Since its inception in 2013, the Weimar-based research lab Space for Visual Research has gradually enlarged its operations to inspire a lively exchange with students and like-minded practitioners. A fundamental part of this endeavor is an ongoing series of exhibitions, lectures, and workshops, which have been hosted by universities and cultural institutions across the globe.
In 2018, a team around SfVR founder Markus Weisbeck was invited to the Hubei University of Technology in Wuhan, China, to conduct one of its hands-on workshops. Participants were encouraged to use unconventional image making techniques along with analogue tools to create abstract visual worlds. A selection of different papers, foils, and fabrics was added to build bricolages and spatial installations in which different light situations and material properties could be explored. The resulting imagery was then reworked and repurposed into graphic compositions to be applied within the context of contemporary communication design.