The Imperfect Future – WOOD: Design between Symbiosis and Standardisation

The Lab Talk by EUNIC NEXT! 2026 brings together young designers from eleven European countries to discuss wood as a material in the context of climate change, resource scarcity, and new production methods. The Imperfect Future – WOOD: Design between Symbiosis and Standardisation examines how designers today are responding to flawed materials, slow growth cycles of natural resources, and the tension between craftsmanship and industrial standardisation.

The evening will focus on short presentations by the invited designers and studios. Their projects range from experimental furniture and material-based research to site-specific design methods. Some work with locally sourced or reused wood, others explore new forms of collaboration against the background of natural growth processes or develop sustainable strategies for durable products.

The evening will start with short presentations by the invited designers and studios. Their projects range from experimental furniture and material-based research to site-specific design methods. Some work with locally sourced or reused wood, others explore new forms of collaboration with natural growth processes or develop sustainable strategies for durable products.

The short presentations will be followed by a moderated discussion that addresses questions about the origin, use, and future of wood as a material—and how imperfection, reparability, and material limitations can become productive starting points for contemporary design.

This Lab Talk is part of the multi-day programme EUNIC NEXT! 2026, which includes studio visits, workshops, and exchange sessions for participating designers. The programme is being developed in collaboration with, among others, the Museum der Dinge, the Wood Design program at the Schneeberg Faculty of Applied Arts, the Symbiotic Wood / Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity project, and Studio J.Mayer.H.

Participating designers and studios:

Jakob Niemann (Austria)

House of Pärnamets (Estonia)

Henri Judin (Finland)

Darren Appiagyei (United Kingdom)

Lucy O’Sullivan (Ireland)

Cathy Wolther (Luxembourg)

Pim van Baarsen (Netherlands)

Beata Mielus (Poland)

LUN.Studio (Romania)

Hiša Mandrova (Slovenia)

Richard Seneši (Slovakia)

Curated and moderated by: Simona Binko, art historian and cultural manager

An event organised by EUNIC Berlin in cooperation with Aedes.

EUNIC organisers: Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin | Embassy of the Republic of Estonia | Finnland-Institut | British Council | Embassy of Ireland | Grand Duchy of Luxembourg – Embassy in Berlin | Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | Polish Institute | Romanian Cultural Institute | Slovenian Cultural Information Center – SKICA Berlin | Slovak Institute

Image © komposter / EUNIC Berlin

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher ANCB The Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory