October 30th, 2025
Complementary Forms of Inquiry (Doctoral Colloquium)
On October 31, 2025, the doctoral program of the HfG Offenbach University of Art and Design invites to the annual Doctoral Colloquium in the university’s Aula. From 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., five doctoral researchers will present their ongoing projects at the intersection of design, art, and theory, offering insight into the diverse and transdisciplinary research culture at HfG Offenbach.
Doctoral studies at HfG Offenbach are characterized by the close intertwining of theoretical-scientific reflection and artistic / design practice. The research projects typically consist of two-thirds written academic work and one-third artistic or design-based project. Both parts are not conceived as separate, but as complementary forms of inquiry: artistic practice is understood as a form of research in itself, while theoretical work is informed and inspired by artistic and design thinking. Each doctoral candidate is supervised by professors from both theoretical and artistic disciplines – an approach that underscores the university’s commitment to integrating research, design, and social engagement.This year’s colloquium exemplifies the breadth of this approach.
In “Growing biodiverse SCOBY with and from plants,” Emma Sicher explores ecological approaches to biodesign, in which microorganisms and plants act as co-designers of new material cultures. Magdalene Hengst, in “Experience, Body, Vulnerability,” examines the political phenomenology of Jean Améry and develops from it an embodied epistemology that expands feminist standpoint theories. Carina Moser, with “Dark or Bright?”, investigates the ethics of digital design and the responsibility of designers in navigating between manipulation, trust, and autonomy. In “Design for Wayfinding in Hospitals,” Prof. Brian Switzer reconsiders the design of hospital wayfinding systems through sociological and organizational perspectives. Jonas Berger, in “On the Fundamental Constitution of Hiding,” analyzes how the material and functional characteristics of hiding objects communicate and perform their concealment between visibility and invisibility.
The Doctoral Colloquium illustrates how, at HfG Offenbach, theory and practice, research and art/design, thinking and making are deeply interwoven. The presented projects not only expand disciplinary boundaries, but also engage with pressing, e.g. societal and ethical questions, showcasing HfG’s model thoery-and-practice-based inquiry.
Programm
Emma Sicher
Growing biodiverse SCOBY with and from plants
Magdalene Hengst
Erfahrung, Körper, Verletzbarkeit. Die Phänomenologie der körperlichen Versehrtheit Jean Amérys
Carina Moser
Dark or Bright? Von diskursiver Relevanzentwicklung integerer UX-Gestaltung und der Eigenverantwortlichkeit der Designer*innen in Zeiten globaler Krisen
Prof. Brian Switzer
Design for Wayfinding in Hospitals
Jonas Berger
Über die grundlegende Verfasstheit von Verstecken und die Bedingungen der Erfüllung ihrer Funktion
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Tom Bieling
Aula der HfG Offenbach,
Schloßstr. 31,
63065 Offenbach,
1 Obergeschoss