Although the museum won’t open until late October (read more...), work on the finishing touches is in full swing. The permanent exhibition will be tested throughout the coming months. In addition, the winning line of products designed for the museum shop has been chosen.
See the Museum's Architecture
One of the challenges the designers had to face was to reflect the museum’s modern and dynamic spirit as well as its mission to restore the rich history and culture of Polish Jews.
SXL's Katarzyna Leśniok and Aleksanda Stolecka were unanimously chosen by the judges as the authors of the best project. The second prize went to Marta Szajneman-Szuba; Martyna Sobecka’s (Zupagrafika Studio) project came third. Dominika Hoppa and Tomasz Seidler also received an honourable mention.
The authors of the winning project were inspired by the architectural forms of the interior of the museum’s foyer, specifically the colour scheme and the distinctive grooves on its walls. Its geometric modules are made of light-toned wood and steel, mirroring the building’s interiors.
The items are made of high-quality materials and are simple, logical and detailed. The designers' proposal was an educational game in the form of wooden blocks, paperweights, bookmarks, and magnets, as well as a box of chocolates and a jewellery line. All the items constitute an aesthetically coherent line with the original forms, as was stated on the museum’s website.
Prof. Dariusz Stola, Director of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and also a member of the jury, said,
Among the submitted projects there were plenty of striking ideas which mirrored the uniqueness of our museum and its mission. In this modern building, probably the most stunning building in our country, we show the history and rich culture of Polish Jews which dates back 1000 years.
The designs that have been chosen will not only be a beautiful souvenir from the museum, but also a way to bring back the memory and keep it alive.
Dr Dawid Korzekwa, the president of SGTU – the Association of Applied Graphic Designers – said that the task was not easy, yet
we managed to short-list the projects which were particularly well thought out, modern, and reasonable in terms of production costs.
Karolina Sakowicz, coordinator of the museum's Cultural Programming Department emphasized that the winning project is based on a very simple and clear, yet not necessarily obvious, concept, which gives plenty of production possibilities.