Form Follows Friendship 2026
Co-Design as a democratic practice
Form Follows Friendship is a project of the German Design Council, developed together with the diplomatic network of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as part of “Open – Design Week Frankfurt Rhein Main” during “World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026”.
It brings together emerging designers from Germany and the Netherlands, who work in small teams over several months. Their collaboration is structured through making. Models are built, exchanged and reworked, allowing ideas to develop through material and iteration.
The programme reflects current shifts in design. It focuses on how designers work across borders and disciplines, and how shared authorship takes shape through concrete processes.
The projects address questions around resources, digital tools and collective ways of working. They respond through experimentation and practical exploration.
OPENING
13 June 2026, 16–18h
WDC-Hub, Ground Floor
Museum Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt
Free admission
EXHIBITION
14–28 June 2026
ABOUT THE EXHIBITORS
The selected designers represent a young generation working across product design, digital practice, communication and material research. They bring different methods, references and working styles. The programme places them in binational teams, where these differences become part of the process. Collaboration is not an addition, but the basis of the work.
A MATTER OF LIGHT
Sjoerd Geerts (NL) and Verena Brom (DE) develop a modular lighting system using bio-based materials derived from industrial waste. The project combines material research with repairable and circular construction.
FORM FOLLOWS FOLD
Studio Luis Marie (NL) and Friedrich Gerlach (DE) explore how structures can emerge through folding and material transformation. Physical models are exchanged between countries and developed step by step. The project works with minimal material to create large-scale spatial structures.
AI TELL YOU EVERYTHING
Tina Lenz (NL) and Enes Kazim Pavlukovic (DE) examine how narratives are shaped through AI. In participatory workshops, visitors generate and edit machine-produced texts, creating printed pieces that reflect individual and collective authorship.
ABOUT THE JURY
The projects were selected by an interdisciplinary jury with experience across design, architecture and cultural practice.
Managing Partner at De Zwarte Hond, responsible for corporate strategy and development, branding, PR and communications.
Foto: Silke Zander
Marcel Besau und Eva Marguerre
Studio Besau-Marguerre is known for its holistic design approach, which brings together disciplines such as product design, visual communication, interior styling, colour consulting and interior design. Since its founding in 2011 by Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau, the Hamburg-based design studio has made a name for itself through its attention to detail and its keen sense of colour, form and materials.
Nadia Troeman is a programme manager at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam (NL) and has a background in graphic and exhibition design. She has experience in building networks between professionals and a wider creative audience. She knows that valuable experiences are created when programmes are content-driven and visitor-focused, and are developed in collaboration with various partners.
ANSPRECHPARTNER*INNEN
Katrin Krupka, Projektleiterin German Design Graduates
Katrin.Krupka@gdc.de
Lene ter Haar, Kulturreferentin beim Niederländischen Generalkonsulat in Düsseldorf
lene-ter.haar@minbuza.nl