At this year’s BA graduation ceremony, the main graduation speech will be delivered South Korea-born philosopher Byung-Chul Han, one of the world’s most original thinkers. Han is a relentless critic of neoliberalism, the postmodern Zeitgeist and a lifestyle centred around digital devices, and author of international bestsellers such as The Burnout Society, Saving Beauty and Psychopolitics. In his most recent writing Noema he is seeking an answer to the question of how arts can help formulate a new, forward-looking narrative for the people of the 21st century. Han hardly ever agrees to speaks in front a public, so his appearance at MOME is a rare and exceptional gesture.

The speaker of our MA graduation ceremony Gorden Wagener is a German car designer and chief design officer of Mercedes-Benz. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the mutually satisfactory collaboration between MOME and one of the world’s top automotive brands. In addition to delivering a speech at the graduation ceremony to celebrate the anniversary in style, Wagener will also inaugurate Mobility Lab, the latest pride of MOME Campus geared towards the future of transportation, together with MOME’s management. 

Dates: 
MOME BA graduation ceremony: 30 June 
MOME MA graduation ceremony: 1 July

20 years of strategic collaboration between MOME and Mercedes Benz 

Gorden Wagener, chief design officer for Mercedes-Benz received his industrial product designer degree in 1993. He studied under Stefan Lengyel, head of the product design department of Essen University at the time and guest professor at MOME, who forged the link between Mercedes and our university. Ever since, MOME students and lecturers have been actively involved in the design programmes of the automotive brand. Wagener took over management of the product design department of Mercedes in 2008, and since then has completely reinvented the the luxury brand’s forms and design philosophy to also incorporate Bauhaus motifs. The milestone anniversary of the collaboration between MOME and Mercedes-Benz will feature a unique event series at the Campus.