Exkursion PAPER CARBONE 2026

7.-12. May 2026

.CHARLEROI / BRUSSELS

This exkursion was a blast! Togehter with students from TH Nürnberg we travelled to Belgium to first participate in the independent publishing and print festival Papier Carbone in Charleroi and later go for some studio visits in Bruxelles.

The festival took place at BPS22, a contemporary art museum located inside a former industrial hall originally constructed for the International Exhibition of 1911. The 2,500 m² space provided an impressive setting for exhibitions, workshops, installations and live print events.

ADRENALINE — Poster Exhibition

One of our contributions was a small exhibition of posters produced during the ADRENALINE workshop directed by Lars Harmsen, held earlier in February 2026 together with students from ESA Saint-Luc Bruxelles and their professor Nicolas Belayev. The exhibition was presented in a former shop space in the centre of Charleroi. We realy loved the way how the posters where displayed.

EXTINCT MOMENTS — Flag Installation

Also exhibited at Papier Carbone was the large-scale flag installation EXTINCT MOMENTS, developed within the 100 Poster Battle course together with guest lecturer Kuki Iwanski from Poland. It had a huge impact on the overall look of the event.

The flags revolve around the notion of “extinct moments” — everyday experiences that have quietly disappeared in an increasingly accelerated and optimised culture. Moments that once felt ordinary have become rare: being unreachable for a while, moving through a city without constant advertising, making decisions without algorithmic influence, speaking face to face without a screen nearby, taking an undocumented holiday, or sustaining friendships that exist entirely offline.

PRINT’N’DANCE — Live Printing Session

On Saturday evening, the students organised PRINT’N’DANCE, an event combining music and participatory live printing, based on an idea by POSTER REX.

Based on the concept of the Boiler Room Sessions, visitors were invited to join the DJ directly on stage while live print sessions took place around them. Guests were able to print designs on paper and textiles, including shirts and bags. The students provided a selection of motifs developed specifically for the event and inspired by vernacular graphics found throughout the streets of Charleroi.

Typography Workshops at PBA — Palais des Beaux-Arts

Additional workshops with students from FH Dortmund, TH Nürnberg and ESA Saint-Luc Liège took place at the PBA — Palais des Beaux-Arts, an Art Deco building dating from 1957.

The workshops focused on experimental type design and fast poster production. Participants created modular fonts using the online tool Grid Type and experimented with online typography tools to design posters with typographic messages, printed on A4 letter sheets. The Posters where later exhibited in a Gallery Space downtown Charleroi and at the Festival.

FH Dortmund Exhibition Booth

FH Dortmund and TH Nürnberg also presented a shared publication booth at Papier Carbone, featuring independent magazines, experimental typography projects and artist publications, including VOLTAIRE Magazine, the 100 Poster Battle Catalogue and DECONSTRUCT TYPE.

Brussels — Studio Visits and Exchange

After the festival, we continued to Brussels for two additional days dedicated to studio visits, exhibitions and exchange with the Belgian graphic design scene.

The students visited several influential studios and agencies, including Base Design, Kidnap Your Designer, Circlar and Wurdex.

After the studio visits, all students met again at ESA Saint-Luc Bruxelles for presentations and discussions reflecting on the impressions gathered throughout the visits, followed by a tour through the workshops and facilities of the school.

WIELS — Lutz Bacher: Burning the Days

On Tuesday, the excursion concluded with a visit to WIELS Contemporary Art Centre in Brussels and the exhibition Lutz Bacher — Burning the Days.

The exhibition presented an extensive overview of the conceptual artist’s genre-defying practice, combining found materials, pop-cultural references and provocative reflections on sexuality, violence, political paranoia and metaphysical themes.The exhibition formed a strong final moment for the excursion, connecting contemporary art discourse with the students’ own investigations into typography, publishing and visual culture.

Bonus Lecture at Wiels: Frau Steiner Studio

Meriem Steiner gave us a view into her practice as an artist and graphic designer where risography becomes an artistic practice — supporting artists, experimental printing, workshops, performances, installations, and riso-printed wallpapers.

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The excursion was led by Lars Harmsen, Markus Lange and Andreas Ruhe from Morphoria, with additional support from Alexander Branczyk of Drucken3000 Berlin. A big thanks to Nicolas Belayev and his amazing team of Paier Carbone who invited us to come. You and your team are the very best!!! Hope to see you again in two years.

More pictures of very good times