Interior Scholarship 2018/2019 | Interview with Juliane Glaser
Juliane Glaser is one of the four winners of the Interior Scholarship grant issued by AIT and the Sto Foundation. She provides the following tip for other students: "Scholarships allow you a bit more freedom to help combat the significant pressure during your studies. You will therefore have more time for your own projects, as well as activities outside and within the university." Photo: Foto: Sto-Stiftung / AIT
What exactly do you study?
After completing my bachelor's studies in interior design at the Mainz University of Applied Sciences, I have now embarked upon my master's degree in "Communication in Space" following six months of practical experience. This special programme of study examines spaces in which communication and information are reflected in innovative and creative ways. It deals with the contradictory relationship between object and space. Whether furniture items, urban intervention, scenography or classical architecture: Bold approaches are supported, while failure is also accepted. During the course of the implementation projects, there is always the chance to work with interesting companies.
What inspires you in your studies?
Both my strength and weakness is my practically limitless enthusiasm for understanding places, people, structures and concepts. During my studies, I come into contact with many exciting, fascinating projects as well as interesting people. I value the diverse processes that the course offers up each day. From the initial sketches on papers, working models, the technical drawing done on the computer right through to the printed 3D model – the course is highly engaging, yet provides tremendous variation.
What does the study of interior design mean to you?
I primarily associate interior design with materials, light, space, social structures and atmosphere. Out of these, the concept that fascinates me the most is atmosphere. It is a term which I still do not fully understand, even though I work with it every day. Studying interior design allows me to look at my surroundings in a completely different way. While travelling or during a short stroll along the Rhine or through the city, I often try to comprehend why some spaces work, why some fail and why certain compositions exude a special appeal.
What are your goals and where do you prefer to work?
I hope that, in the future, I will be allowed to build what I am currently merely designing, so that it can cast a shadow, make a sound and create its own atmosphere. After I complete my master's degree, I would be keen on spending some time working in an architecture office to help enrich my knowledge through experience. However, there should also be time for my own projects. I would also be interested in gaining extensive experience in the project management industry; this will give me the skills I need to set myself up as a self-employed interior designer in the future.
How did you hear about the Interior Scholarship?
Through an email from my university which encouraged me to apply.
For what are you primarily using the Interior Scholarship?
The money will allow me to spend a three-month internship in Switzerland, something I would not have been able to do without financial support. The support will allow me to buy reference books, build spectacular prototypes and also help provide more time for my own projects. The scholarship is a tremendous motivation.
How are you going to continue in the next time?
The next semester will see me complete my three-month internship in Zurich and then decide on a topic for my master's thesis. Alongside these plans, I would also like to further develop an idea for a product. Next spring I will work on my master's thesis and acquire an additional 3D programme (Rhino) in my private study time.
About Juliane Glaser
After completing a bachelor's degree in interior design, Juliane Glaser is now doing a master's degree course (Communication in Space) at the Mainz University of Applied Sciences. In 2017, she completed a 6-month internship at an architecture office in Mannheim. After her studies, her aim is to become a self-employed interior designer. The Interior Scholarship grant will allow her, amongst other things, to undertake a foreign internship in Switzerland and provide her with more time for her own projects.
