MADE IN / PRECIOUS WOOD WORKSHOPS 2024

OPEN CALL

APPLY UNTIL AUGUST 4th 2024 (11:59PM WET)

OVERVIEW
This workshop series is a fully funded one week intensive workshop taking place at Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau (WHZ), University of Applied Sciences, faculty Angewandte Kunst Schneeberg in 08289 Schneeberg, Germany. WHZ ist the organizer of the workshops. The Workshops are funded by the Creative Europe Programme (CREA). For that reason, the realization of the workshop series is reliant to the effective funding by the CREA-Programme on the merits and to the extent.

We are offering the workshop in two rounds inviting a younger audience interested in the topics design, crafts and art. The workshops provide the possibility to explore the material wood in an experimental way guided by mentors encouraging with their supportive skills in the field of engineering, craft and design. Lectures, workshops and field trips help to create an entirely creative journey giving a glimpse of what a design study or a craft training might look like.

The objective is to push the boundaries of what the material wood and its processing methods can be used for in the twenty-first century in a beautiful, intelligent and compelling way. The workshop series will be held in the context of the Made In Platform for Contemporary Crafts & Design EU project and the results will be shown in two exhibitions in Ljubljana, Slovenia and in Schneeberg, Germany in 2025.

WORKSHOP DATES
Term 1: SEPTEMBER 16th - SEPTEMBER 20th 2024
(arrival on the September 15th + departure on the September 21st)
Term 2: SEPTEMBER 23rd - SEPTEMBER 27th 2024
(arrival on the September 22nd + departure on the September 28th)

WHO CAN APPLY
Applicants need to
— be over 18 years old at time of application
— have good knowledge of English because all sessions will be held in English
— be able to attend the whole week of courses
— live in Europe and be able to travel in Europe

HOW TO APPLY
Applicants need to email the following to madein@fh-zwickau.de by August 4th 2024 (11:59PM WET):
— a questionnaire LINK
— a short CV
— a letter of motivation (max. 1000 characters, including spaces) LINK.

APPLICATIONS
July xx - August 4th  2024 (11:50pm WET).
Successful candidates will be notified by the August 9th 2024 via mail.

BEFORE APPLYING
— see here the Terms & Conditions of participation LINK
— see here the GDPR compliance LINK
— see here the code of conduct LINK

AIM
The aim is to bring together a younger generation with craftspeople and design mentors, celebrating a multidisciplinary way of sharing knowledge. The structure of the workshops fosters the development of collaborative creative proposals by taking advantage of the aesthetic as well as functional characteristics of the different raw materials and techniques.

MINDSET
It is important to acknowledge that craftspeople are creative collaborators and teachers. They are experts and are involved in the creative process with the participants. This is an opportunity for both participants and craftspeople to dive into an informed collaborative experimentation.

Craftspeople and participants will be guided throughout the workshops by design mentors, who are also there to support the participants in achieving their creative goals.

OUTCOME
Participants have the opportunity to learn from craftspeople and design mentors, practice a collaborative design process and explore a series of techniques that can enrich the development of their practice. Craftspeople and participants will be able to look at their practice from different perspectives and absorb a wide range of inspirations, explorations and new experiences.
It is planned to create a series of completed exhibition-quality pieces, as well as expressive studies and prototypes.

UserFeel with Nicole Schumann-Sizaret
Term 2 / September 24th - September 27th 2024

Sitting down - getting up. Easy!?
Sitting - an apparently everyday thing which everybody does - is in reality an extremely complex movement organisation and very different from one person to another. UserFeel explores not only “how we actually sit”, but also the consequences which the individual sensory experience (our capabilities, maybe even perception of pain) will have on the way that a person lives and appreciates the furniture. One can look forward to 6.5 hours of easy movement exploration, testing objects and sharing experiences.

Exploring the chip basket manufacture with Annette Rüffer
Term 2 / September 23th - September 27th 2024

Chip basket making has existed in the region around Lauter and Bockau (Ore Mountains/Erzgebirge) since 1830. Annette Rüffer grew up in her parents‘ company in Grünstädtel (Erzgebirge) and learned the processes of chip basket production in the traditional family business from an early age. Today, she tries to keep the craft alive and produces a wide range of baskets and boxes on her own. On the one hand, the workshop shows the unique technique of chip basket making: cutting the log to size, peeling the fresh wood, cutting chips to size, bending, weaving, and attaching straps. On the other hand, the workshop explores the creative transformation of a traditional chip basket into a seating object.
https://madein-platform.com/knowledge-atlas/annette-ruffer-chip-basket-manufacture/

Sitting on trees: Chainsaw Art with Jens Gebhardt
Term 2 / September 23th - September 27th 2024

Unlike conventional furniture crafting, which often results in significant wood waste and involves extensive transportation, our approach is to conserve as much of the precious material as possible. The workshop begins with an introduction to chainsaw safety and operation. This is followed by a focus on sculpting abstract seats and tables. We explore the art of carving textures and shapes that harmonize with the natural characteristics of the tool, using locally sourced oak timber. No prior experience is necessary. All you need is the courage and respect for the transformation process, turning precious trees into functional art pieces.