Results of Designer in Residency 2026 open call

The expert jury selected three applicants for the residencies whose projects respond to the residency theme More Than Us in diverse ways, actively integrating environmental forces, new technologies, and living organisms into the design process.

The design works created during the residency will be presented at the exhibition Rog Expo, opening on 25 November 2026. The exhibition will take place as part of the Rog Design Days festival.

Selected Residents 2026

• Barbara Rakovská (Czech Republic): Root Alliance

Barbara Rakovská works at the intersection of textiles, biomaterials, and speculative design. In her project Root Alliance, she develops a wearable garment conceived as a living ecosystem, co-created with plants, roots, seeds, and microorganisms. The garment is not intended solely for humans; rather, it functions as a temporary habitat and a platform for interspecies collaboration.
During the residency, Rakovská will primarily work in the Textile and Green Labs and will also share her research through a public workshop focused on creating with root-based materials.

• BGGB Studio: Luca Gruber & Sara Bologna (Italy): The Arquà Manuscript

Design duo Luca Gruber and Sara Bologna are developing a speculative project that brings together furniture, textiles, writing, and artificial intelligence. In this context, AI is not merely a tool, but a non-human co-author that participates in the creation of images, patterns, and myths. The project draws inspiration from medieval bestiaries.
The residency at Center Rog will enable the project’s material development in the Wood and Textile Labs, as well as the delivery of a workshop on collaborative design with artificial intelligence.

• Yoh Yasuda (Japan): Membranes of Wind

In her work, Yoh Yasuda explores wind as an active co-creator. In the project Membranes of Wind, she develops a system of kites with membrane structures that exist only in relation to wind and gravity. She draws inspiration from Japanese and Indonesian kite-making traditions, as well as from the morphology of the Carniolan lily, an endemic Slovenian plant. The project approaches design as a process of attuning relationships between natural forces.
During the residency, Yasuda will work in the Textile Lab, FabLab, and Wood Lab, and will also present her work through public workshops and outdoor kite-flying events.

Photo by (left to right): Barbara Rakovská, Luca Gruber, Andrea D'Aversa, Yoh Yasuda