SBYD.SPACE explores new climate-neutral and resource-light ways of living and production. It transfers knowledge from sustainability research into society and the economy through design. The capability of design in making theories and abstract concepts tangible – and transferring them into everyday life – is used to explore, discuss, and test these theories and ideas in practice.
SBYD.SPACE engages with diverse audiences and collaborators through a range of formats, including workshops, international symposia, exhibitions, an artist / designer in residence program and support for entrepreneurial endeavours. It is located at Folkwang University of the Arts’ North Campus at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein, a former coal mine in Germany’s Ruhr region – a location that could not be more symbolic for the transformation of industries, ways of life, and entire regions.
From next Thursday to Sunday, the annual showcase, the Rundgang, of Folkwang University of the Arts takes place at Quartier Nord. SBYD will be present with several activities. The program includes hands-on workshops to transform disposable vapes into rechargeable flashlights and to redesign or repair clothing with patches made from old textiles. Visitors can also sample experimental food and drinks, such as fermented lemonades, algae pralines, and crackers made with locally foraged herbs.
VAPES-TO-FLASHLIGHTS WALK-IN WORKSHOP (Foyer/Main Entrance):
Friday, 14–16h
Saturday, 13–15h
PATCH-IT WALK-IN WORKSHOP (Foyer/Main Entrance):
Friday, 14–16h
Saturday, 13–15h
FOOD TASTING (at the Kiosk):
Thursday, 20–21h
Friday, 13–14, 16–17, 18–19 h
Saturday, 14–15, 16–17h
As part of the Arts & Social Affairs working group, SBYD.SPACE is once again involved this year in organising the neighbourhood festival Tach am Bach in Essen Katernberg. Tach am Bach is a multicultural district festival where more than 30 social institutions, local clubs, cultural organisations, and committed individuals from the neighbourhood and beyond offer culinary, cultural, and social activities.
On 6 September 2025, the Space for Repair will be present at the grounds of the Freie Schule Essen e.V., featuring a neighbourhood flea market, the Tech Kiosk, and the workshop Vapes to Flashlights, in which discarded single-use e-cigarettes can be converted into rechargeable flashlights.