Talks

Theological Imagery: Faith and Design
TALK (DE)
Wednesday | 27 August 2025
6.30 pm, Vitra Schaudepot

Vitra Design Museum Director Mateo Kries and theologian and art historian Johann Hinrich Claussen discuss religious approaches to design and how these are reflected in Shaker theology and material culture. Born in Hamburg in 1964, Johann Hinrich Claussen studied Protestant Theology in Tübingen, Hamburg, and London. He holds a doctoral degree in Systematic Theology. He has written extensively on culture and theology for German newspapers, journals, and radio and has published numerous books, including works on church architecture (»Gottes Häuser«, 2010) and church art (»Gottes Bilder«, 2024). Dr Claussen has been spokesperson on cultural affairs for the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) since 2016.

Free admission. Please book your ticket at events@design-museum.de

Formafantasma: Utopia in the Making?
TALK (EN)
Thursday | 4 September 2025
6.30–8 pm, Vitra Schaudepot

The research-based design studio Formafantasma was established in 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin. At their studios in Milan and Rotterdam, the two Italian designers explore the ecological, historical, political, and social forces impacting contemporary design. Their practice embraces a broad spectrum of typologies ranging from spatial design to product design and strategic planning. In 2020 the Serpentine Galleries presented the studio in a solo exhibition.

Vitra Curator Mea Hoffmann and Formafantasma's Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin will talk about the creative process behind their design for the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making« and discuss present-day attitudes to ideal worlds and utopias.

Free admission; please book your ticket at events@design-museum.de