Anna Zimmermann
Anna, please introduce yourself:
I’m Anna Zimmermann, a designer based in Vienna working at the intersection of object design and sculpture. My practice is material-driven and explores the relationship between material culture and craftsmanship, often embracing imperfection, balance, and playful experimentation.
Vessels of Imperfection © Maria Ritsch
#1 Imperfection has a firm place in your work—breaks, marks, irregularities. What does an “imperfect” object tell you that a flawless one never could?
Imperfection often reveals how an object was made—what techniques or tools were involved, what material was used, or even whose hands shaped it. I find it exciting when an object carries traces of its own making, rather than hiding behind a polished, flawless surface. In my work, irregularities aren’t about sloppiness or lack of care; they’re part of a careful balancing act between control and unpredictability. For me, a slightly imperfect object can feel more alive, more characterful, more honest, and ultimately more engaging.
#2 You founded the Feminist Welding Club to explore the role of women in craftsmanship. As well as learning a new skill, the focus was on building a sense of community. What does this context mean to you, and to what extent does it influence your work and your view of design?
I started the Feminist Welding Club after noticing how persistent gender stereotypes and the underrepresentation of women still are, especially in fields like metalwork. The club operates on several levels: it's a space for empowerment, where I and others can learn and share both hard and soft skills, but it's also a platform to address inequality, not only seriously, but sometimes with humour. I keep repeating it, because it’s still true: we live in patriarchal structures that gatekeep access to certain knowledge, tools, and spaces. The Welding Club is my way of pushing back, of creating our own spaces, being visible, and offering role models for others.
This context deeply influences my work. While my objects are often perceived as aesthetically refined, there’s always a social layer beneath the surface. The ongoing exchange with others through the club constantly challenges and expands my thinking. It energises me – there’s a sense of sisterhood, of solidarity, that strengthens both my design practice and my belief in collective transformation.
Feminist Welding Club ©Anna Zimmermann
#3 For the Hook Collection, you collaborated with the Viennese lighting manufacturer Bakalowits. What appeals to you about collaborating with traditional craft businesses, especially in terms of materials, technology and knowledge sharing?
I find it incredibly inspiring to collaborate with traditional craft businesses. When I work with artisans or workshops like Bakalowits, I first try to understand their processes; how things are made, what tools are used. Then I ask myself: where can I intervene? How can I slightly shift or appropriate a technique to create something new? My perspective is often quite naïve, but that naivety, that not-knowing, can actually lead to innovation.
What’s essential, though, is to approach these collaborations with deep respect and on equal footing. It takes sensitivity and mutual understanding to explore new directions together, especially because in traditional crafts, things have often “always been done a certain way.” Coming in with a radically different idea can be confusing at first, even disruptive. That’s why I see these collaborations not just as material experiments, but as dialogues about value, change, and shared authorship. In Vienna, many traditional craft businesses are under threat, and I believe collaboration with younger designers and artists can be a way to help sustain these practices and give them new relevance.
Hooks
#4 You often draw inspiration from everyday observations. Can you give an example of an object or situation that surprised you and led to a project?
When my grandmother moved into a retirement home, we found a large collection of pewter plates and tankards: objects once cherished, now considered worthless. I decided to melt them down and recast them into a knife, fork, and plate. Not as replicas, but as new objects that connect past and present. The porous texture from casting became a metaphor for memory and the shifting value we assign to things over time.
#5 You have a background in not only product design, but also graphic design, photography and art direction. How do these disciplines influence your work, and at what point do the boundaries become blurred?
For me, these disciplines flow into each other quite naturally. My background in graphic design has shaped how I think about rhythm, form, and composition; it was a great school for developing a visual language. Photography and art direction now play a big role in how I communicate my work and create narratives around it. While the core of my practice is object-based, these visual tools help me frame and contextualise it, blurring the lines between documentation, presentation, and creation itself.
Process - Vessel of Imperfection
#6 Craftsmanship is evolving as new technologies meet old techniques. How do you view these developments, and what role would you like to play as a designer in this change?
In my practice, I adopt new tools and technologies when they genuinely make my work easier or open up new possibilities, but they’re not at the core of what I do. I don’t see them as a threat to craftsmanship, but rather as something to engage with critically and consciously. Part of my role as a designer is to stay informed and move with the times.
#7 How do you see the role of an architect in today's society?
I see designers as people who carry responsibility towards their communities, their materials, and the systems they work within. For me, that means engaging politically, taking a stand, and trying to contribute to something positive, however small. I don’t necessarily believe that designers have to be problem solvers; I’m more drawn to the role of the activist, the question-asker, the disturber of routines. But at the same time, I think it’s perfectly valid if design also simply brings more beauty into the world. Sometimes, that’s enough.
Ornamental Welding © L. Hilzensauer
#8 How does your environment influence your work?
Greatly. I think much of what I’ve shared already speaks to this: the strong craft traditions in Vienna, my collaborations through the Feminist Welding Club, and the inspiring people around me all feed into my work. I absorb a lot from my environment: conversations, contexts, atmospheres and these elements often find their way into what I create, consciously or not.
#9 Three things that inspire you at the moment?
The Feminist Welding Club continues to inspire me, both through the people involved and the energy of collective making.
I’m also inspired by taking some time off, stepping back, and allowing space for reflection.
And finally: experimentation without pressure. Creating just for the sake of curiosity is something I deeply value right now.
#10 What do you currently read, watch, listen to?
Reading: Das Patriarchat der Dinge by Rebekka Endler, On All Fours by Miranda July
Listening: G-Spot by Stefanie Giesinger
Links
website: https://annazimmermann.eu
Instagram: @annazimmermann.eu
Photo Credits: © Anna Zimmermann, © L. Hilzensauer, © Maria Ritsch
Interview by Lisa Puschmann