From 2021 to 2024, I collaborated with various industries in Germany’s Black Forest—ranging from a metal chain producer to a brewery and cosmetics company and explored how the region’s entrepreneurial landscape brings new perspectives for international designers.

Under the artistic guidance of Henriette Waal, artistic research director of Atelier Luma, a group of designers and a local brewery named Ketterer worked on a drink that reroots local manufacturing, presented in an honesty bar.

Going beyond beer, the collective introduces Knötti, a new refreshing alcohol-free drink made from local waters, German hops and Japanese knotweed harvested in the nearby forest. The newly arrived knotweed is currently considered nothing but a harmful invasive species.

Curator: Willem Schenk
Art director: Henriette Waal
Participating designers: Moreno Schweikle, Anthea Oestreicher, Amalia Shem-Tov, Jan Schulz
Project: ORNAMENTA 2024
Photographer: Sander van Wettum