Balancing between handcraft and technology, we create projects that depict nature, tell stories, raise questions and create atmosphere.
left to right: Johanna Dobrusskin, Florian Semlitsch, Katharina Mischer, Thomas Traxler, Sophia Stoewer, Christoph Heidebrecht
Katharina Mischer, Thomas Traxler and their team form mischer‘traxler studio. Based in Vienna they develop and design products, furniture, installations and more, with a focus on experiments, context and conceptual thinking.
Balancing between handcraft and technology, the studio envisions whole systems, new production methods and kinetic or interactive installations that question topics, tell stories or open up new ways of doing things. They examine, experiment, analyse and reject. Their results are often playing with uniqueness, and some of their projects are poetic records that interact with the viewer and evoke unexpected reactions. By using their outcomes as well as a mean of communication, the studio tries to show that Design can be functional, good and beautiful not just in objects but as well in the ideas they represent.
Katharina and Thomas already met whilst studying. They completed their BA-degrees in product and furniture Design at the NDC St.Pölten and at Kingston University London and continued to study in the IM-masters programme at the Design Academy Eindhoven. After graduating in June 2008 and several years of collaborating on various projects, Katharina and Thomas founded mischer‘traxler studio in 2009.
Projects have won several awards, while the studio was honoured with the ‘Designer of the future award’ by Design Miami/Basel and W-hotels in 2011, with the ‘Young talent award’ by the Be-open foundation in 2014 and with the Swarovski Design Medal 2016 by Swarovski and the Vienna Design Week.
mischer’traxler studio give frequently talk about the studio’s work and lead workshops in various Universities and Institutions. In 2014 and 2015, Thomas and Katharina were directing the master course ‘European Design Lab’ at IED Madrid. In 2016, they were teaching a guest term at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and in 2017 they were guest professors at the Kunsthochschule Kassel in Germany. In the most recent years they taught at the space&designstrategies at the Kunstuniversity Linz, Austria.
impression of the studio
exhibition view of the exhibition at Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art
so far the studio collaborated with various companies,
galleries and institutions including:
Maison Perrier Jouët Champagne, Hermés, Nodus, PCM Design, Kvadrat, Alcantara, Victor Hunt Designart Dealer, Carwan Gallery, Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art, Design Miami, MAXXI Museum, Design Museum Holon, MAK Vienna, Kunstgewerbemuseum Schloss Pillnitz, Vienna Design Week, Form (Australia), Biennial of Design in Ljubljana, Kunsthaus Wien,…
some of our most memorable exhibitions
curiosity cloud – NY adaptation at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York 2019 / LeveL – the fragile balance of utopia at the MAK in Vienna in 2017 / “in relation”, solo show at Mario Mauroner contemporary art in 2017 / curiosity cloud for Perrier-Jouët at the Victoria&Albert Museum London in 2015 / ephermerā for Perrier-Jouët at Design Miami in Miami in 2014 / “lightopia” exhibition by Vitra Design Museum – travelling exhibition 2014 – 2018 / “hyperlinks: Architecture & Design” at the Art Institute Chicago in 2011 / a full list can be found here
a selection of objects in permanent museum collections
the idea of a tree process and object at the MAK Vienna / relumine and the idea of a tree benches at the Vitra Design Museum / the idea of a tree objects at the Art institute Chicago / cuprum at the Kunstgewerbe- museum Schloß Pillnitz / nocturnal cloud at MUDAC Lausanne / riperian cloud at MK&G Hamburg /
a full list can be found here
a selection of recognitions
“Designer of the future award” by Design Miami and W-hotels in 2011 / “Austrian Prize for the Advancement of Experimental Design” in 2009 / “Wallpaper’s 20 under 40” in 2015 / “Swarovski Design Medal 2016” by Swarovski and Vienna Design Week 2016 / a full list can be found here
we are supported by a small, but great team
Currently our team consists of Thomas Traxler and Katharina Mischer, supported by wonderful Designers Sophia Stoewer, Florian Semlitsch, Christoph Heidebrecht and Julia Habarda. Programming and electro technical support comes from Simon Laburda (DKIA) and his team.
a big thank you as well to all the great people who were involved in the studio in previous years and which we enjoyed getting to know a bit better: Dimitrije Andrijević, Johanna Dobrusskin, Elisa Polner, Monja Hirscher, Lena Hoyos, Lilian Onstenk, Adinda Rensen, Stephan Jäger, Leonarda Spassova, Johannes Nortmann, Clarissa Kellermann, Claire Garcia-Webb, Bernd Van Riel, Maria Bauhofer, Theresa Ohm, Anais Bourcier, Eva Ohrhallinger, Anouk Buntsma, Alissa Freilinger, Stefanie Rittler, Benedikt Steiner, Zoe Hough, Julian Heckel, Isaac Monté and Greta Hauer
left to right: Christoph Heidebrecht, Johanna Dobrusskin, Simon Laburda, Katharina Mischer, Thomas Traxler, Marlen Jachek, Sophia Stoewer, Florian Semlitsch