ABOUT
© Michelle Mantel
© Michelle Mantel I https://michellemantel.com
Rasa Weber  

is a designer, researcher, and diver working on the intersection of practice-based research and environmental change. Her design concepts are driven by a strong narrative approach and critical ecological thinking, with a central focus on the ocean as a space for artistic research and queer ecological figurations. She explores the narrative and choreographic potential of materials, ecologies, and processes in her experimental design practice, which she carries out between Zurich (CH) and Berlin (DE) as well as at various maritime field sites in Corsica (FR), Curaçao (ANT) and Cartagena (COL). She lectures at international universities and is currently a research associate at the «Interfacing the Ocean» Swiss National Science Fund research project of Zurich University of the Arts and a PhD candidate at «Matters of Activity»Cluster of Excellence at Humboldt University of Berlin. In her practice-based PhD thesis «SYMBIOCEAN» she investigates new material processes to create artificial reefs in other-than-human marine environments as a way to practice and question design as a form of sympoïetic collaboration. 

Her passion for visual storytelling and her background in theatre made film a key element of her design strategy. In her work she seeks to create an emotional link between material innovation, traditional production and visual narration.

She is one of the founders of 'They Feed Off Buildings', a design and architecture collective from Berlin, in collaboration with Luisa Rubisch. As head of design & founder of Studio Blond & Bieber she worked on biobased material- and color concept together with textile designer Essi Glomb.

She lectured at Royal College of Art London, University of the Arts Berlin, University Anhalt Dessau, OCAD University Toronto, University of Leeds a.o.

 

 


 

PhD PROJECT

 


 

SYMBIOCEAN. Sympoietic design practices with/in troubled waters.

Zurich University of the Arts

Linz University of Arts and Design

Matters of Activity. Cluster of Excellence - Humboldt University of Berlin. (associate researcher)


Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Karmen Franinović (Interaction Design, ZHdK) and Prof. Dr. Karin Harrasser (Cultural Studies, Kunstuniversität Linz)

 

 


 

 

COMMISION 

 

 

 

IKEA I LXSY Architekten I Bruzkus Batek Architekten I Studio David Thulstrup I Studio Werner Aisslinger I Goethe Institut Los Angeles I Goethe Institut Toronto I Los Angeles Fashion Week I Amsterdam Fashion Week I Designblok Prague I Werkstudio Axel Kufus I Kunsthalle Praha I Vollebak UK a.o.

 

 


   

 

COLLABORATION 

 

 

 

Polynesian Institute of Biomimetics I Jordan Lab, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior I Paraiso Dive Cartagena I Blue Apple Beach Resort I Curaçao Divers Global Coral Reef Alliance I Keracol UK I Hien Le I Michael Sontag I Schmidttakahashi I Vladimir Karaleev I Dawid Tomaszewski I Perret Schaad I Trippen I Swarovski I Jurlights I Fraunhofer Institut für Grenzflächen und Bioverfahrenstechnik I Schlaflabor der Charité Berlin I G.Tecz I Festool a.o.

 

 


 

 

 

TEACHING 

 

 

 

Zurich University of the Arts I University of the Arts Berlin I University Anhalt Dessau I Berlin International University I OCAD University Toronto I University of Leeds UK I Royal College of Arts UK KhB Weißensee DE I KEA Copenhagen School of Design and Technology DK I Cee Cee Berlin DE I Textilskole Holte DK I AKI Academy of Arts and Design NL a.o.

 

 


 

AWARDS 

 

 

 

Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis Nom. 2020 (Urban Terrazzo) 

 

AD Interior Award Nom. (Best Concept) 2020

 

German Design Award Nom. Newcomer 2019 (TFOB) 

 

Kreativpiloten 2019 (Urban Terrazzo)

 

Creative Prototyping Stipendium (Urban Terrazzo) 2017 - 2018

 

Bundespreis Ecodesign 2018 (Urban Terrazzo)

 

Green Product Award Finalist 2018 (Urban Terrazzo) 

 

German Design Award Nom. as Newcomer 2016 

 

German Design Award Nom. Best Communication 2015 (Algaemy) 

 

Make Me! Award 2015 (Algaemy)

 

Core 77 (Algaemy) 

 

Bundespreis Ecodesign 2014 (Algaemy)

 

DMY 2014 Nom. für „Young Talents“






SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS



2023 - 2027 Interfacing the Ocean I Swiss National Science Fund

                    Project Grant, principal investigator: Karmen Franinovic

                    interaction Design I Zurich University of the Arts


2023            PROCOPE Mobility Grant I France I Government of                                 France-Embassy of France in Germany I DAAD


2023            Auslandsstipendium Kunstuniversität Linz



2018 - 2019 Kultur- und Kreativpiloten 2019 I „Urban Terrazzo“     

 

                    Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie I U-Institut



2017 - 2018 Creative Prototyping Stipendium I „Urban Terrazzo“ 

                    Europäischer Sozialfond, Stadt Berlin, UdK                           


2010 - 2017 Begabtenförderwerk Villigst e.V. - Studienstipendium


                    Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung




2012 - 2013 DAAD & ERASMUS

 

                    Design Academy Eindhoven 



Share by: