Maria Gil
Product Design Undergraduate
Chelsea College of Arts UAL
Specialisms: Furniture / Design Research / Installation/Sculpture
Location: London, United Kingdom
Maria Gil
First Name: Maria
Last Name: Gil
Specialisms: Furniture / Design Research / Installation/Sculpture
Sectors:
My Location: London, United Kingdom
University / College: Chelsea College of Arts UAL
Course / Program Title: Product Design Undergraduate
About
Maria Gil is an award-winning Polish furniture designer based in London. She studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan and at the University of the Arts London where she graduated from with a bachelor’s degree in Product and Furniture Design. In her practice, she uses everyday objects as storytellers and while her designs are deeply context-driven, they are not meant to blend in, but rather stand out as thought-provoking statements.
While in the West in the late 20th century a movement of playful experimentation in design was flourishing, Polish design faced challenges due to economic and political crises. Post War Drobe reimagines Polish design history, envisioning an alternative reality where postmodernism had the chance to exist. Combining contrasting rebar and fabric, often used as substitutes for traditional furniture materials due to resource shortages, „Post War Drobe” references classical wardrobes from before WWII. It mourns the lost cultural heritage destroyed and looted from Poland during the war. Instead of using the colour, pattern, and humour typical of postmodern designers in capitalist countries, Post War Drobe, set in the context of communism, adopts a serious, ghostly demeanour to emphasise the contrast between the two systems.
Competitions
