Dezeen School Shows: a product aiming to give confidence and physical support to elderly travellers is among projects by students at the Basel Academy of Art and Design.

Also featured is a collection of garments, including hand-painted prints on silk and a portable, pocket-sized gaming device for people who seek sensory experiences.

Basel Academy of Art and Design

Institution: BaselFHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland
Course: Masterstudio Design
Tutors: Nicole Schneider, Andreas Wenger, Shehrie Islamaj, Jacqueline Loekito and Daniel Harris

School statement:

"The Masterstudio Design at the Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP) is composed of three studios: Masterstudio Industrial Design, Masterstudio Scenography and Masterstudio Fashion Design.

"Each studio has a disciplinary focus. In addition, the research discourse of the ICDP focuses on Digital Integration, Design Cultures and Circular Design and are reflected and communicated multidimensionally.

"The basis of our applied research and project work is the design term 'advanced design'.

"Instead of the current economic practice of maximisation, we adopt the role of the extrapreneur in teaching and design, which stands for collaboration and systemic action.

"Current issues on global crises, climate change and social inequality are discussed and further developed.

"Sustainability and ecology, inclusion and technology, interaction and materiality are the fields in which the role of design is questioned and new visions for human coexistence and economic activity are defined.

"The Masterstudio Design offers in-depth training in professional, future-oriented design practice and applied research.

"Relevant research questions are identified and defined, appropriate and complex design processes are conceived, projects are developed and implemented.

"Communication, project management, cross-disciplinary and research-oriented teamwork are components of the training."

Etwas ist geblieben – Fabers Kammer by Alexander Prekas

"Drawing on theoretical research and interviews with artists, I examine how narrative spaces create sensory experiences, shift perspectives and offer temporary detachment from digital life.

"Building on these findings, I developed etwas ist geblieben – Fabers Kammer, an immersive narrative space inspired by Fahrenheit 451.

"Through a 1:1 installation, visitors enter Faber's chamber, explore objects, sounds, and smells, and gradually reconstruct his story.

"The work addresses censorship, digital desensitisation, and the need for conscious, sensory experiences."

Student: Alexander Prekas
Course: Studio Scenography
Mentors: Andreas Wegener, Martina Ehleiter and Ruth Scheel

Triggering Ritual: Ceramic as a Multisensory Design Medium by Boyun Choi

"Ceramic defines the modern bathroom yet remains largely unnoticed.

"This research investigates why ceramic has become invisible despite its presence and explores its potential as a multisensory design medium for ritual self-care.

"Drawing on multisensory perception, embodied memory and ritual formation, the study examines ceramics' tactile, acoustic and visual qualities.

"A survey of 60 participants, alongside interviews with two specialists at Laufen, reveals a gap between ceramics' sensory potential and its current use.

"The research identifies three conditions for ceramic to trigger ritual: sensory presence, consistency and intentionality, reframing the bathroom as a space where material, body and habit converge."

Student: Boyun Choi
Course: Studio Industrial Design
Tutors: Nicole Schneider, Werner Baumhakl, Pia Scharf and Naïma Trabelsi

The Center of Her World by Bruna Ideias

"A modular furniture system for the birthing room, currently in development.

"My project challenges the delivery bed as the default centrepiece of the maternity ward, a form that signals rest and passivity regardless of position, even when builtfor multiple postures.

"Working with two midwives, I am exploring how warm tones, soft curves and natural materials could prime the body for movement and verticality, replacing scattered aids like the solitary birthing ball or stool.

"Rather than proposing one object, my goal is to offer a platform for autonomy, making the birthing person, not the bed, the centre of the room."

Student: Bruna Ideias
Course: Studio Industrial Design
Tutor: Nicole Schneider

Plant Intimacies by Elisa Bartat

"This thesis examines how natural history museums display nature and how scenographic practices can reinforce anthropocentric narratives.

"Drawing on ecological relationality and more-than-human theories, it investigates how exhibition spaces shape knowledge and frame relationships between humans and the natural world.

"The research identifies anthropocentrism as a systemic condition within museum display, situated between control and care.

"In response, Plant Intimacies proposes an open, living installation that dissolves the vitrine and brings plants and people together.

"Plants are presented not as objects, but as relational agents, offering an intimate way to experience ecological belonging through sensory encounter."

Student: Elisa Bartat
Course: Studio Scenography
Tutors: Charlotte Tamschick, Martina Ehleiter and Ruth Scheel

Valere by Elvira Grau

"This collection explores value and appreciation through fashion as a multisensory experience that fosters emotional connection and empowerment.

"Inspired by daily life, nature and life cycles, it presents fashion as an expressive language.

"The work combines sculptural silhouettes, hand-painted silk prints, and detailed craftsmanship, with a special focus on footwear design and the transformation of existing shoes.

"Traditional St Gallen embroidery connects Swiss textile heritage with contemporary design.

"Conceived from head to toe, the looks create immersive silhouettes that unite individuality, preciousness and contemporary storytelling."

Student: Elvira Grau
Course: Studio Fashion
Tutors: Priska Morger, Jörg Wiese and Ruth Scheel

Fragments of Waldenburg by Lia Schürpf

"This project was developed in collaboration with Kaserne Basel and the Masterstudio Scenography (FHNW).

"For the site-specific parcours Waldenburg (12-14 June 2026), I created four participatory scenographic installations.

"They invite residents and visitors to actively shape the experience before, during, and after the parcours.

"Drawing on Waldenburg's existing visual landscape, the works transform familiar elements and reveal them in new contexts, encouraging audiences to experience the place from a fresh perspective."

Student: Lia Schürpf
Course: Studio Scenography
Tutors: Andreas Wenger and Martina Ehleiter

MDK by Miranda Kistler

"With a mixed cultural background and a background in photography and art, I wondered what we hold on to deeply when in constant flux?

"Every object is a vessel for a memory we fear losing. Yet, constant shift transforms us into curators of our lives.

"We learn the profound act of intentional loss, leaving valuable fragments in specific places as anchors, as reminders of where we root our sense of home and a promise that we will eventually return.

"My design practice is born from this fluid existence. Designing with intention and functionality, creating work that is not only rooted in change but explicitly meant to be changed.

"In the beauty of transformation is where memory truly lives.

"By weaving interconnections and braiding disparate stories together into garments, design becomes a way of operating, an interlaced, intertwined web that helps us exist within a complicated world."

Student: Miranda Kistler
Course: Studio Fashion
Tutor: Jacqueline Loekito

All These Open Windows But No Fresh Air by Nada Elghareb

"The project presents a portable, pocket-sized sensory hunting game. The game aims to ground the player in the physical world through tactile tasks.

"It functions either as a standalone screen-free companion or as a magnetic attachment for your smartphone."

Student: Nada Elghareb
Course: Studio Industrial Design

 

Noerah by Noerah

"The NOERAH FW26 debut collection plays with the idea of 'accessorise until you're dressed' as both method and attitude.

"It is an exploration of accessories not as additions, but as the starting point from which garments emerge.

"NOERAH's world revolves around wearable objects, attachments and bodily extensions that activate and involve the body.

"Influenced by electronic music, club culture, post-human feminism and avatar-based styling games, the collection proposes a universe of wearable fantasies, shifting identities, synthetic glamour and collective imagination."

Student: Noerah
Course: Studio Fashion
Tutors: Jacqueline Loekito, Prof. Priska Morger and Ruth Scheel

MOOVE – A new perspective on mobility for older adults by Lorenzo Rimini

"Aging is often treated as a problem to solve rather than a natural phase of life. Yet society remains largely designed around young, able-bodied users, creating dependency and reduced confidence among older adults.

"MOOVE responds to this gap by introducing an 'aging travel companion' for active travellers aged 75 plus. Positioned between luggage and a walker, it combines walking support, a perching seat and contemporary aesthetics.

"Each function supports a sense of autonomy: stability enables confidence, seating provides reliability and personalisation preserves dignity. Rather than assisting users as patients, MOOVE empowers them to travel independently, confidently and with style."

Student: Lorenzo Rimini
Course: Studio Industrial Design

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Basel Academy of Art and Design. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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