Victoria Duffee

Victoria Duffee (b. 1988, NYC) lives and works in Oslo. Her studio practice incorporates textiles, jewelry, and objects that straddle and challenge conventional boundaries between art and craft to explore collective relationships to identity, gender, and memory. Through processes of weaving, painting, and casting materials, she seeks to establish a profound connection between the feminine domains of attire and the home, as these are the aesthetic objects entwined in our everyday lives and collective memory.

She was educated at the School of Visual Arts (2007-2010) in New York and the University of the Arts in Oslo (2016-2018). In recent years, she has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Oslo, New York, and Los Angeles, and had solo exhibitions at Salgshallen Gallery and Buer Gallery in Oslo. She has exhibited at institutional venues such as the Chart Art Fair with Kunsthall Oslo and the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, contributing a work to Anna Daniel's "A Gift From A Woman."

Other projects include the art criticism magazine "Vi Ser På Kunst," which she founded with art historian Andreas Breivik in 2016. In 2020, she created "Kunsteventyr," a web series promoted through Black Box Teater, aimed at teaching art history in a DIY manner for children stuck at home during the pandemic.

Image 1: Wiggle Sword (attached to Anna Daniel’s piece, En Gave Fra En Kvinne) 2021

Image 2: Phallus and Portal pendants with Love ring from the pajamas series, 2019. Photo: Marcus McDonald

Image 3: Zinna Pendant and accompanying publication. Cast silver, 2023

Rudolf Kangwa

Rudolf Kangwa is a Zambian lapidary based in Lusaka, Zambia. He is a first generation gemstone cutter with over 15 years of practice and founder of Rudolf’s Gems, a socially oriented company. The mission of Rudolf’s Gems is to add value to the community by contributing to poverty reduction and job creation through educational programs that create awareness around how to process and add value to locally mined gemstones.

Melissa Schwarz

Melissa Schwarz is a German interdisciplinary artist, designer and researcher, based in London.

Her research and practice is mainly concerned with topics around ecology, environments and speculative futures. As such she examines socio-political narratives, nature concepts and multiverse theories. She creates work which uses different media for her poetic storytelling, from more traditional mediums to 3D.

Melissa is also an Associate Lecturer at The University of the Arts London, teaching on MA Interaction Design at LCC as well as in the Department of Critical and Historical Studies at LCF.  She is also an Associate Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London on MA Design Expanded Practice.

Image 1-2: Renders, part of óbyggð (‘uninhabited’) - multimedia installation, 2022.

Image 3: Installation shot ‘Post Wilderness’, multimedia installation, 2021. Photo: Margherita Allievi.

Image 4: Screengrab of ‘Wild Wired!’ - site specific interactive game, 2023. 

Erin Sexton

Erin Sexton (b. 1982) is a Canadian artist and radio amateur based in a dome in the forest near Oslo. Her sculptures and installations involve found objects, hidden forces, sci-fi narratives, everyday materials, and MacGyver-esque techniques. She holds a MFA in Contemporary Art from the Bergen Art Academy and a BFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Concordia University in Montreal. Psychedelic and emancipatory, her work explores alternate paradigms, strange topologies, soft apocalyptics, and metaphysical technologies. She tries to dissolve boundaries and subvert hierarchies, often using absurdist humour as a tactic.

Sexton’s collaborative practice is focused on community empowerment and developing creative resistance strategies. In these times of global uprising against colonial power structures and exploitative resource extraction, helping to shift narratives and mobilize in solidarity are essential.

Image 1: Low battery (nye måner), video still, 2023

Image 2: Pentadomen, 2024

Image 3: Psychic Technology, digital collage, 2021

Image 4: Redneck hot tub, 2024

Bwalya Bwalya

Bwalya is Chief Operations Officer of Rudolf’s Gems. Her interest towards jewellery started from learning about birthstones whilst pursing her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from University of Winnipeg in Canada. A fervent Zambian jewellery collector prior to establishing Rudolf’s Gems with husband Rudolf she would often travel back home and select one or two pieces of jewelry.

She is invested in researching the role of luxury brands in giving back to society and supporting social causes and communities at source. Most importantly how they address the environmental and social impact of their activities.

Shaun Borstrock

Dr. Shaun Borstrock is the Head of Knowledge Exchange and Research at Ravensbourne University London, where he focuses on design-led innovation, emphasising the intrinsic role of design in decision making. He fosters multi and trans-disciplinary collaboration globally, working with institutions, industry partners, and the wider community. In addition to his academic role, Dr. Borstrock is an independent consultant to luxury brands and associations worldwide, including Unity PR, Ford, John Lewis, Gucci, and others. He is a renowned keynote speaker on luxury branding, fashion, consumerism, and brand strategies at events worldwide.

Dr. Borstrock's research delves into the evolving concept of luxury in the context of technology and its impact on handcrafted products. He has been instrumental in the development of Modeclix, the world’s first fully customizable 3D printed textile, which has received numerous international 3D print award nominations. Furthermore, he is the Editor of Luxury Studies; The In Pursuit of Luxury Journal and co-author of Crafting Luxury published by Intellect books. He also hosts the "In Pursuit of Luxury" podcast and serves as a Visiting Professor in the Koppleman School of Business at Brooklyn College in New York.

With over 20 years of experience in the creative industries, Shaun is always seeking exciting multidisciplinary knowledge exchange and research opportunities. His work and expertise have made a significant impact on the fields of design, luxury branding, and fashion, both in academia and in the industry.

Image 1: Portrait

Image 2: Cover for In Pursuit of Luxury

Image 3: The In Pursuit of Luxury Journal

Video: Modeclix

Béatrice Sylvie

Béatrice Sylvie has years of experience working with high-end fashion and jewellery, with a focus on innovation and sustainability. She is currently studying for an MBA in Jewellery from Haute École de Joaillerie in Paris, while working as a Production Project Assistant at Atelier Aurouet de Mervelec. Beatrice previously spent six years at Christian Dior Couture, specializing in luxury customer experience and leading sustainable and digital projects. Her background in fashion and luxury has given her a comprehensive understanding of the area. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Literature and English Civilization and a Master's in American Literature from the University of Paris.

Image 1: Portrait of Béatrice Sylvie

Image 2-3: Engagement towards environment and sustainability with Dior collaborators

Fergus Tibbs

Fergus Tibbs is an artist, DJ, and cultural producer originally from Glasgow, Scotland, now based in Bergen, Norway. He holds an MFA from the Art Academy Bergen and a BA (Hons) from DJCAD, Dundee.

Fergus’ projects are usually cross-disciplinary and collaborative, incorporating ideas and practices from people of different backgrounds. Central to his work is oral communication and human interaction, often creating situations that encourage conversations and public dialogue. His previous projects include club nights, radio stations, a swimming club, parties, exhibitions, pubs, and workshops.

For the past ten years, he has been DJing and organising parties and club nights in Bergen and across Scotland. He is the co-organiser and resident DJ of the club night ‘Keep it Dark’ at Østre, Bergen. He uses this regular party as a test site for different clubbing ideas, often playing with the physical space as well as light, sound, temperature, and volume.

Hosting has become a key part of Fergus’ work, providing a way to initiate interactions and gatherings. His ongoing project, ‘Hosting Infrastructure,’ plays with the physical architecture involved in gathering human bodies. He creates structures and environments that serve as a substrate for public events, where people can sit, gather, eat, perform, dance, or talk. His approach is fun, silly, and welcoming whilst always trying to be accessible, drawing in people with a broad range of perspectives.

Image 1: Hosting Infrastructure (Acid Re-Work), 2023, Østre, Bergen

Image 2: Hosting Infrastructure (Acid Re-Work), 2023, Østre, Bergen.

Image 3: Hosting Infrastructure (Dub Version), 2023, Visningsrommet USF (Meteor Festival), Bergen

Image 4: Air Conditions radio broadcast W/ Freya coursey, Liis Ring and Pernille Meidell, Live on Vers Libre and Seyðisfjörður community radio, 2022, Ekko Festival
Image credit Ekko festival

'Tope Ajayi

'Tope Ajayi is a multi-disciplinary artist and a cultural curator born in Ibadan, Nigeria. He was raised in a household teeming with members from Generation X and the Millennial era. Growing up amidst their cultural nuances, even though he is from Generation Z, provided him a unique blend of influences that shaped his artistic inclinations. This backdrop – complemented by his pianist/DJ uncle, a broadcaster aunt, an art-loving granddad, and a high-school teaching mom – laid the foundation for his creative journey.

Banu Çiçek Tülü

Dr. Banu Çiçek Tülü (Turkey/Germany) is a sound artist, music producer, DJ and researcher with a background in design theory. She develops her ideas and research by using sound as a primary medium and sonic methodologies. Her practice-based artistic approach involves participation, social design, ecology, feminist and queer theory which uses artistic, cultural and political imagination as tools for social change. The process of the artistic production is crucial and it is mostly presented as multi-channel video and sound installations, sculptural elements, textile, various objects, and light. She believes in the political possibilities of sound and music, and utilizes both as an empowerment tool for different communities and minority groups.

Banu’s debut album TranSoundScapes which is released by Berlin based label Intergalactic Research Institute for Sound has been awarded for the the top albums of 2022 by one of the biggest music magazines DJ MAG. She is a fellow of the Namibia Program organized by Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart/Germany. Banu has a monthly residency in Refuge Worldwide Radio in Berlin. She is currently lecturer in Sound Studies and Sonic Acts Master program Berlin University of the Arts. Her upcoming solo exhibition will be shown in GAK Bremen, where she continues to question the German health care system in relation to female body, migration, pain, grief and healing. 

Image 1: Sonic Body Map, 2020, multi-channel sound installation, Feminist Housing (Her)Stories for the Future II at Alpha Nova Gallery Futura, Berlin

Image 2: Pink Noise, 2023. Sound installation. Solo Exhibition at Galerie im Turm, Berlin

Image 3: Pink Noise, 2023. Sound installation. Solo Exhibition at Galerie im Turm, Berlin

Image 4: Sonic Activation, 2021 Performance in Public Space at GossipGossipGossip, Berlin
Credit Victoria Tomaschko

Video:  Pink Noise, 2023. Sound Installation. Solo Exhibition at Galerie im Turm, Berlin

Tor Lukasik-Foss

Tor Lukasik-Foss is an artist whose work explores the nuances of social anxiety disorder, a condition he personally identifies with. His artistic practice, spanning over two decades, delves into the complexities of social interaction, examining themes of isolation, connection, and performance.

Lukasik-Foss's visual art often centers on creating physical and metaphorical barriers between performers and their audiences, exploring the simultaneous desire for connection and disconnection. His work also extends to examining the impact of public signage on urban and natural spaces, as well as investigating the social behavior of crows, animals known for their ambiguous position between solitary and communal living.

In addition to visual art, Lukasik-Foss is a songwriter and storyteller who explores themes of anxiety and social awkwardness in his work. His music, performed under the pseudonym 'tiny bill cody,' can be found in several released collections.

Lukasik-Foss's artistic practice is rooted in Hamilton, Ontario, where he lives with his family. His work has been exhibited across Canada and the U.S., both individually and as part of the artist collective TH&B. His artistic contributions have been recognized and supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Hamilton Region Arts Council.

Image 1: Dress Rehearsal (2014) – Tor Lukasik-Foss. Reclaimed wood, Plexiglas, sail maker’s cloth, audio and video. A trio of performance boxes designed to capture the shadows of performers caught in the state of intimate preparation

Image 2-3: I Am Not A Psychic, 2015

Image 3: AQUAVECCHIO / WINDOW ADDRESSING (2022) Reclaimed Furniture, mirror, chalkboard, ephemera

Matilda Moors

Matilda Moors is an artist and educator working with sculpture, writing, and installation. Her work addresses the relationship between cuteness and violence by drawing connections between the physical stresses and abnormalities of cartoon or monstrous bodies and ideas of abjection and difficulty associated with historical feminist and queer artwork. Blending the raw aesthetic of fandom with the polished veneer of animation.

Moors has exhibited throughout the UK and internationally at galleries and institutions including; Somerset House (London), The Horse Hospital (London), Scai the Bathhouse (Tokyo), The Royal Standard (Liverpool), Supercollider (Blackpool), and Strange Cargo (Folkestone). Her writing has appeared in Garageland Magazine and Monstrous Flesh Journal and she is the recipient of the Eaton Fund Grant, the Tokyo Geidai residency and the Mara Lopf Print Prize. She was a founding member of School of the Damned (an alternative MA course) and co-ran artist-led project space SAUNA.

Image 1: Another Body Story, 2019, dual channel audio, 8 min, 17 sec. Performance by Vanessa Borrini. Sound editing by Christian Pollard.

Image 2: Unsocialised Skin, Dragged, 2022, digital print, routed MDF, Variable (505 x 222cm approx.)

Image 3: Sans Sinew, Sans Savour, 2023, latex, fixings, 160 x 240cm

Sara Clugage

Sara Clugage’s is an artist, writer and editor. Her art practice focuses on economic and political issues in craft and food. She has most recently been core faculty for the MA in Critical Craft Studies program at Warren Wilson College and her most recent publication is the 2021 monograph from the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, titled New Recipes: Cooking, Craft, and Performance. Sara is Editor-in-Chief of Dilettante Army, an online magazine for visual culture and critical theory.

Image 1: Gilded Age New York: A Wealth Inequality Dinner, January 20, 2019. Photo: Liz Lignon

This dinner investigated the role of art in wealth inequality. Six courses, prepared from archival recipes, were paired with short lectures on the socioeconomic conditions that made that food possible, drawing attention to how those same factors influenced art production in the period. Topics included Indian chef "Prince" Ranji Smile, the Metropolitan Museum’s Founding Purchase of 1871, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, the Hudson River School, and Jell-O.

Image 2: Gradient Cocktail, in collaboration with the Sprechgesang Institute for Courses, 2019; drinking glasses, flavored ice cubes, champagne, score for cello; dimensions variable. Photo: Argenis Apolinario.

Part of the Sprechgesang Institute collective's July 2019 dinner performance "Courses," consisted of an ice cube rainbow arranged into glasses, topped with champagne and accompanied by a score on cello. An accompanying text considers the welcoming potential of gradients against the hierarchy of the senses developed by Enlightenment philosopher Étienne Bonnot de Condillac.

Image 3: Still from New Recipes: Cooking, Craft, and Performance, 2022, videos and text. Photo: Tate Yoder.

This 2022 Haystack Monograph consists of an essay, four recipes, and three videos. This project considers how food shapes the ideology and culture of craft schools by examining archival evidence of a 1968 “special culinary session” held at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. In this video, I make Welsh rarebit in an antique chafing dish and discuss performance art and tableside service.

Image 4: Still from Dessert Democracy, 2020, video, 19:15 duration.

This "cooking show," made for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center as part of the exhibition "Between You and Me" in 2020, demonstrates the making of a Jell-O ribbon mold. Each layer of Jell-O is accompanied by a spoken text about the history of Jell-O and its entanglement with wealth inequality. When the Jell-O mold is revealed, it forms a color chart of current levels of wealth inequality in the United States. Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/434144120

Åste Amundsen

Åste Amundsen is an artist and researcher creating live interactive experiences that explore human and non-human interaction. Her work focuses on data-augmented human interaction in physical spaces, aiming to enhance audience immersion in shared storyworlds. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Personalised Performance at RHUL.

With over two decades of experience in creative, design, and production roles, Amundsen has delivered tech-enabled staging, interaction, and storytelling for various clients, including independent festivals, theatre installations, and immersive events for private individuals and brands.

Her notable projects include Computer Aided Theatre, which develops tools for live performance, and the interactive black-comedy The Apocalypse Gameshow.

Amundsen is a resident artist at the Pervasive Media Studio (Bristol, UK), and a recipient of Kulturrådet’s Arbeidsstipend (Oslo, Norway). Born in Oslo, she now divides her time between London and Berlin.

Image 1: Welcome to the Dark Ages KLF, 2017. Photo: Mark-Bean Sabino
Image 2: Underground Piano Bar, BBC 2 (photo of a TV screen), 1999
Image 3: Forest Spa: Artists Sanctuary, 2016
Image 4: Apocalypse Gameshow, audience induction form and top-trumps, 2012

Ba Taonga Julia Kaunda-Kaseka

Ba Taonga Julia Kaunda-Kaseka is a multidisciplinary curator, mentor and designer of social spaces living in Lusaka, Zambia. Her work includes concert and exhibition producing, arts administration, curating, teaching and advocacy in Zambia and the wider region. As the founder of Modzi Arts, she has worked with numerous prominent cultural institutions in South and West Africa. Through the organisation, she advocates for the value of art and cultural understanding via an approach rooted in the Zambian philosophy of Ulemu: respect and regard. The spaces she creates bring artists and art audiences together, in quest of new, alternative ways of engaging with ancient objects and traditions within contemporary art. 

Huzefah Haroon

Huzefah Haroon is an architect currently living in Karachi, Pakistan. She founded her practice, Anomaly Lab, as a means to understand the meaning behind making by hand and the importance of material exploration and craftsmanship within design. Her ongoing creative quest is to create experiences that are sensitively attuned to human and ecological being. Her current work researches the practices of Jugaad* within the South Asian region, asking how it can help us design with less. Her recent installation “Jugaar Gym” at the Lahore Design Summit 01 held in Lahore, Pakistan, was an exploration of creating spatial play through borrowed architectural elements and crafts.

Earlier this year, her practice completed their winning design for the international design-build competition Project Lari 2.0, organised by Chaal Chaal Agency, India, making a street cart for women in Ahmedabad, India.

Huzefah is currently an assistant professor at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. She co-authored a research paper titled, Inducing Eureka, presented at the Aga Khan University – Institute of Educational Development (AKU-IED), Karachi, Pakistan. 

* Source: Oxford Dictionary. Jugaad/Jugaar is a hindi/urdu word used to describe “a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way.”*

Video: Jugaar Gym installation by Anomaly Lab at the Lahore Design Summit 01, located at Sabeel Courtyard, Delhi Gate, Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan, the exhibition was held between 07th - 13th March 2024. Design Team: Asadullah, Huzefah Haroon, Sara Bhaty

Tinsae Tsegahun Mengistu

Tinsae Tsegahun Mengistu is an architect born and raised in Addis Ababa. She blends her passion for sustainable design, architecture, and a vibrant engagement with the arts.

A graduate of Addis Ababa University with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture, she continued her academic journey with a postgraduate focus on 3D printing architecture at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, emphasizing the use of Earth as a sustainable building material. Tinsae's commitment to environmental consciousness is further evident through her participation in the 2023's BASEhabitat International Summer School at the University of Arts Linz. Here, she delved into the intricacies of adobe + earth blocks, rammed earth, earth + fibre, and bamboo construction—exploring applications ranging from simple construction methods to larger scale applications in contemporary architecture.

Her focus extends beyond architectural innovation; Tinsae aims to research and utilize these materials within the context of Ethiopia's social architecture. By integrating organic elements into architectural designs, she strives to create spaces that not only reflect cultural heritage but also address the social needs of communities, fostering environments that promote well-being and inclusivity. Tinsae envisions contributing to Ethiopia's architectural landscape, addressing urgent needs in disaster resilience and sustainable development through innovative and eco-friendly designs.

Image 1: Tinsae’s Final year project on Transitional Disaster Relief Shelter in Somali, Ethiopia.

Image 2: 3D visualization showcasing final year project on Transitional Disaster Relief Shelter in Somali, Ethiopia.

Image 3: IAAC's 3D Printed  Earth Student  Housing Vision project featuring Marina Nassif, Tinsae Tsegahun Mengistu, Milad Mehdizadeh, and Huanyu Li.

Jon Haga Grov

Jon Haga Grov is an architect who studied at the Aarhus School of Architecture (2022). He takes a phenomenological approach to architecture, with a particular interest in tectonics and materiality, often expressed through studies and investigations of vernacular building traditions. Contextualised architecture that interacts with local surroundings and premises are important factors in his work. Within today's complex societal challenges, this can be expressed through use of waste materials, recycling and planning for extended lifespan in our built environment. His working methodology often involves physical experimentation and testing in a 1:1 scale, as well as trying to shorten the path between drawing and construction.

Jon has been interested in how people in his region for centuries have built in harsh climates and with limited resources, leading to distinct structures rooted in local traditions. He believes that now, perhaps more than ever, it is important that we build with and not against our surroundings, adapting to our local climates and using local resources in intelligent ways.

Coming to Indonesia, Jon is interested in practicing architecture as a universal language capable of adapting to and learning from new building cultures and traditions in collaboration with other architects, artists and craftsmen. 

Image 1: Column Pine Bricks

Image 2: Offcuts Pine Bricks

Image 3: Stool

Image 4: Model Wooden workshop

Elise Hoebeke

Elise Hoebeke is a contemporary jewellery artist who holds a BA and Master in Visual Arts – Jewellery Context from Sint Lucas Antwerp, where she currently teaches on the BA of Jewellery Design and Silversmithing programme.

Before finding her way into contemporary jewellery, Elise obtained a BA of Interior Design at LUCA School of Arts Gent (BE). As a jewellery artist she is interested in a world where space, object and jewellery come together.

Image 1:1.     Baguette or Brick?, 2022, Print

Image 2: 1.     Transmutation d’une brique: quatrième phase - installation, 2022, Brick (cutting, filing, sanding), 180 x 85 x 50 mm

Image 3: 1.     Transmutation d’une brique: troisième phase précieuse, 2022. Collaboration with Studio DO Red gemstone (cutting, filing, sanding), 180 x 85 x 50 mm

Image 4: 1.     Left: Duplicate, 2023. Rock-crystal, cut into new shape,125x36x30mm, Right: Brick mould: bottom and top, 2023. Steel moulds with Delft clay, 220x110x30mm

Yohanes Arya Duta

Yohanes Arya Duta is a trained industrial designer and independent researcher. He is an active contributor to community development projects in a number of rural areas of Indonesia. Arya’s design work is inspired by his research into local crafts traditions and implemented through many creative outlets and collaborative works. He designed a tableware set to present Indonesian craftsmanship through food diplomacy for the 2022 G20 sumit held in Bali, Indonesia.

Arya’s research into the material-culture of rattan in Jagoi Babang West Borneo was displayed at Borneo Cultures Museum Kuching, Malaysia. Currently, he is continuing his research archiving endangered rattan material species in relation to the practical knowledge of the Dayak Bidayuh tribe to conserve the community’s land tenure. Data from this research will be preserved at the British Museum open access repository under creative common license.