Inuaugural Lectures: Gessmann, König, Lobe, Rebentisch
April 25th 2012

History of Culture and Technology, Product Design Department
Dr. Martin Gessmann Read Philosophy, German Studies and Romance Studies at Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, periods of study abroad in Nantes (western France) and Washington D.C. TV reporter at regional broadcaster SWR from 1991-1996. Postdoctoral Fellowship from the German Research Foundation, DFG (1998), academic assistant in Heidelberg (1999-2002), head assistant from 2003-2008. From 2008-2009 Fellow at Marsilius Kolleg at Heidelberg University. In June 2010 appointed Professor at Heidelberg University. From October 2011 Professor of the History of Culture and Technology at HfG Offenbach. Editor of Philosophische Rundschau since 2003. Jury member of the Raymond-Aron translation prize (since 2007). Numerous specialist publications on philosophical topics, for example, on Michel de Montaigne and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Professor of Typography, Visual Communications Department
Sascha Lobe (born 1967) lives and works in Stuttgart. He studied at Pforzheim University under Prof. Uwe Lohrer. In 1999 he set up the communication design studio L2M2 and realized projects for clients including the Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Adidas, publisher Hatje Cantz Verlag, Hugo Boss and Daimler AG. He has received more than 100 national and international awards. His works can be found in various design collections, such as at the Neue Sammlung of the Pinakothek der Moderne Munich and the Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich.

Philosophy/Aesthetics, Visual Communications Department
Dr. Juliane Rebentisch Read Philosophy and German Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, was awarded a doctorate in 2002 from the University of Potsdam, completed her postdoctoral thesis in 2010 at Goethe University Frankfurt (“venia legendi” for Philosophy). Main focal points: aesthetics, ethics, political philosophy. Co-editor of WestEnd. Neue Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung. Book publications include: Ästhetik der Installation (Suhrkamp, 2003, 4th edition 2011); Kreation und Depression. Freiheit im gegenwärtigen Kapitalismus (edited with Ch. Menke, Kadmos, 2010); Die Kunst der Freiheit. Zur Dialektik demokratischer Existenz (Suhrkamp, 2012).

Illustration/Graphic Design, Visual Communications Department
Eike König Studied Graphic Design at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Art Director of logic records. Since 1994 has run his own visual communication studio (HORT) in Berlin. Various visiting and foundation professorships at German universities, including Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, HfG Offenbach and Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. His studio’s works feature regularly in major international publications. In 2011 he was named Visual Leader of the Year by the Lead Academy.

KICKOFF FOR THE B3 MOVING IMAGE BIENNAL 2013 IN FRANKFURT AM MAIN

Frankfurt am Main / Germany (7th December 2012) – “The B3 KickOff at the public Theme Laboratory shows that the idea of the new B3 Moving Image Biennial 2013 is taking shape. It opens with a mufti-facetted look at the moving image. B3 is setting a signal for change with its new approach, synergies and networking: from up-and-coming young talents to universities, colleges, cultural institutions and the creative sector,“ said Eva Kühne-Hörmann (Hessian Minister for Science and the Arts) at the opening on Friday, 7th December 2012 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. „B3 is a festival with, for and by film and media professionals. The international network and openness of Frankfurt makes it possible to combine creative ideas and create new platform”, said Deputy Mayor Markus Frank (Head of Department of Economy, City of Frankfurt).
The spectrum of contributions at the B3 KickOff ranged from Oscar prize winner Thomas Stellmach to Christian Vogt, manager of the Oscar-winning special effects company Pixmondo; from the Ensemble Modern to the Forsythe Company, from Arte Creative to Sony, from the Deutsches Filminstitut to the Frankfurt Kunstverein; from computer games to animation workshops; from Visionale to Transmediale, from the Kassel artist Maja Oschmann to London fashion designer Carrie Munden; from the Goethe University to Harvard.

www.b3biennale.com

INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
In winter semester 2011/12, with the support of the Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts (HMWK), HfG Offenbach succeeded in establishing its first Office for International Affairs. This has added a new dimension to our successful development work to expand our international network of contacts as well as our participation in various exchange programs. And so, this is just one element of an active development policy adopted by the HfG, which works toward internationalization and excellence in artistic and academic instruction and research.

loehr@hfg-offenbach.de

FIVE PRIZES AT THE 15th HfG-RUNDGANG

As part of the 15th HfG-Rundgang from 6-8 July, 2012 five prizes were awarded to students.
The Dr. Marschner-HfG-Rundgangspreis was bestowed for the fourth time. The prize, which is awarded alternately for work in Fine Art, media or design, went in 2012 to a piece in Media. The winners of the prize, which is worth EUR 2,500, were Jonas Englert and Merlin Flügel who were given it for their works entitled »Diktum« and »Echo«. The jury consisted of Dr. Marc Ries (Sociology/Media Theory at HfG), Michael Hierholzer (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Prof. Bernd Kracke (President, HfG).
The Deutsche Börse und HfG Fotoförderpreis for an artistic photographic piece was awarded for the second time. The prize is worth EUR 2,500 and went to Lilly Lulay and Karolin Back for their photographic pieces entitled »Mindscapes« and »00:01«. The jury included renowned photographer Babara Klemm, curator of the Deutsche Börse Art Collection Anne-Marie Beckmann and president of HfG Offenbach, Prof. Bernd Kracke.
The Rundgangpreis der freunde der HfG - Design was awarded for the first time. The prize is worth EUR 2,500 and went to Victor Balko for his work entitled »Album Editionen«. The jury included Matthias Wagner K (Director Museum for applied art Frankfurt), Dr. Holger Niedenthal (management freunde der hfg e.v.), Prof. Bernd Kracke (President, HfG).
The Rundgangpreis der freunde der HfG - Art was awarded for the first time swell. The prize is worth EUR 2,500 and went to Mattis Kuhn for his work entitled »Herz Woyzeck« and to the participants of the project »3-D Wunderland«. The jury included Prof. Dr. Juliane Rebentisch (Philosophy/Aesthetics at HfG), Dr. Holger Niedenthal (management freunde der hfg e.v.), Prof. Bernd Kracke (President, HfG).
The Wöhner Innovationspreis für Industrial Design was bestowed for the first time. The prize, which is worth EUR 3,000, went in 2012 to three works of industrial design. The winners were Fabian Kragenings (for his work entitled »Gabelstapler als Werkzeug«), Mirko Marchetti (»Off the Grid - Autarkes Lichtsystem«) and Vanessa Ramster (»Vitoterra Wärmepumpe«). The jury consisted of Tobias Adami (self-employed Designer from Munich), Sandor Klunker (Designer at Gaggenau Munich) and Frank Zebner (Professor and Dean at HfG).
The DAAD-Prize for Outstanding Achievements by a Foreign Student is worth EUR 1,000 and was bestowed in 2012 to HfG student Jifei Ou.

DESIGN INSTITUT OFFENBACH
The transformation, in 1970, of the Offenbacher Werkkunstschule (founded in 1832) into an Art and Design University of the state of Hessen and associated establishment of the Department of Product Design brought about a rethinking both concerning the school’s didactic and academic focus and researching and teaching a newly developed design discipline at the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Offenbach. Now, after more than three decades of successfully communicating the integral theoretical-practical concept so important to design, the Department of Product Design faces the challenge of reconsidering, in the context of rapid regional and global economic and social change, design and design education also and above all in terms of its academic-curricular, methodological and disciplinary focus. To this end, in 2011 the Department of Product Design decided to establish the Design Institut Offenbach (DIO). As a superordinate seminar of the department, the Design Instistut is intended to initiate and promote internal and external discussion on the further development of design theory and practice. Moreover, as a research platform it will address current and future theoretical and practical questions revolving around the topic of design.

THE CAFETERIA, A NEW CENTER OF COMMUNICATION AT HFG
Fair-faced concrete walls, natural wood vintage furniture from the 1970s, large windows overlooking Schlossplatz, in the middle a fully equipped kitchen with white metal fronts, where various artistic interventions can take place in the pattern of open spaces: Since the winter semester 2011/12 the cafeteria, with seating for 80, ist he new center of communication at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach. The opening of the cafeteria on November 28, 2011 was not only one of the year’s highlights, it also marked the beginning of a new era at HfG; „The new cafeteria fills a vacuum that has existed since the University came into being, so for 41 years now. Students, teachers and staff immediately made the cafeteria a platform for provisions and communication. This demonstrates just how important this long overdue new feature is for the university,” HfG president Prof. Bernd Kracke said at the opening.

MOTION BANK
Motion Bank is a four-year (2010-13) project by the Forsythe Company, in which choreographic practice will be researched in a wide context. The focus is on the creation of digital online choreography scores in collaboration with selected guest choreographers, which will subsequently be made accessible in the Motion Bank digital archive. Under the supervision of HfG Offenbach (Prof. Heiner Blum/Experimental Spatial Concepts and Prof. Bernd Kracke, president) and in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer and Graphics Research (IGD) Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, the HfG alumni Florian Jenett and Amin Weber are developing a Motion Bank on several levels. On the one hand, it is about translating choreographic and performative strategies into an instructive pictorial idiom using electronic media, and on the other hand it is about a reflection on a process of this nature and the visualization of both the losses and the potential innate in a translation of media forms.

POINTED
The teaching media artists, designers and theorists of HfG Offenbach invited each semester in the last ten years "off the beaten track", "character actors" and also specialists for "folding boxes" or print finishing.The lecture titles are, for example, "A child kneeling like a dog infront of a dog" or "Fromboytogirlandbackagain" or simply just "To live or to write?". The book documents with its numerous photos and posters the vivid and varied event culture of the Offenbach Art and Design University. All posters were designed by Klaus Hesse and printed in the printing workshop of the University. Many of the posters were awarded at international design competitions.

HFG-ANNUAL REPORT 2010
The HfG Annual Report concentrates on general projects and diploma theses of the last two semesters, and also introduces new faculty members. Our annual reports always include a DVD with animations, short films, and documents about the HfG. Annual reports have traditionally been designed and planned by teams of students. The 2010 edition highlights the theme of development in design and also the book’s playful and experimental approach to typical layout designs.
The Annual Report 2010 can be purchased for € 20 (plus postage) in the HfG library under: bibliothek@hfg-offenbach.de.

RED DOT AWARD: COMMUNICATION DESIGN 2009 FOR THE HEINRICH HOFFMANN PATH AND THE SHOCK-HEADED PETER PATH
13 June 2009 was the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Heinrich Hoffmann, the Frankfurt psychiatrist and creator of the children’s-book character of Shock-Headed Peter (Struwwelpeter). His home city celebrated the occasion with numerous events and exhibitions. Offenbach Academy of Art and Design students from both faculties were given the responsibility for the artistic design of the Heinrich Hoffmann Summer. Now the students Isabell Anhalt, Ellen Heilmann, and Kathrin Schumacher from the department of product design have been presented a Red Dot Award for their designs of a Hoffmann Path and Shock-Headed Peter Path. Both of these walking tours are equipped with a guidance and information system, and were designed and created for the Hoffmann Summer.

HFG STUDENT FILM AT 2009 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
Tim Bollinger’s experimental short film Between was shown at the Cannes film festival as part of the German short film program Next Generation 2009. With this film Bollinger completed his studies in the Department of Media at the HfG Offenbach under Prof. Bernd Kracke and Prof. Rotraut Pape in 2008. Next Generation brings together the most recent productions from German film schools and is always premiered at the international film festival in Cannes. In 2008 Between was awarded the distinguished Hesse film prize for the best student film.

HFG RANKED FIRST ON UNICHECK
The HfG Offenbach has been ranked first place on the Internet portal Unicheck for its use of tuition fees. Students at the HfG were able to recommend how the 500 euro in fees charged per student and semester since 2007 should be used. Although the Hesse government abolished the fees again in 2008, the HfG continues to allow its students to have a say in how university money is spent.

COMMUNICATIONS: ART, DESIGN, AND MEDIA. OFFENBACH ACADEMY OF ART AND DESIGN HEADS LEAGUE TABLE
In the first league table of German arts academies published in the weekly Focus (no. 22/2006), Hesse’s smallest higher education institution came out top. The Offenbach Academy of Art and Design came in ahead of major public universities in the “communications” category, and was also ranked higher than private universities. The HfG was also among the top five in the categories “moving media” (TV, film, video) and “product design.”

HFG ONE OF THE FIVE BEST PLACES TO STUDY ADVERTISING
In an article in UniSpiegel entitled “The Wonderful World of Advertising” Tobias Wiethoff introduces the profession of art director and reports on the current situation in the advertising industry. He mentions the Offenbach Academy of Art and Design as one of the top five places to study for a career in advertising, citing the results of the fall 2003 survey carried out by the Association of Communications Agencies, which accorded the HfG fifth place in Germany.

OFFENBACH COMMUNICATIONS DESIGNERS WIN PRIZE IN CHINA

Among the winners of the poster competition for Shenzhen Universiade 2011 were seven students of Klaus Hesse, professor for conceptual design at the HfG Offenbach. With more than seven thousand designs submitted from twenty countries, the Shenzhen Universiade 2011 jury did not have an easy task. The Universiade is an international sports event for students, held, like the Olympic Games, in both winter and summer. In 2011 the summer Universiade will take place in Shenzen, China.