MAKE SHIFT
Product Design (Prof. Mathias Hahn & Prof. Ineke Hans) and ‚Visuelle Kommunikation‘ (Prof. Barbara Kotte & Prof. Fons Hickmann) set up a multidiciplinary Master talks program.
International designers and guests in the field of design will talk to and discuss with the mixed Masterclasses. In the Summer semester of 2026 6 live talks are planned on Mondays or Tuesdays, see more
Target audience: Master’s in Visual Communication & Product Design
External guests are welcome to attend the lectures!
About
MAKE SHIFT is a pilot program within the INTER – Teaching Architecture initiative (Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education) designed to foster exchange between disciplines and creative spaces.
Combining a lecture series with a guest colloquium, the format invites international designers and researchers to offer insights into current discourses beyond the curriculum. Students and faculty discuss perspectives, reflect on master’s theses, and collaboratively develop new forms of cooperation and networking in interdisciplinary teaching.
MAKE SHIFT serves both as a working title and a concept aimed at strengthening the exchange between students and faculty in the Master’s programs in Product Design and Visual Communication.
* What’s happening outside Berlin and beyond the UdK?
* What topics are currently the subject of heated debate?
* What trends from international practice and research are currently sparking interest among students and faculty in both programs?
* How can these topics be linked or integrated into artistic and academic approaches within the master’s theses?
Summersemester 2026
To take a first step in a somewhat pragmatic (makeshift) manner during the pilot phase of INTER, Version 1.0 of MAKE SHIFT is designed as a combination of a lecture series and guest colloquia. DSix events are offered. The speakers represent a wide range of perspectives and approaches within the field of design and are selected equally by students and faculty members. The lectures are followed by joint discussion sessions. Insights are opened into topics that are not necessarily covered by the curriculum.
Students can discuss and reflect on their master’s theses with external voices and contribute their ideas for future teaching formats. Both degree programs/institutes are each responsible for guests.
Time & Dates
at Grunewaldstr. 2-5, 10823 Berlin, Medienhaus der UdK, room 210:
01.06.2026, 16 h: Sara Kaaman
08.06.2026, 16 h: Anton Rahlwes and Nina Sieverding
15.06.2026, 16 h: Malte Martin
at Straße des 17. Juni 118, 10623 Berlin, room 401 or 117:
22.06.2026, 16 h: Jon Marshall & Hugh Miller
29.06.2026, 16 h: Sam Weller
06.07.2026, 16 h: Jeannette Altherr
Credits
In accordance with the regulations for master’s degree programs
