Places of Democracy – Eine historische und künstlerisch/gestalterische Stadterkundung

Gemeinsam mit Bürger:innen, Gestalter:innen und Künstler:innen gilt es die demokratischen Orte Offenbachs 2025 zu entdecken, kennenzulernen und in einer kollaborativen Auseinandersetzung weiterzudenken. Die Ergebnisse werden 2026 ausgestellt.

Im Rahmen des World Design Capital 2026 planen das Klingspor Museum und das Haus der Stadtgeschichte
Offenbach Kunstwerke und Designobjekte an Orten der Demokratie in Offenbach zu verorten. Diese sollen in Tandems aus je einer Künstler:in und einer Gestalter:in entstehen.

Am 28.05.2026 sollen sie im Rahmen eines Eröffnungswalks in der Stadt präsentiert werden. Auf weiteren Stadtführungen in Verbindungen mit Workshops und Talks soll die Aufmerksamkeit für die Kunstwerke und das Konzept Demokratie erhöht – und somit: die Demokratie in Offenbach gestärkt werden.

Projektvorschläge können bis zum 16. Februar 2026 per Mail bei Monika.Jaeger@Offenbach.de und Astrid.Jaeger@Offenbach.de eingereicht werden. Wichtig ist, dass man sich vorstellen kann, mit einer Person zusammen zu arbeiten und Dinge gemeinsam weiterzuentwickeln. Die Arbeiten sollten politisch und religiös neutral sein und – selbstredend – dem demokratischen Sinn entsprechen.

Für ausgewählte Arbeiten kann ein Honorar i.H.v. 950,00 € (brutto) pro Person und max. 500,00 € (brutto) Materialkosten pro Arbeit zur Verfügung gestellt werden (nach Vorlage von Quittungsbelegen).

Nach dem 16.02.2026 werden Einreichungen gesichtet, auf die Umsetzbarkeit im öffentlichen Raum in Rücksprache mit dem Ordnungsamt Offenbach geprüft und mit den ausgewählten Künstler:innen und Gestalter:innen Kontakt aufgenommen.

In den Stadtführungen werden die Orte nicht nur auf historischer Ebene vorgestellt, sondern auch unter diesen gestalterischen Aspekten untersucht. Die Stadtführung sowie die Workshopergebnisse und Objekte bleiben über das Projekt hinaus bestehen. Die Museumsmitarbeitenden verstetigen Stadtführungen und Workshops über das Jahr 2026 hinaus. Kunstwerke werden anhand von Reproduktionen oder in den Sammlungen verbleibenden Originalen präsentiert und diskutiert.

Places of Democracy ist ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt zwischen dem Klingspor Museums und dem Haus der Stadtgeschichte Offenbach. Für das Sommersemester 2026 ist eine Kollaboration mit dem Lehrgebiet Designtheorie der HfG Offenbach vorgesehen.

Eine Veranstaltung im Rahmen der WDC 2026

Team

Network

DESIGNBALITIES is formed by a transdisciplinary group of researchers, practitioners, and educators from within and beyond the academic fields. Some constellations have existed for many years, others arise temporarily. We are always looking forward to new faces, subjects and project formats. You are welcome to get in touch with us!

Editorial Team

Tom Bieling

Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Tom Bieling (dipl.-des.), is a Professor of Designtheory at HfG Offenbach University of Art and Design, was Vertretungsprofessor of designtheory and designresearch at Zentrum für Designforschung (HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences) and founded DESIGNABILITIES in 2008. He taught Designwissenschaft at HAWK Hildesheim and Theory of Design at BIU. Visiting professorships for design research at the University of Trento (Department of Humanities) and the German University in Cairo (Faculty of Applied Sciences & Art), teaching assignments at NDU St. Pölten (Transformation Design, Design Theory) and GIU Cairo (Design theory & history), and numerous Lectureships worldwide. Head of Social Design at Design Research Lab / Berlin University of the Arts (2010 - 2019), previously at T-Labs / TU Berlin (2007 - 2010). Chief Editor at Designforschung.org since 2008. Co-Editor of the book series Design Meanings (Mimesis), and the BIRD series (Birkhäuser/DeGruyter) as part of the BIRD Board of International Research in Design, founding member of the Design Research Network, founder of the International Research Network on Design (and) Activism, Co-Founder of the Social Design Network, Co-Founder of "Design promoviert", co-host of the NERD conferences (New Experimental Research in Design)and research fellow at the Vilém Flusser Archive. He is a regular member of juries, research and expert committees, including the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Institute for Human, Ethics and Science, or the Porto Design Biennale. He was elected Young Innovator of the Year by the Falling Walls consortium. His work, which has received several awards, is exhibited worldwide. Author of numerous publications. Recent books: “Design (&) Activism” (Mimesis, 2019), “Gender (&) Design” (Mimesis, 2020) and “Inklusion als Entwurf” (Birkhäuser/DeGruyter, 2019). www.tombieling.com
Lisa Lenkersdorf

Lisa Lenkersdorf, student assistant, trained as media designer digital and print (HH). Professional experience in the field of media design, layout, typesetting, prepress, final artwork, packaging final artwork, DTP operation (HH). Currently student at HAW Hamburg, Department Design in the field of communication design (BA) and freelance graphic designer.
Jonas Berger

Jonas Berger studied Art at HfG Offenbach and graduated with a degree in Design. During his studies, he was already intensively involved, both practically and theoretically, with the hitherto little-explored field of concealment. The title of his dissertation project is ‘On the fundamental constitution of hiding places and the conditions for the fulfilment of their function’. Among other things, it deals with the connection that exists in many cases between the design of hiding places and the social and material contexts in which they take place.
Susanne Wieland

Susanne Wieland is an interdisciplinary designer currently based at HfG Offenbach as a research associate for design theory and research. She is a graduate of MA Material Futures at Central Saint Martins and has worked as a design researcher of design informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Her work explores critical design practices, multi-specie perspectives and socio-ecological futures. Editorial team member at DESIGNABILITIES Design Research Journal since 2025.
Torben Körschkes

Torben Körschkes ist Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter im Forschungsprojekt Speculative Space an der HAW Hamburg. Designstudium an der Folkwang UdK (BA) und HFBK Hamburg (MFA). 2016 Gründung des Design- und Forschungskollektivs HEFT mit Ina Römling. Mitinitiator des Projekts Mikropol. Förderungen u.a. durch: Elbkulturfonds, Hamburg (2020), Bibliothek Andreas Züst, CH (2019), Behörde für Kultur und Medien, Hamburg (2018), Spiegel Online Social Design Award (2018). Im Mittelpunkt seiner zumeist im Kollektiv organisierten Arbeit stehen dialogische Strukturen und Verhandlungspraktiken in sozio-politischen Räumen. Aktuell promoviert er zu Chaos und Design. Mit an Bord bei DESIGNABILITIES seit 2020.
Emine Yorgancı

Emine Yorgancı, Editorial Assistant, was born in Turkey, 1997. She graduated from Aksaray University Faculty of Architecture and Design and joined the Journal in 2021.

Editorial Advisory Board

Soon to be updated.

Gui Bonsiepe

Gui Bonsiepe, designer and author (1934), studied at the Ulm School of Design (Information Department) (1955–1959). Teaching and development work at the HfG until 1968. Since 1968 design and consultancy work in the field of development and industrialisation policy in Latin America (Chile, Argentina, Brazil). 1970-1993 Head of the design group at the Institute for Technological Research in Santiago (Chile), where the emblematic Cybersyn project was developed. 1973 – 1980 Head of the design office MM/B in Buenos Aires. From 1981 to 1987 he worked in the National Committee for Scientific and Technological Development in Brazil. 1987 to 1989 Software design in a software house in California, specialising in interface design. From 1993 – 2003 professor for interactive media at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. Courses and seminars at universities in Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia. He lives in Brazil and Argentina. Books (published in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Korea): Do material ao digital, 2015 / Design como prática de projeto , 2012 / Design, Cultura e Sociedade, 2011 / Interface - An Approach to Design, 1999 / Interface - Design begreifen neu, 1996 / Diseño de la Periferia, 1985 / A 'Tecnologia' da Tecnologia, 1983 / Diseño industrial, Tecnología y Dependencia, 1978 / Artefacto y Proyecto, 1995 / Teoria e pratica del disegno industriale, 1975 / The Disobedience of Design (Edited by Lara Penin), 2021.
Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos

Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos is a philosopher and full professor of Design at the School of Architecture and Urbanism, University of São Paulo. She is passionate about design education, author of several books on Brazilian design, and has recently co-edited the Routledge Volume on "Artistic Cartography and Design Explorations Towards the Pluriverse" (2023) together with Satuu Miettinen and Enni Mikkonen.
Arturo Escobar

Arturo Escobar is an activist-researcher from Cali, Colombia, working on territorial struggles against extractivism, postpatriarchal, postdevelopmentalist and post-capitalist transitions, and ontological design. He was professor of anthropology and political ecology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, until 2018, and is currently affiliated with PhD Programs in Design and Creation (Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia) and in Environmental Sciences (Universidad del Valle, Cali). Over the past thirty years, he has worked closely with Afro-descendant, environmental and feminist organizations in Colombia. His most well-known book is Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World (1995, 2^nd Ed. 2011). His most recent books are Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds (2018); Pluriversal Politics: The Real and the Possible (2020); and Designing Relationally: Making and Restor(y)ing Life, with Michal Osterweil and Kriti Sharma (forthcoming). In 2021, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Juliette MacDonald

Juliette MacDonald, is Professor of Craft History and Theory at the University of Edinburgh. She completed her PhD at the University of St Andrews. She is International Dean, Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation, Donghua University, Shanghai, China and Distinguished Research Fellow, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Canada. Her current research focuses on craft, design and material culture and their relationship with creativity, place and identity. She also writes on craft, heritage and design theory and practice. She is co-editor of Styling Shanghai (Christopher Breward and Juliette MacDonald, Bloomsbury, 2019) and has contributed chapters, articles and reviews to Journals and books including: Sloppy Craft: Post-disciplinarity and the crafts (Berg 2015), Death in Modern Scotland, 1855–1955 Beliefs, Attitudes and Practices (Berlinn, 2016) and Craft and Heritage: Intersections in Critical Studies and Practice, (Bloomsbury, 2021)
Klaus Krippendorff

Klaus Krippendorff (†), Ph.D., Ph.D.hc, graduated from the Ulm School of Design and the University of Illinois, Urbana, and was the Gregory Bateson Professor Emeritus for Cybernetics, Language, and Culture at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. He authored or edited over two hundred publications about human communication, social research methods, cybernetics, and design. Among the latter topic are The Semantic Turn, A new Foundation for Design and Design in the Age of Information. Beyond design, he explored discursive constructions of realities, social use of algorithms, and critical or emancipatory communication. He is no longer here but will stay with us nonetheless. Read our obituary (11. October 2022).
Uta Brandes

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes was tenure professor for Gender Design and Design Research at the Koeln International School of Design, Technical University Cologne (1995-2015) – the first ever chair dedicated to gender issues in design; author and editor of numerous publications; frequent lecturer and guest professor at universities in Germany, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Australia and the USA. Among others, Uta Brandes is co-founder of the “German Association for Design Theory and Design History”, co-founder of the „international Gender Design Network / iGDN“, and co-chair of the Board of International Research in Design (BIRD). [Foto by Ute Vogel]
Ravi Poovaiah

Prof. Ravi Poovaiah is Emeritus Fellow and a senior faculty member at IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay. He has backgrounds in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras, Product Design from IIT Bombay and Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, USA. He is involved with building digital resources related to ‘Design Archives’, ‘Design Learning Tools', 'Designing for Children', 'Design of Way-finding Systems' and 'Design in India' with free and open access to this information. Notably, with R&D collaboration with BEL, he was able to co-design India’s Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). He is the chairman of the committee for developing the curriculum for introducing Design and Innovation in School Education in India. He is also the Chairman for the all India committee for Art, Craft and Design constituted by AICTE.
Lesley-Ann Noel

Lesley-Ann Noel is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. She has a BA in Industrial Design from the Universidade Federal do Paraná, in Curitiba, Brazil. She has a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. She earned her Ph.D. in Design from North Carolina State University in 2018. Book: Design Social Change: Take Action, Work Toward Equity, and Challenge the Status Quo (2023).
Herman Pi'ikea Clark

Born and raised in Honolulu, Dr. Herman Pi’ikea Clark is a Keiki o ka ‘Aina from a family with deep ancestral roots across Hawaii. His background and achievements reflect a deep connection to his Hawaiian roots and a commitment to preserving and sharing the cultural heritage of Hawaii through art and design. A lifelong creative with a dedication to both artistic and cultural pursuits, Herman Pi’ikea Clark completed a Master of Fine Arts in Pacific Design from the University of Hawaii and a Doctorate of Education in Indigenous Education and Art from Massey University in New Zealand.
Over the course of more than twenty-five years, Clark has gained international recognition for his work as an artist, designer, and creative consultant. His unique perspective, rooted in Kanaka Maoli heritage and cultural traditions, sets him apart in the world of art and design. The combination of his academic qualifications and personal insight equips him to bridge the gap between traditional cultural narratives and contemporary design challenges.
His portfolio includes a diverse range of creative endeavors, from artworks and creative projects to custom developments and innovations in architecture, graphic design, textiles, and interior design. That Herman Pi’ikea Clark’s works can be found in private and public collections in Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, and the Pacific region attests to the widespread impact and recognition of his creative contributions.
His notable role as a cultural advisor and creative facilitator for a diverse range of customers and clients speaks to his commitment in creating meaningful connections between people and the rich stories, histories, and heritage culture of Hawaii. By infusing his projects with cultural significance, Clark contributes not only to the artistic landscape of Hawaii but also to the expansion and celebration of Hawaiian heritage on a global scale.

Authors and former members

Leyla Acaroglu, Helena Acevedo, Dorothee Ader, Rebecca Afutu, DurreShehwar Ali, Ana Julia Melo Almeida, Viola Ahrensfeld, Fabienne Amthor, Pavel Anshon, Fabian Arnold, Elena Aversa, Jennifer Baaske, Emma Baermann, Stuart Banks, Sibylle Barden, Rob Batista, David Baum, Ron-Eric Behringer, Jonas Berger, Lea Bernhard, Nicolas Beucker, Marc Bieling, Tom Bieling, Lena Bietke, Johannes Bietz, John Bingham-Hall, Natalie Bleile, Bettina Bock, Gui Bonsiepe, Flip Bool, Clarice Bouvier, Marie Bünner, Ann-Christin Brandes, Uta Brandes, Rita Maldonado Branco, Philipp Brock, Matteo Bruno, Noëmi Burkhalter, Federico Calchera, Devin Can, Talita Cavalcanti, Sarah Claus, Clare Cooper, Sasha Costanca-Chock, Todd Cramer, Wim Cuyvers, Tameka Davis, Melissa Dettmar, Judith Dobler, Stephen Duncombe, Anthony Dunne, Valeria Durán, Dina Bahgat Saad Eldahish, Elisabeth Engel, Frederik Engelbrecht, Michael Erlhoff, Arturo Escobar, Anna Feigenbaum, Martina Fineder, Griselda Flesler, Mads Nygaard Folkmann, Eileen Frost, Irka Fürle, Elena Giannoulis, Jonas Giese, Marion Godau, Julia Gomez, Thorsten Grewe, Harald Gründl, Martin Hablesreiter, Melissa Harrison, Lea Helms, Sarah Hillmann, Hans Leo Höger, Sophie Hofer, Christine Hofmann, Klaas Holm, Jevgeni Hristoforov, Mikala Hyldig Dal, Burca Ilgün, Lars Jaeger, Andres Janser, Michael Janzer, Edda Jensen, Jamal Jordan, Deniz Karakuş, Anna Keilbach, Youssef Khaled, Tayna Kirchner, Viktoria Kirjuchina, Meret Klattenhoff, Nils Kleber, Insa Klein, Karlotta Klußmann, Freya Knauer, Jana Knoblauch, Torben Körschkes, Felix Kosok, Magda Kowalczyk, Stephan Kraus, Markus Kreutzer, Klaus Krippendorff, Jonathan Kuhlmann, Gwendolyn Kulick, Annie Kurz, Alice Lagaay, Johannes Lang, Lisa Lenkersdorf, Uwe von Loh, Dmitri M., Clara Maldener, Kaamilah Maluleke, Amber Malupo, Adé Manaka, Craig Martin, Laura Martinez, Justine Masché, Johanna Mehl, Insa Meier, Fred Meier-Menzel, Maria Möller, Celeste Moretti, Chantal Mouffe, Franziska Muncz, Dorit Nafshy, Anja Neidhardt, Lesley-Ann Noel, Raquel Noronha, Richard Odonkor, Djamal Elangui Okoko, Lucy Orchard, Lena Partikel, Mia Paulsen, João Pereira, Samuel Peters, Kilian Pfifferling, Katharina Pfützner, Laura Popplow, Andréa Poshar, Wang Ping, Marianne Pührerfellner, Naomi Rado, Nasir Rasheed, Leon Rebolledo Godoy, Sarah Reininghaus, Philipp Rösler, Raban Ruddigkeit, Alice Rzezonka, Jason De Santolo, Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos, Sergei Saraiva, Silvia Schiaulini, Margit Schild, Anouk Schmelz, Niklas Schmidt, Clara Schneider, Samuel Schön, Elena Schütte, Klaus Schwarzfischer, Peggy Seelenmeyer, Mihai Șerban, Liad Shadmi, Liliya Sheina, Tobin Siebers, Sabina Sieghart, Lara Simon, Erica Soler Casanovas, Bitten Stetter, Nadja Stozek, Sonja Stummerer, Davide Tisato, Matthias Tratz, Wolfgang Ullrich, Manja Unger-Büttner, Natalia Villaman, Gilberto Vivenzio, Martina Wagner, Diana Walaszek, Xenia Watson, Michelle Weber, Alina Weisbrot, Chiara Welter, Susanne Wieland, Moniek Wiese, Julia Willms, Franziska Wissel, Uğur Yılmaz, Emine Yorgancı, Zohreh Zarrinhaghighi, Menna Zekry, Franziska Zieger, Verena Ziegler, Laura Zielke, Benjamin Zimmermann.

designforschung.org would like to thank its friends and fellows for their support, encouragement and fruitful discussions, especially these people: Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff (†), Prof. Dr. Sabine Foraita, Prof. Dr. Anke Haarmann, Prof. Dr. Alice Lagaay, Dr. Jörg Bieling, Frieder Bohaumilitzky, Prof. Dr. Maren Hartmann, Prof. em. Dr. Uta Brandes, Prof. Dr. Klaus Krippendorff (†), Mads Nygaard Folkmann, Prof. Alastair Fuad-Luke, Prof. Susan Vihma, Prof. Dr. Aguinaldo dos Santos, Prof. Dr. Wolfang Jonas, Prof. em. Dr. h. c. Gui Bonsiepe, and the BIRD Board of International Research in Design.

January 25th, 2026

Places of Democracy – Eine historische und künstlerisch/gestalterische Stadterkundung

References

January 25th, 2026

Places of Democracy – Eine historische und künstlerisch/gestalterische Stadterkundung

References

Tom Bieling

Lisa Lenkersdorf

Jonas Berger

Susanne Wieland

Torben Körschkes

Emine Yorgancı

Gui Bonsiepe

Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos

Arturo Escobar

Juliette MacDonald

Klaus Krippendorff

Uta Brandes

Ravi Poovaiah

Lesley-Ann Noel

Herman Pi'ikea Clark