Jörg Hugo

The Solid Rapid Prototyping (SRPLab) at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin is part of see:tech, the Academy’s network of exploratory technology labs, workshops, and teaching formats. Within this framework, the SRP Lab investigates digital manufacturing technologies as creative and critical media in art and design education, combining technological experimentation with material practice and workshop-based learning.

The SRP Lab provides access to experimental and established rapid prototyping methods and integrates them into teaching across art and design. Its hybrid learning environment supports hands-on experimentation, independent exploration, and collaborative knowledge exchange. Students are encouraged to develop practical and critical approaches to emerging technologies and to examine how digital tools can influence artistic and design processes.

A central focus of the lab is the relationship between digital fabrication and traditional workshop practice. Technologies such as robotic fabrication and other digital manufacturing processes are explored in conjunction with material knowledge, craftsmanship, and experimental making. The lab understands digital manufacturing not simply as a means of production, but as a creative medium that can be adapted and reinterpreted through artistic and design practice.

The SRP Lab builds on the Bauhaus 4.0 research project (2020–2022), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and conducted by the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin in collaboration with the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin).
The project investigated how digital technologies—including two six-axis robotic arms—could be integrated into art and design education while maintaining the importance of workshop-based and material practice. A particular focus was placed on developing new forms of teaching and learning that connect digital technologies with artistic experimentation.

The results of Bauhaus 4.0 were published as Open Educational Resources (OER) and have been integrated into the Academy’s curriculum since 2023. These resources provide a foundation for continued teaching and experimentation in digital fabrication, robotics, and hybrid forms of knowledge production.

Today, the SRP Lab serves as a space for students and researchers to explore, test, and critically reflect on emerging manufacturing technologies. Its activities connect digital fabrication, material practice, artistic research, and education, with an emphasis on developing new forms of knowledge through experimentation and making.