Studio Mischer Traxler

Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler, based in Vienna, develop and design products, furniture and installations with an emphasis on experimentation, context and conceptual thinking. Working at the interface of craft and technology, they envision whole systems, processes and new production methods focused on sustainability and relevance of nature. Part of their design process is to examine, experiment, analyse and reject. This critical view often questions and affects the relation between producer, object and owner. “Why and what for” are often the main concerns before a new project comes into being, whilst “what if” allows for new interpretations and different possibilities. Their products often make use of unexpected materials and are characterized by external influences, such as weather conditions or the re-purposing of existing materials. They work on the representation of concepts, not on the solution of functional problems. The focus is on building up the emotional impact of an object, to give it resonance for the user, rather than in perfecting the details. Much of their research is on interaction and temporal concepts: the object is not so much an instrument or functional element, but the means to gain experiences. Thus they have created a wide variety of products that stress the passing of time, the principle of absence/presence, the cast of another object.  Often their projects reflect on natural phenomena such as the presence of light, animal movements, etc. Mischer’Traxler won the Austrian Experimental Design Award 2009, the DMY Award 2009 and was shortlisted for the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year in 2010. Their work has been shown in museums such as the Boijmans van Boiningen, the Design Museum London and at international design festivals including the Triennale Milano.