dieDAS’s 2026 fellows were carefully chosen by a selection committee composed of members of our founding team and esteemed design experts. The committee included:
We are pleased to announce the fellows of the 2026 dieDAS Fellowship Program. This year’s selection process brought together an exceptional range of applications from around the world. The jury was impressed by the clarity, rigor, and collective orientation of many proposals and has selected four outstanding fellows who respond compellingly to this year’s call Active Collection / Collective Action by Artistic Director Rozana Montiel. The framework understands collection not as accumulation but as a relational, spatial, and social practice—an active process of repair, re-collection, and reaction; of coming together, reconfiguration, and collective action.
Congratulations to Hira Rasool, Malika Leiper, Christopher Benton, and Sonia Kazovsky.Hira Rasool’s research-driven practice bridges material exploration, ecological knowledge, and collective learning. Her focus on material as a carrier of social and environmental histories resonates strongly with the fellowship’s emphasis on repair, material harvest, and situated making. Malika Leiper approaches design through collaboration with craftspeople and communities, foregrounding questions of belonging, access, and care. Her work aligns closely with the idea of active collection as a shared process connecting hand, industry, and social relations. Christopher Benton brings a community-centered methodology rooted in co-authorship, ethical fieldwork, and restorative archives. His practice treats design as social infrastructure, reflecting the fellowship’s call for collective action and civic engagement. Sonia Kazovsky’s practice engages archives, institutions, and pedagogy as spaces of collective rehearsal. Through dramaturgical and participatory frameworks, her work reflects the fellowship’s focus on re-collection, repair, and the reorganization of inherited structures.
Together, this group reflects the spirit of Rozana Montiel’s fellowship framework, Active Collection / Collective Action, bringing distinct yet complementary approaches to gathering, making, and acting together at dieDAS Design Akademie Saaleck. We believe the 2026 cohort will expand the conversation on how collective practice, material inquiry, and civic engagement can reshape social and spatial environments, contributing to more responsible and inclusive forms of design.We congratulate all fellows and look forward to their contributions to the 2026 program.
Cristina Steingräber
Chair of the Selection Committee
On behalf of the jury Yassine Ben Abdallah, Prof. Philipp Oswalt, Roberto Sironi, Tatjana Sprick, Arne Cornelius Wasmuth.
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