AI-conic six l exhibition

The exhibition ´AI-conic six´ showcases visionary works by students from AKöln and KISD, created as part of the collaborative seminar ´AI in Architecture + Design´, led by Prof. Dr. Nadine Zinser-Junghanns (TH Köln) and Ola Handford (Shanghai). The featured projects explore the concepts of the ´Iconic´ and ´AI-ism´. Using AI tools such as ChatGPT and MidJourney, students developed AI-generated visions of objects and spaces.

The exhibited projects demonstrate how AI can play a new role in the early conceptual phase of design, supporting the generation and exploration of design possibilities. By analyzing large datasets and recognizing patterns, AI opens alternative perspectives and broadens the creative scope of designers.

The works illustrate a hybrid aesthetic, emerging from the algorithmic fusion of fragmented cultural and stylistic references. AI tools enhance design diversity by enabling novel visual approaches and narrative dimensions. However, human intuition and cultural sensitivity remain central. The machine generates—humans curate!

paradoxical efficiency

sungbae park l AKöln

"Insidious Joy" explores the paradox of attraction and dependence, highlighting how sources of pleasure can become engaged with control and

reliance. Drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of American prescription bottles, the concept reveals the enticing nature of solutions that promise relief or happiness while subtly trapping individuals in cycles of need. These vibrant, clinical designs embody a duality: the bright promise of healing contrasted with the hidden dangers of addiction, commodification, and emotional dependency. The series prompts reflection on the delicate balance between joy and control in modern life.

Clumsy Hostility.Immoral beauty

robert hartmann l KISD

With its deep self-confidence, AI-generated content continues to lull us into contentment, making us overlook the obvious: The unsettling combination of expert visual capabilities paired with a complete lack of understanding of materiality, physics let alone ergonomics. This dissonance gives rise to impossible, absurd, or outright dangerous objects. In its hybrid aesthetic, Clumsy Hostility. Immoral beauty amplifies this paradox—an apparent peacefulness that, in its ignorance, embodies profound danger.

insidious joy

titus schmelia l AKöln

Since the birth of AI, people have been able to work more efficiently. People became independent of time and space, possible to handle multiple

tasks at once. This series shows a society of extreme efficiency. For example, the chair is combined with a coffee machine, so people can drink coffee comfortably without going to the kitchen. But this chair doesn't seem to make sense. This chair can do multiple things at once, but cannot perform a single role properly. When pursuing efficiency, fundamentals can be forgotten. This series criticizes that point.

lost soul

lisa ikonomu l AKöln

Through the relentless march of ages and the rise of technology, modern design has lost its spirit, leaving behind forms that feel sterile and devoid of meaning. The soul, the passion and the spirit that once were necessary in order to create art has now been replaced by cold precision and mass production. This work wants to reclaim that lost soul, to worship the artistry of old techniques and designs. It celebrates the irregularities that reveal human touch, the simplicity that speaks of timelessness, and the uniqueness that defies replication. It reminds us of the warmth that comes not from perfection, but from the beauty of human effort.

Adaptive Futures

riccardo cossu l KISD

This collection explores a future where design adapts seamlessly to human needs. Through shape-shifting materials and dynamic systems, objects like garments, chairs, lamps, and even entire houses respond in real time, sculpting themselves to suit our bodies, activities, and environments. Furniture emerges only when needed, clothing adjusts to temperature, and spaces evolve intuitively. Adaptive Futures envisions a harmonious fusion of technology and design, creating living systems that anticipate and enhance the way we live, work, and interact.

AI pulse

alessio murrone l AKöln

An AI-generated image begins with noise – a diffuse collection of pixels without recognizable structure. The algorithm analyzes probabilities, condenses patterns, and refines details. What initially appears formless gradually becomes clearer until a distinct shape emerges. But who is truly creating here? The AI calculates possibilities, yet the human decides when an image is “finished.” Is this still design, or merely selection? This process reveals how the line between authorship and machine logic blurs – raising the question of whether creation is defined by control or interpretation.