news
  • 3. August, 2023 - 1.January 2024
    exhibition, new project

    On the occasion of the exhibition dealing about 'WADI,' we were commissioned to develop a new project. 'Themis-Wadi' addresses the audience, advocating for more rights and greater appreciation for this biome.
    curated by: Dan Handel

    Haifa Museum of Art

  • 29. April - 31. October, 2023
    project LAB

    'themis real time LAB' during the "Plant Fever exhibition" at Design Campus Dresden. 'Themis Elbinsel' questions the inclusion of nature into society.

    Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden

  • 22. May - 21. October, 2023
    exhibition

    we are happy that our project 'Access' is part of the "FOOD" exhibition at Design Museum Holon.
    The project is a set of six drinking glasses, confronting people with the global distribution of clean drinking water.

    Design Museum Holon

  • 29.September - 05.November, 2023
    exhibition, new project

    'Design for the Unthinkable World' - an exhibition exploring new directions

    KORA – Contemporary Arts Center

  • ongoing
    exhibition

    MAK Design Lab at the Museum of applied Arts in Vienna. Within the permanent Design exhibition one can find a few of our projects like 'the idea of a tree', 'limited moths' or 'LeveL.

    MAK Design Lab

limitedFern

a project that represents limitation in reality

  • year 2020

  • categories Limited Editions
    Products & Furniture

  • commissioned by

    self-initiated

Since 2008 the Design project realLimited by mischer’traxler studio focuses on endangered species in Austria. The loss of biodiversity is visualized in ‘limited editions’ and consequently creates a dialogue between art, design and nature. The latest additions to the series focuse now as well on flora.
The vase
limitedFern brings notholaena marantae, also called ‘Europa cloak fern’ into the living room. Portrayed in brass, partly lacquered, partly patinated, it appears in the space between two stones. The stones are actually a vase out of grey-dyed porcelain and represent the habitat of the plant – as the fern lives exclusively on serpentine rocks, a greyish stone which contains a large amount of heavy metals. Serpentinit is known to be toxic for most other plants, thus the flora  growing on it is highly specialised.
In conversation with an expert, the number of specimens of this plant species still occurring in Austria’s nature was estimated at a maximum of 200. This number was afterwards reproduced in metal. Each individual fern plant is numbered and represents a living counterpart. 10 % of the price of the object will go to selected nature conservation projects of the Austrian Naturschutzbund, which acquire meadows and natural areas and preserve them in their natural state.

each tuft is numbered and represents a fern still existing in nature...

...and each single vase is home to one tuft

In conversation with an expert, the number of specimens of this plant species still occurring in Austria’s nature was estimated at a maximum of 200. This number was afterwards reproduced in metal.

  • material

    brass (laser cut, lacquered), pocelain, glaze, epoxy resin

  • dimension

    small:
    approx.: 15 x 10 x 20  cm (l, w, h)

    big:
    approx.: 17 x 20 x 20 cm (l, w, h)

  • other

    Pocelain Production: Hermann Seiser

    many thanks to Dr. Luise Ehrendorfer-Schratt for the botanical consultation

  • team

    Katharina Mischer, Thomas Traxler, Monja Hirscher, Elisa Polner, Lilian Onstenk

  • link