Regenerative Design The Weltmuseum Wien as a Lab for the Future

until 16 August 2026

In collaboration with the University of Applied Arts Vienna, the Weltmuseum Wien is reinterpreting the ethnological museum as not merely a repository for silent artefacts, but as a laboratory for future, globally sustainable lifestyles. By learning from diverse knowledge systems, museum collections can become tools for sustainable design strategies.

A decorative sculpture resembles a stylized bird, featuring a long neck and a prominent head with three upward-facing spikes. The body is made of dark materials, surrounded by strands of golden grass, all against a plain gray background. — Antilopenmaske, 1960er Jahre, Unbekannter Meister der Kurumba © Weltmuseum Wien

As part of the Design Revolution Now! design theory course at the Regenerative Design Lab of the University of Applied Arts, students are examining around 25 objects from the Weltmuseum Wien collection to derive regenerative design principles. The focus is on how humans, animals, non-human organisms, and nature collectively create worlds.

In four thematic ‘islands’, traditional views of the Global North on knowledge, time, object status, and purpose are questioned and challenged. Contributions from the fields of design, transformational psychology, environmental law, and performance broaden our perspective, inviting us to radically reconsider our approach to consumption, design, and progress.

Address

Weltmuseum Wien
Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna
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Opening times

Daily (except Monday)
10 am to 6 pm
Tuesday
10 am to 9 pm

further visit information

Tickets

Adult €16
Reduced admission €12
Kids / Teens under 19 free

Tickets