• DATES

    February - October 2026
    Online Sessions
    Every Monday or Wednesday
    18:00 CET

  • MAIN LECTURERs

    Alberte Holmø Bojesen
    Sarmite Polakova
    Benedetta Pompili

  • GUEST LECTURERS

    Sara Martinsen
    Kristine Hornshøj Harper

  • EXHIBITION CURATOR

    Natural Material Studio

  • LOCATION

    Online (February - October)
    Final Exhibition in Europe: October 2026

  • fees

    2700€ + VAT* per participant
    *VAT exemption applies to EU businesses and non-EU businesses/individuals.

  • submissions

    Open until December 26th, 2025

    LOCAL BIO-BASED MATERIALS

    MAIN LEARNING BLOCKS 

    I. BIOMATERIALS ESSENTIALS
    Lecturer: Alberte Holmø Bojesen
    This phase consists of eight sessions dedicated to material development, covering biomaterial essentials, methodologies, and technical/technological support for material creation. Some of these sessions focus on group discussions, fostering collaboration, and enabling students to learn from each other's work and experiments.

    II. FIELD AREA
    Lecturers: Alberte Holmø Bojesen, Sarmite Polakova or Benedetta Pompili
    The main objective of this phase is to provide participants with in-depth knowledge and independent tools for material development and research, empowering them to initiate their own conceptual and project development. Participants will choose an area to focus on:
    Grown Materials - Biomaterials with a particular focus on sea materials;
    Found Materials - Materials exploring the various roles of waste streams and post-production waste;
    Excavated Materials - Materials working with clay, soil, plaster, and ceramics, approaching the process like travelers.
    In all of these fields, students will delve into mapping and sourcing, investigate local material flows, and conduct material experiments.

    III. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
    The main objective of this phase is to provide participants with in-depth knowledge and independent tools for material development and research, empowering them to initiate their own conceptual and project development. Participants will receive group mentoring sessions from their selected field (Alberte Holmø Bojesen - Grown Materials- , Sarmite Polakova - Found Materials -, or Benedetta Pompili - Excavated Materials-).

    V. IN-PERSON GATHERING & FINAL EXHIBITION
    We will curate, organize, and present students' final projects with a concept-based exhibition in a thoughtfully designed space in Europe. We aim to spotlight material-based research, design, and art, sparking meaningful conversations and fostering a deeper understanding of our educational platform. For your reference, in our previous editions, we exhibited at 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen and at the London Design Fair (Material Matters' hub).

    COURSE CONTENTS

    USEFUL INFORMATION

    FORMAT

    —Weekly online sessions: every Monday or Wednesday from 18:00 to 20:30 (CET).
    —Final In-person gathering/Exhibition: announced soon
    —All sessions and lectures will always be recorded and available online for reference or in case of absence.
    —There will be access to digital study materials folders.
    —All sessions will be in English.

    SELECTION OF STUDENTS

    Approximately 12/15 participants will be selected to join each class of our international program on Local bio-based Materials.
    The selection will be based on students' profiles, previous projects/creations, and intent. We are committed to group diversity and coherence throughout the selection process.

    Prospective candidates should submit the following documentation using the online submission form:
    —Resume of your practice (artistic, theoretical, scientific, pedagogical...) with a maximum length of 500 words. It can be around an ongoing or new project.
    — Research or artistic portfolio.
    Submissions will be accepted until December 26th, 2025

    SUBMISSION PROCESS

    Once you submit your application through the online form, you will hear from us within two weeks. If selected, we will email you with the final steps to complete your application. After you review and agree to these terms, your application will be confirmed and we will issue your invoice. Payments should be made between January 8th and January 12th, with proof of payment sent to info@thematerialway.com. 

    IMPORTANT DATES:
    Submission of applications | Ongoing until December 26th, 2025
    Notification of admission | Applicants will receive feedback within two weeks.
    Payment and enrollment | Full payment or first installment due January 8–12.

    FEES & PAYMENT TERMS

    FEES
    The fee for the International program is: 2.700€ + VAT*
    *VAT exemption applies to EU businesses and non-EU businesses/individuals.
    The fee includes registration, online sessions, course presentations, and final showcase production.
    The course Fee doesn't include ingredients/materials to develop your projects, shipment & participants' traveling costs and insurance.

    PAYMENT TERMS
    When you accept your seat, you automatically agree to our payment terms.
    The course fee can be paid in a lump sum or in three installments.
    If payment is done in three installments:
    First installment: 1500€ +VAT* from January 6 to 10.
    Second installment: 750€ +VAT* by the end of  March.
    Third installment: 750€+VAT* by the end of May.
    *VAT exemption applies to EU businesses and non-EU businesses/individuals.
    PAYMENT METHODS
    Payment should be made by direct debit/bank transfer. For alternative methods, please contact info@thematerialway.com.

    CANCELLATION OF APPLICATION & REFUND POLICY

    If, after applying, being accepted, and accepting our terms, you wish to withdraw from the course, the following terms apply:
    No refunds will be issued in the event of participant withdrawal. Full payment remains due regardless of withdrawal. All fees are non-transferable to another course or year.

    PROGRAM RESPONSIBLE

    BONNIE HVILLUM

    NATURAL MATERIAL STUDIO
    Founder of Natural Material Studio, a Danish cross-disciplinary design company that drives toward expanding our collective understanding and relation to materials. The studio works from a renewable and circular point of view, with both science, biology, technology, design and art as the building blocks to create the new normal for sustainable living.

    MAIN LECTURERS

    ALBERTE HOLMØ BOJESEN

    GROWN MATERIALS
    Alberte Holmø Bojesen (b. 1996) is a textile and material designer educated at The Swedish School of Textiles, Borås, who explores the intersection between material and human, emphasizing sensory experiences. She is currently researching alternative materials from kelp, aiming at making this a key player in a more ecocentric design system. With a background in Fabricademy, her work prioritizes regenerative processes and interdisciplinary collaboration. Bojesen has presented her research at the Design Research Society conference Textile Intersections in 2023 and has exhibited at Southern Sweden Design Days 2024, Design March 2023 (Iceland), Dutch Design Week 2021 (Netherlands), and Form and Design Center 2021 (Sweden).

    SARMITE POLAKOVA

    FOUND MATERIALS
    Studio Sarmīte is a material design and research studio. Led by Latvian designer Sarmīte Poļakova, the studio work focuses on transforming industry waste and various by-products into new closed-loop concepts. Material and product lifecycles take a central role within the designer’s work resulting in unique concepts that emphasize circularity over plain longevity.
    The studio’s design practice consists of hands-on experimental research with the manipulation of existing designing and production methods. This playful approach leads to surprising findings that question our collective ways of producing, consuming, and discarding.

    BENEDETTA POMPILI

    EXCAVATED MATERIALS
    Benedetta Pompili is a social designer based in Amsterdam. A dedication to materials with a focus on their narratives and environmental impact identifies her practice. She rethinks manufacturing techniques and their aesthetics toward circular making. Her research aims to share knowledge, motivate care, and retrace tradition by thinking and acting in an interdisciplinary way. In parallel with her own studio practice, she is a technical advisor and glaze professor at Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. 

    GUEST LECTURERS

    KRISTINE H. HARPER

    AUTHOR

    Kristine H. Harper is the author of Aesthetic Sustainability and Anti-trend and the writer behind The Immaterialist. She is based between Bali, Indonesia, and the Danish island of Møn, and is currently engaged in preserving endangered craft traditions in Indonesia. Harper’s research spans philosophical aesthetics, sustainable design solutions, and cultural sustainability, with a particular focus on how aesthetic awareness can foster more durable and meaningful ways of living. As part of this work, she has developed an aesthetic strategy that can be used in the design process to increase the aesthetic sustainability of design objects. She has taught design and aesthetics for many years and continues to share her work through lectures at international art and design academies.

    SARA MARTINSEN

    MATERIAL RESEARCH / FOUNDER OF phytophilia.dk

    Sara Martinsen is a Danish designer working in the cross field between art and design creating edition pieces from bio-based materials. From her Copenhagen-based studio, solid wood, veneer, plants, and plant fibers are weaved, layered, and arranged into visually strong and intriguing compositions. From small free-standing objects to large wall—and ceiling-hung formations, she creates pieces within a larger architectural context.
    Sara's work is sculptural with a distinct rhythm and tactility encouraging the user to touch, look, and smell the piece, promoting awareness of its qualities through beautiful compositions. Aside from investigating materials and their potential Sara advises companies on responsible solutions and is the founder of the digital plant library at www.phytophilia.dk

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