»STITCHPUNK: INFUSED« explores labour as a form of knowledge, which is an overlooked resource in conversations about sustainability.
Li Actuallee
Photos: Katharina Ley
Developed by Li Actuallee during their SBYD Textile Residency, STITCHPUNK: INFUSED explores labour as a form of knowledge, which is an overlooked resource in conversations about sustainability. Although environmental narratives emphasise materials, they rarely acknowledge the bodies that gather, spin, dye, stitch and transport them. Li Actuallee’s work reveals this invisible labour.
Using crochet and knitting techniques, as well as hand-built tools that deposit charcoal, pastel or ink, the textiles become records of gesture, fatigue, rhythm and interruption. Each mark is a trace of the body in time. The works unfold in ‚craft time‘: slow, non-linear and resistant to productivity norms. They are shaped by rest, repetition and emotional endurance.
Drawing on Marx‘s writings about alienated labour and contemporary critiques of craft economies, the project reflects on how craft workers today must commodify both their identity and their time. By combining soft textile techniques with pigments that reference industrial labour, the work challenges the boundaries between ‚hard‘ and ‚soft‘, manual and emotional, and personal and political.
Stitchpunk insists that labour remains visible – stained,
marked and embodied. The work was presented at Museum Folkwang.
-
This residency was part of SBYD, through which Folkwang University awards grants to international artists and designers invited to Essen to realise their own projects on site. In 2025, the programme’s third round was announced in India. In collaboration with Museum Folkwang and the Goethe-Institut Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore.
Algae are considered one of the most promising resources of the future – they grow quickly, are nutrient-rich, and sustainable.
Arba Shabanaj
x
SPACE FOR FOOD
Photo Credits: Dominik Antoni Krolikowski
In a time when global food resources are becoming increasingly scarce and unstable, algae are gaining attention as an alternative source. Yet, they are still hardly anchored in Western food culture.
This is where my project comes in: How can a forward-looking marine resource like algae be transformed into an everyday dish for Western tastes?
The result is SeaPasta – a series of algae pasta, a matching sauce, and a reusable packaging and label system. The aim is to create a coherent overall experience that feels familiar while introducing new flavors.
The algae pasta stands out through its distinct ocean flavor, its varied colors depending on the algae type, and a design that subtly evokes the sea. A complementary sauce and a baking mix based on algae powder complete the series, making algae an accessible and contemporary part of our diet.
Algae-Based Fruit Gummies
Frida Klug
x
SPACE FOR FOOD
Photo Credits: Dominik Antoni Krolikowski
Fruit gummies are among the most popular sweets in Germany. Algae, on the other hand, remain largely absent from Western eating habits—despite their remarkable nutrient content and sustainable cultivation potential.
Alginis bridge this gap: these innovative, vegan fruit gummies combine a beloved snack format with the health benefits of microalgae. This makes algae more accessible and allows consumers to enjoy tasty, nutrient-rich gummies without guilt.
Alginis are available in three delicious flavors: Apple–Lemon, Apple–Ginger, Lime–Raspberry. Sweetened with agave syrup and flavored with real fruit juice, they are free from artificial additives. Their signature texture comes from agar-agar, a plant-based gelling agent derived from algae.
The included microalgae Chlorella and Spirulina provide valuable nutrients such as natural vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and other trace elements – making them a smart addition to a plant-based diet.
Each flavor variant is uniquely shaped, inspired by the natural forms of macroalgae. Visually uniform in a deep black color, the gummies measure approximately 3.5 cm and weigh 1.5 g per piece.
The packaging, made from cellophane and printed paper, features a minimalist black-and-white design and is fully biodegradable.
How can we make the hidden treasures of nature accessible to everyone?
Nora Jo Czardybon
x
SPACE FOR FOOD
Photo Credits: Nora Jo Czardybon, Dominik Antoni Krolikowski
This question is explored through something very everyday: food.
More precisely, ice cream – a treat that carries lightness, joy, and memories of childhood.
With it, I wanted to make wild herbs approachable in a new way and show that nature isn’t distant or strange, but right outside our door.
The ice cream is vegan, locally sourced, and shaped like a leaf – a symbol of its origin.
The herbs and blossoms don’t just create new flavors; they also highlight the richness and value of our surroundings.
It’s less about a food product and more about an experience:
noticing nature, appreciating it, and weaving it into daily life.
In this way, a simple ice cream becomes a small spark – sharpening our awareness of what’s around us, and maybe even inspiring us to go on our own little journey of discovery in nature.
Can we approach algae from a nutritional perspective by learning not only to work with their natural umami flavor, but also with their natural appearance and texture?
Mary Ann Evangelista
x
SPACE FOR FOOD
Photo Credits: Dominik Antoni Krolikowski
ALGREMA is a collection of three algae-based pralines that offer a healthy and sustainable alternative to conventional chocolate pralines. The pralines are based on the brown algae Kombu presented in three different states: fried, simmered, and freshly dried. As a flavor and visual contrast, the purple yam Ube adds a creamy sweetness. Green-brown Kombu strips meet geometrically shaped Ube bodies. Sweetness and umami, chewiness and creaminess engage in a culinary interplay. Selected spices and toppings give each ALGREMA 1, 2 and 3 its own unique character.
The collection is complemented by three specially designed cutlery named ESSMUSCHEL (eating shells) whose shapes are inspired by oyster shells. This deep drawn cutlery allows for enjoying Kombu broth alongside the algae pralines.
ALGREMA. Algae pralines made from Kombu and Ube.
Under the title »ESSEN ESSEN«, Masatoshi Noguchi spent three months in Essen/Gelsenkirchen developing a site-specific project that explored the relationship between consumption, water balance, and environmental awareness.
Masatoshi Noguchi
Artist / Designer in Residence project
Photos: Dominik Antoni Krolikowski, Masatoshi Noguchi, SBYD.SPACE
Playing on the double meaning of »Essen« – both city and food – he reflected artistically on human bodily cycles, ecological loops, and resource use. In Japan, it’s widely known that watermelon has diuretic/detoxifying properties.
Recipe: »You sweat, I sorbet« (Watermelon Rose Sorbet)
Yields:
Approx. 1 litre
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
– Seedless watermelon juice: 1 litre
– Brown sugar: 11 teaspoons
– Lime juice: 4 teaspoons
– Rose water(Chtoura): 11 drops (Rose water has a strong scent, so use it sparingly.)
– Salt: 1/5 – 1/4 teaspoon
Equipment:
– Blender
– Strainer
– Ice cube molds
Instructions:
1 – Blend watermelon cubes until smooth, then strain to remove any seeds. Measure 1 liter of juice.
2 – Add brown sugar, lime juice, rose water, and salt to the watermelon juice. Blend again until the sugar is fully dissolved.
3 – Pour the mixture into ice cube molds and freeze until solid.
4 – Once frozen, remove cubes from molds. Blend or pulse in a food processor until it reaches a slushy, sorbet-like consistency. Serve immediately.
5 – Optional: Garnish with fresh mint, a sprinkle of cardamom powder, or a touch more salt or rose water.
The work was presented at the Gutes Klima Festival 2025 in cooperation with Bonnekamp-Stiftung and the Museum Folkwang at Zeche Carl.
This residency was part of SBYD.SPACE, through which Folkwang University awards grants to international artists and designers invited to Essen to realise their own projects on site. In 2025, the programme’s second round was announced in Japan. In collaboration with Museum Folkwang and the Goethe-Institut Kyoto Villa Kamogawa, the thematic focus was developed and the grant recipients selected.
»Plant-Dyed Case« is a guide to making a case from vegan leather dyed with botanical pigments.
Lorena Droste
Photos: Lorena Droste
Download
Paper leather is a vegan alternative to animal leather and can be dyed with pigments extracted from dye plants. These botanical dyes are known for their rich and long-lasting colours and have been used for thousands of years across cultures to colour textiles, food, and cosmetics. The guide encourages experimentation with local dye plants such as madder root, birch, or woad to create unique colour combinations. Unlike synthetic dyes, which are typically petroleum- or coal-based and have a significant environmental impact, natural dyes provide a renewable and resource-efficient alternative. The project combines traditional knowledge with contemporary design and promotes a resource-conscious design practice.
»Vio« ist ein Experiment, das den Einsatz biologisch erzeugter Pigmente zur Holzfärbung erforscht.
SPACE FOR BIOMATERIALS
Photos: SBYD, Dominik-Antoni Krolikowski
Bakterielle Pigmente werden derzeit als potenziell nachhaltige Alternativen zu Farbstoffen untersucht, die aus erdölbasierten Verbindungen oder Schwermetallen hergestellt werden. Janthinobacterium lividum ist ein im Boden lebendes Bakterium, das eine dunkelvioletten Stoff namens Violacein produziert. Dieser weist antibakterielle, antivirale und antifungale Eigenschaften auf. Der Holzfarbstoff für »Vio« wurde hergestellt, indem Janthinobacterium lividum im Labor kultiviert, das Violacein-Pigment extrahiert und daraus eine ethanolbasierte Farbe entwickelt wurde, die auf Holz aufgetragen werden kann.
»Metallophytes: Echoes of Extraction« reveals the hidden presence of heavy metals in Germany’s soils through stoneware ceramics, using plant ash glazes formed by pollutants absorbed by metallophytes – plants tolerant to toxicity.
Accompanied by a booklet, the project turns environmental data into a poetic archive, raising awareness about soil contamination and endangered metallophytes. The ceramics act as witnesses to industrial legacies from mining and agriculture, inviting dialogue on environmental impact and evolving pollution levels, while promoting the conservation of these unique metallophyte ecosystems.
The project was developed as part of the SBYD Designer-in-Residence programme and was exhibited for the first time at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven in 2024.
The SPACE FOR BIOMATERIALS explores bio-based alternatives to petroleum-based materials, focusing on their structural qualities and ecological benefits.
MATERIALS BY:
SPACE FOR BIOMATERIALS
Zeynep Deliomeroglu
Lars Feller
Riccarda Gumbinger
Paulina Heidlberger
Maja Kaiser
Wiebke Antonia Laumann
Jaqueline Lobodda
Isabel Lorenz
Xenia Martin
Marzieh Mokhtari Baghkomeh
Maximilian Moritz Müller
Gunilla Piltz
Julius Schnettger
Lilli Seiler
Yifei Shi
Photos: Dominik-Antoni Krolikowski
By repurposing waste like fruit peels and eggshells or using mycelium, algae, and bacterial pigments, new aesthetics and potential uses emerge.
What if a product is not meant to last, but designed to transform or decompose over time? Can these new materials celebrate imperfection and ephemerality, fostering alternatives – not just in producing, but in living and interacting with the world around us?
»Eggshell Plant Pot« is a biodegradable pot made from discarded eggshells, designed to enrich soil and promote plant growth while reducing waste.
Lilli Seiler
Photos: Dominik-Antoni Krolikowski
In food production, eggshells are often discarded despite containing valuable minerals like calcium and micronutrients such as copper, iron, and zinc. This project explores eggshell-based biomaterials, focusing on recycling waste into a closed cycle. By processing eggshells into biodegradable pots using plaster moulds, these plant pots aim to enrich calcium-depleted soils and support plant growth.
»Habitat« is an investigation into pine resin as a binder combining carbon-negative biochar, which is derived from biogenic residues through pyrolysis, to develop a new material.
The project focuses on the agency of the material itself, providing objects that enable new modes of co-existence and interactions with other species to promote a more sustainable and liveable future. Due to their materiality, the objects have tendencies that are inherent to living systems: the ability to change, to decay and to return to nature as nutrients.
The project was developed as part of the SBYD Designer-in-Residence programme and was exhibited for the first time at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven in 2024.
»Fungiture« explores thermal pressing as a new method of processing mycelium-based materials in the context of furniture design.
Paulina Heidlberger
Photos: Lena Zülch, SBYD
Fungi are used as veneer and fused with wood under heat, creating stable, homogeneous, and visually interesting panels – without the use of adhesives. The approach behind »Fungiture« highlights new aesthetic possibilities, turning each stool into a unique piece. It showcases the use of alternative materials and sustainable methods in furniture production and aims to foster a broader acceptance of these.
