Kulkarni, Eslam Mohammed, Amireza Noparvar
—⠀
Elective "SYMB-IO-NTS" SS 25

Exploring how design might shift
from a human-centered discipline to one that embraces symbiotic
relationships with other lifeforms.
@materiability @manuel.kretzer @ali.et.ti
@designhochschuleanhalt @hsanhalt

#artificialintelligence #symbiont #aidesign #materialintelligence #3dprint #postnaturalism #morethanhumandesign #futureofdesign #generativedesign #parametricai #aiandcreativity #aiinfabrication #designtech #aiinmaterialresearch #adaptivedesign #smartmaterialsai #aimaterialslab #materiabilitylab #aidrivendesign

"Pigeons on Shrooms" by Nursan Akinci, Idil Akünal, Areeshah Qureshi, Hamzeh Za`balawi
—⠀
Elective "SYMB-IO-NTS" SS 25

Exploring how design might shift
from a human-centered discipline to one that embraces symbiotic
relationships with other lifeforms.
@materiability @manuel.kretzer @ali.et.ti
@designhochschuleanhalt @hsanhalt

#artificialintelligence #symbiont #aidesign #materialintelligence #3dprint #postnaturalism #morethanhumandesign #futureofdesign #generativedesign #parametricai #aiandcreativity #aiinfabrication #designtech #aiinmaterialresearch #adaptivedesign #smartmaterialsai #aimaterialslab #materiabilitylab #aidrivendesign

Elements by Jakob Dick – as part of the material and technology foundation class, wintersemester 25/26

Crystal Spines by Elinor Romy Effler – as part of the material and technology foundation class, wintersemester 25/26

Stecksystem by Mariia Latukhina – as part of the material and technology foundation class, wintersemester 25/26

Cuspa by Marlen Bieler – as part of the material and technology foundation class, wintersemester 25/26

Diatoms by Jakob Dick – as part of the material and technology foundation class, wintersemester 25/26