Kyoto Public Lecture

As part of the Kyoto Design Lab’s first-ever Designer in Residence program, German designers Julia Lohmann and Gero Grundmann are spending a month at the Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT) developing research and creative projects that engage with traditional materials and cultural heritage.

Julia Lohmann’s lecture, “Bamboo of the Ocean”, presents her ongoing exploration of natural materials such as seaweed (konbu), bamboo, and lacquer. Her work questions established value systems and promotes new ways of seeing and making. A professor at the University of Fine Arts, Hamburg, Lohmann is known for founding the Department of Seaweed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2013.

Gero Grundmann’s talk, “Making the Known New”, focuses on communication design as a tool for cultural interpretation and engagement. Using key works from KIT’s Museum and Archive, he is creating a project that links traditional craft with contemporary issues. Based between London and Hamburg, Grundmann leads Studio Bec and teaches internationally.

The lecture will be held on Friday, February 12, from 18:00 to 20:00 at the Kyoto Institute of Technology, Notre Dame Building K101. The event will be conducted in English with Japanese interpretation, and admission is free (capacity: 80).