Karianne Fogelberg

design theorist and curator

Karianne Fogelberg teaches, writes and thinks about design. The design theorist and curator explores the present expansion of the notion of design in the context of contemporary design practice and theoretical debates. Her work is aimed at developing design theory further, taking into consideration the interrelations between theory and practice. She conceives and realises projects at the interface of teaching and research and of science and society, and investigates speculative scenarios and narratives as applied research method and their transfer into other fields of knowledge.

In her research Karianne examines alternatives to established practices and modes of thinking in design by taking into account different disciplines and forms of knowledge. She relates current approaches such as social design, participatory design, critical and speculative design, design activism, decolonial and posthuman design as well as design research in critical dialogue with recent discourses from the social and cultural sciences, political theory and philosophy.

Karianne was research fellow for design and architecture theory at the cx centre for interdisciplinary studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich (2012–2021) where she represented these subjects exclusively and, through her interdisciplinary teaching practice and close collaboration with applied study programmes, developed them in substantial ways. Besides, she has taught and lectured at the design department of the Hochschule Mainz, the architecture faculty at the TH Nürnberg, and, in the context of cross-university co-operations, at Folkwang University of the Arts Essen and Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle.

Her contributions appear in design magazines and academic publications (among others, in »étapes«, »form«, »Frame« as well as in the anthologies »Politics of Emotion/Power of Affect«, Eds. Susanne Witzgall, Marietta Kesting, diaphanes, 2021; »Bildungsperspektive Design«, Ed. June H. Park, Design & Bildung, Vol. 2, 2018; and »Real Magic«, Ed. Susanne Witzgall, diaphanes 2018). She was editor at the design magazine »form« (2003–2007) and ran the editorial office Schmidt & Fogelberg in Frankfurt am Main (with Petra Schmidt, 2007–2010).

Karianne has an MA(RCA) in History of Design from the Royal College of Art/Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and a BA in European Studies from King’s College London/London School of Economics, which included a year at Sciences Po in Paris.

Photo: Verena Kathrein