This interdisciplinary course of studies under the direction of Prof. Jörg Obergfell is aimed at students of all six disciplines and can be taken additionally. Cooperation with students from other design disciplines is a valuable enrichment of the course. New themes, new materials and new ways of thinking have an inspiring effect on their own work. This subject can be regarded as an artistic experiment between the study courses. Supposed boundaries are extended, broadened, blown up.

4 contact hours, workload 180h - 360h The course consists of two parts.

The first part, 20.04.2023 - 16.06. will be conducted as a virtual exchange project in collaboration with Alessandra Tognazzo, Assistant Professor (RTD-B), Department of Economics and Management, University of Padova, Italy.

Part 1: The first part of the seminar will combine qualitative and quantitative research methods from economy studies withs artistic forms of visualizing data. Together with a group of international economy students we will set up a virtual exhibition in Mozilla Hubs. Learning outcomes will be: Basic tools for creating an exhibition in a virtual space, logo creation with the help of AI, increase the ability to communicate thoughtfully and constructively in an intercultural environment and to build an international network with diverse people, soft skills, such as multi-disciplinary communication with people with different scientific and artistic backgrounds, teamwork, and problem solving.

Part 2: The second part will be more tactile, hands on, classroom and workshop based. We will take a closer look at exhibition design and the presenting of artworks especially framing and designing presentation platforms. Each student will design an realize an own frame and sculptural plinth. Besides theoretical input about exhibition spaces and display techniques, spatial awareness, proportion, sensitivity towards materials and basics of sculpture will be introduced, discussed and practiced.

Literature: O'Doherty, Brian: Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space, Expanded Edition. London: University of California Press, 1999. OBRIST, HANS ULRICH: Ways of Curating. London: Penguin Uk, 2014. TUFTE, EDWARD R.: Envisioning Information. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press, 1994.

4 contact hours, workload 180h - 360h

The seminar takes place in cooperation with the Zweckverband Abfallwirtschaft Region Trier (A.R.T.), the department of communication design and fashion design. On the one hand we will deal theoretically and practically with the topic of Bricolage. At first glance, the activity of bricolage (tinkering) seems to be exactly the opposite of what professional designers strive for. Immediately, images of wobbly, unaesthetic, kitschy creations circulating in the hobbyist sector come to mind. Recently, however, the term has evolved into a serious form of problem solving, not only in the visual arts and design, but also in fields as diverse as business, biology, programming, and social welfare, with themes of observation, improvisation, skillful recombination of scarce resources, transformation, effectiveness of means, and self-empowerment. In this sense, we will tinker during the seminar. We will explore both practically and theoretically what this kind of problem solving is all about and how it can lead to unexpected, high-quality results. The goal will be to develop sculptural displays to showcase photographs and fashion designs. In collaboration with A.R.T., we will take field trips to Trier's recycling yards and gather a treasure trove of materials from which to create the sculptural display designs.

Assignments: Presentation of an artist related to Bricolage, display made from found materials.
Literature: Lévi-Strauss, Claude:The Savage Mind, Librairie Plon, Paris, 1962

4 contact hours, workload 180h - 360h

The course offers a theoretical and practical introduction to wood carving. On the one hand, the material wood and its creative, sculptural possibilities are examined by studying the properties of this lively material and an overview of artistic positions utilizing wood from the middle ages to this day. On the other hand sculpting techniques – which also can be transferred to other materials – especially with chisels and knifes are practiced. The module expands the possibilities of model making, the understanding of sculptural basics, the sensitive handling of material and a material based approach to each students individual artistic personality.

Assignments:
- Oral Presentation of an artistic position working with wood
- 3 small practice tasks: relief spoon, miniature
- Individual wood sculpture

Literature: Barn the Spoon, Spoon: A Guide to Spoon Carving and the New Wood Culture, Scribner, New York, 2017