Exploring Material Workshop

This course is offered once a year at the HTW Berlin (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin). The students explore and experiment with a material and apply gathered insights and findings within a group project. The learning objective is to recognize and describe material qualities and apply the knowledge gained to create a tangible product.

The students explore ways of modifying a certain material with various techniques, changing color, shape or texture, while documenting the outcome. The samples are examined on the basis of specific qualities and the gathered knowledge is judged in terms of reproducibility, applicability and potential. According to to these insights and the the students backgrounds (e.g. fashion, communication or product designers) the material is applied in a project. It can be understood as a way backwards, not starting with a problem that needs to be solved but with a potential that can be applied.