Annika Frye

Annika Frye is a Professor of Design Studies and Design Research at Muthesius Academy of the Arts in Kiel, Germany, and a former professor at Design Academy Eindhoven. She leads the newly established DLC Art Lab in Kiel, focusing on digital education and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her academic journey includes a PhD at HfG Offenbach (completed in 2015) and a fellowship at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Design and Media Cultures (IXDM) in Basel (2016).

• Education: PhD in Design, HfG Offenbach (2015)

Frye’s research bridges design theory with experimental practice, emphasizing improvisation in design processes, hybrid digital-physical interfaces, and open, participatory design education. Her work critiques patriarchal power structures in traditional design schools and explores alternative models like her Non-School concept, later formalized as the DLC Art Lab.

Her publications and projects examine the dissolution of boundaries between analog and digital design, sustainability challenges in design practice, and the role of interfaces in structuring human-technology relationships. She co-edited Let’s Get Sustainable (2023) and Kunst an den Rändern (2021), addressing ecological responsibility and cultural inclusion in design.

Recent projects include:

• Hybridlab (EU-funded): Identity and avatars in the Metaverse
• Digital Wood: A Bio 25 project at Muthesius Academy
• Process World AR Experience: For DAE graduation (2021)

Scientific awards include the IXDM Fellowship (Basel, 2016). She has delivered lectures across Europe on improvisation, hybrid interfaces, and postdigital materiality.