Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler, founders of the ground-breaking mischer’traxler studio in Vienna, are the most recent artists-in-residence at the GUILD Residency.

The studio’s work balances handcraft and technology as it analyses systems, challenges topics, reinvents production methods and searches for new ways of doing things, all with the intention of showing that design can be both functional and beautiful, not just as in the objects themselves, but as well as in the ideas they represent. The Telegraph describes their work as “art nouveau in craft form, reimagined for the digital age”.

Katharina Mischer (born 1982, in Sankt Pölten, Austria) and Thomas Traxler (born 1981, in Linz, Austria) formally established their studio in 2009. They completed their BA degrees in product and furniture design at the NDC St.Pölten and at Kingston University London, and both graduated from the IM-Masters department at the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2008.

Work by mischer’traxler has been included in several contemporary design exhibitions at institutions such as the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Design Museum London, and the Triennale di Milano, as well as a variety of international festivals. The recipient of multiple notable awards, the studio’s projects can be found in the permanent collections of museums including MAK Vienna, Vitra Design Museum, MUDAC Lausanne, Art Institute Chicago and Philadelphia Art Museum.

Over the course of their two-month residency, the duo have focused on two projects that engage with the Western Cape ecosystem. These include a collection of functional designs inspired by species of insects, fynbos and other natural elements found in the Cape biome, as well as a series exploring the use of found objects (mainly beach debris) as tools and mark-makers. The designers are collaborating with local artisans such as ceramic, bronze and glass producers to realise their work.