Arts Thread

Above: Young Polish Designers – Studies In Reality exhibitors 1. Chmurnik, Dorota Balewicz / 2. The beauty of imperfection, Ela Maruszczak / 3. Ash pottery, Mateusz Mioduszewski / 4. Magnetism, Olga Kozłowska / 5. Multi, Anna Gwiazda/ 6. I remember, Martyna Piatek/ 7. M°Or, Kasia Wasilewska / 8. Optybot, Patrycja Walaszek/

A selection of 28 projects created by Polish designers were displayed at during Dutch Design Week 2019, held October 19-27 2019. The exhibition, Young Polish Designers: Studies In Reality, aimed to show how emerging creatives from Poland are tackling current issues through design in order to bring hope for the future.

Selected by designer and curator Izabela Boloz and organised by Academic Design Center, the show features work from eight Polish state art academies: Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, University of Arts in Poznań, Academy of Arts in Szczecin, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw.

The projects dealt with a broad range of subjects and were organised into six categories: Rehabilitation, Inclusive design, Relationships, Craft, Material and Ritual.

The beauty of imperfection by Ela Maruszczak aims to accept defects and increase their value by taking control of their form and intensity. Vases represent a certain degree of acceptance of defects depending on the level of human involvement in their creation: very little – vases exposed to the elements, some – the process controlled by the designer using an uncontrolled element as a tool, the most – fully controlled formation of imperfections in the pottery process. In addition, the vases contain connecting hoops which facilitate the faster formation of new defects.

Ash pottery by Mateusz Mioduszewski looks at how a huge part of the Polish energy sector is based on fossil fuels. This area of the economy produces massive amounts of waste, most of which is ash. This fact inspired the author to make a design study of material from processed combustion by-products. Numerous attempts have led to the creation of a material containing up to 70% ash waste. The material turned out to be an excellent material for the production of ceramic plates, dishes and pots. This material can be formed and dyed through various natural methods.

Magnetism by Olga Kozłowska is a jewellery collection of a ring and two bracelets with magnets – whose main purpose is to support accidental or intentional gestures. Attracting or repulsing magnets enhances the feeling of touch and at the same time encourage users to interact. The locations of the magnets – the bend of the elbow, the palm of the hand – were chosen because of the sensitivity of these body parts.

Kasia Wasielewska presented M°Or, a fermentation set that aims to encourage people to return to the Polish tradition of making their own fermented products at home. The project features glass jars with transparent bases that allow the user to observe the process from beginning to end. The jars contain activated carbon which helps to absorb the strong odors that arise when vegetables ferment.

Multi by Anna Gwiazda is a set of toys that teaches 3–5 year old children empathy towards diversity. All elements are similar but have differ- ences that the child must discover through their senses: smell, touch, hearing. While playing, the child assigns them imaginary roles ac- cording to associations. The parent stimulates fun by talking about di- versity, to which the toy becomes a pretext.

Patrycja Walaszek showed Optybot, a toy that makes use of basic programming to teach sailing theory. I Remember by Martyna Piatek aims to honour the dead in an ethical and design-led manner. Rather than use a candle, I Remember makes use of a sheet of beeswax paper which mourners can write symbolic messages to the deceased on before lighting and watching the ashes fall into a memory bowl.

Dorota Balewicz’ Chmurnik is a versatile chair design that incorporates the heritage of the designer's home region and the tradition of weaving in a contemporary way. Designed by Experiment by Jarosław Hamryszczak is 'a psychophysical test using a test book consisting of 7 sets of samplers made of wood, porcelain, plastic and metal. The samplers have different physical properties and elements of stimuli. By indicating two extreme samplers, the user benchmarks their own tactile perception value as a recommendation and reference point for sensory design.'

Read more about our reports from Dutch Design Week 2019 from our tag.