Michaela Büsse is a design researcher and editor. Her interest spans design and material cultures, anthropology, and human geography. In her ongoing practice-based PhD she analyses design through the lens of human-material entanglements. In 2017, Michaela has been a fellow at Strelka Institute’s design think-tank The New Normal and, in 2018, she took part in the research residency Acts of Life – On Nature and Urbanity, an interdisciplinary collaboration between NTU CCA Singapore, MCAD Manila and Goethe Institute.

Michaela regularly lectures on critical design and media studies at various institutions, including Zurich University of the Arts, Bern University of the Arts and Prague College. She is part of the editorial board at Migrant Journal – a six-issue publication exploring the circulation of people, goods, information, and even fauna and flora, around the world. Furthermore, she co-initiated and curates OTHERWISE – a festival-as-research. The first edition took place in Zurich (2019) and focused on artistic strategies of survival.

Between 2015-2016 Michaela was a research fellow at the Institute for Design Research at Zurich University of the Arts where she initiated and co-organised the annual lecture performance “Design Denkt Zukunft”.
Before Michaela entered into academia, she worked several years as brand strategist consulting national and international companies on their portfolios and communication plans.

Journal Articles (peer-reviewed)
CCC PhD-Forum (Nick Aikens, Denise Bertschi, Michaela Büsse, Lucas Cantori, Paola Debellis Alvarez, Doreen Mende, Camilla Paolino, Hélène Soumaré, Melissa Tun Tun, Elena Yaichnikova). “Situating our Experiences. A proposal for Doctoral Research as a Network of Practices.” #Re-visiones, 8, 2018

Büsse, Michaela, Mitrokhov, Konstantin. “Interface Creep”. Antennae, Issue 45, 2018, pp. 72-78.

Book Chapters
Büsse, Michaela, Allen, Jamie, Bedö, Viktor, Ibach, Merle, Gerloff, Felix, Miyazaki, Shintaro. “Unmaking – Against General Applicability”. Critical Makers Reader (eds. Loes Bogers, Letizia Chiappini). Institute of Networked Cultures, Amsterdam. (forthcoming)

Peer-reviewed Conference Proceedings
(Title subject to change)
Büsse, Michaela. “Grounding Ontological Design in the Real World”. Critical By Design? Cultures, Epistemologies, Practices. Institute for Experimental Design and Media Cultures. Transcript. (forthcoming)

Edited Publications
Büsse, Michaela, Tribillon, Justinien, Randulfe, Dámaso. Flowing Grounds, Migrant Journal 3, 2017, Migrant Journal Press.

Büsse, Michaela, Tribillon, Justinien, Randulfe, Dámaso. Dark Matters, Migrant Journal 4, 2018, Migrant Journal Press.

Büsse, Michaela, Tribillon, Justinien, Randulfe, Dámaso. Micro Odysseys, Migrant Journal 5, 2018, Migrant Journal Press.

Büsse, Michaela, Tribillon, Justinien, Randulfe, Dámaso. Foreign Agents, Migrant Journal 6, 2019, Migrant Journal Press.

Büsse, Michaela. “Sand Stories.” After Agency, HAT Research Centre, Poznan, Poland 2019.

Büsse, Michaela. “Alternative Cartographies.” Cartographies of the Vanishing Now, New Narratives for Earth, Fiber Festival, Amsterdam, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela. “Sandlab” in collaboration with Neuhaus, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela. “Intra-Action Design.” Research Through Design Conference, TU Delft, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela.” Questioning the Foundations. Anti-hylomorphism and the Politics of Design.” DilemmaDilemma, Bern, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela, Miyazaki, Shintaro. “Fictionalising Commoning as Co-Design.” Designing Community, Paris, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela, Garnicnig, Bernhard, Sobecka, Karolina. “A Collapseological Colloquium.” Without Computers, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela. “Unsettling Design. Material Encounters and Relational Practices.” Leverage Points, Leuphana University Lüneburg, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela, Bedö, Viktor, Martins, Yann, Miyazaki, Shintaro, Savic, Selena, Evans, John, Diehm, Cade, “Phantasms of Decentralization? Conversations About Commoning With Coming Media.” Transmediale, Berlin, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela. “Towards Xeno-Design Cultures.” Avoiding Ecocidal Smart Cities, Particapatory Design Conference, Genk/Hasselt, 2018.

Büsse, Michaela, Mitrokhov, Konstantin. “The Common Task of a More-Than-Human-Centred Design.” Beyond Change, Swiss Design Network Conference, Basel, 2018.

Büsse, Michaela. “Towards Xeno-Design Cultures.” Spürtechniken. Von der Wahrnehmung der Natur zur Natur als Medium. University Potsdam, 2018.

Büsse, Michaela. “Applied Fiction.” Forum for an Attitude, Forum 2\ Visibility, Depot Basel, 2015.

Büsse, Michaela. “Die Rolle des Designers in der Gesellschaft”, Hochparterre u30 special event, Zurich, 2015.

Büsse, Michaela. “Design beyond the Object”, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, 2015.

Büsse, Michaela. “Applied Fiction”, Design denkt Zukunft, Museum Bärengasse, Zurich, 2014.

Büsse, Michaela. In the middle of it, European Centre for Art, Media and Design Based Research, FHNW Basel, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela, Hermanutz, Sarah, Rau, Andreas. “Give and Take.” Critical Media Lab, FHNW Basel, 2019.

Büsse, Michaela, Mitrokhov, Konstantin. “Common Task.” Modern Body Festival, The Hague, 2018.

Büsse, Michaela, Kelemen, Tena, Martins, Yann. “Planetary Investigations.” Oslo Night, Haus der Elektronischen Künste, Basel, 2018.

Büsse, Michaela. “Designing as Becoming.” The Politics of Design, Act 1, Z33, Hasselt, 2018.

Büsse, Michaela, Mitrokhov, Konstantin. “Common Task.” Festival de Film Invisible, Geneva, 2017.

Büsse, Michaela, Mitrokhov, Konstantin. “Common Task.” On and Off the Grid, Hackers & Designers, Amsterdam, 2017.

Büsse, Michaela, Mitrokhov, Konstantin. “Common Task.” The New Normal Showcase, Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design, Moscow, 2017.

Büsse, Michaela. “Applied Fiction.” Design Prize Switzerland, Connecting Spaces, Hong Kong, 2016.

Büsse, Michaela. “Applied Fiction.” Swiss Pavilion, Design Week London, 2016.

Büsse, Michaela. “Applied Fiction.” Design Prize Switzerland, Langenthal, 2015.

Büsse, Michaela. “Applied Fiction.” Design denkt Zukunft, Zurich University of the Arts in collaboration with the W.I.R.E., Museum Bärengasse, Zurich, 2014.

Büsse, Michaela. “Applied Fiction.” Graduation show. Zurich University of the Arts, 2014.