One of the trio's most recognisable designs is the Falon modular seat, Lampania lamp and Moose table. All three pieces have received the Must Have award at the Łódź Design Festival as among the best-designed products on the Polish market. These objects are entirely different in form, yet each sport the group's customary whimsical style, from the infinite possibilities of the Falon to the tidy basic form of Lampania and the antler-inspired base of the Moose.
Their products are based on functional furnishings, objects and installations, along with interventions in the public space. They approach each project as a challenge and feed off the adrenaline each new project generates. As they say, they strive for their projects to be user-friendly, with a contemporary form, made of natural materials sourced locally and inspired by the world around them.
DIAGO chair, awarded in 2013 at the Lodz Design Festival was inspired by traditional origami techniques. The form is laser-cut, with well pronounced lines of folds, which harshness is however smothered by joyful colors that designers chose: ranging from red, green or delicate blue. DIAGO is at the same time cheeky and friendly, inviting the user to sit and stay. To add an even cosier feel to this design Tabanda experimented with felt padding for the sitting part, creating another model called FELT DIAGO.
On the other hand NOWA STOŁOWA lamp gives away the designers’ sense of humour. Toying with the idea of 3D objects, they design a product that operates almost only in two dimensions. The lampshade, made of bended aluminium, barely suggests the outer lines of the product. On top of that Tabanda decides to add a colorful cable, transporting the whole project into the realm of designers' joke.
Their projects in the public space include the November 2011 installation dedicated to the legacy of Maria Skłodowska-Curie on the 100th anniversary of her receipt of the Nobel Prize. Their Totem was a symbolic representation of the element Polonium, installed before one of Warsaw's most historic buildings along Krakowskie Przedmieście. Soon enough, it became a regular meeting spot for passersby to convene and relax.
Tabanda belongs to the Swelina Association, whose most notable projects include the transformation of the bus stop at SKM Sopot, a stop along the ARTbus route, which provides a mobile tour of the city's most happening art destinations, set up on the occasion of the Polish EU Presidency. The association also created the kinetic sculptures along the Swelina (Swelinia) River in the north of the city. Made of plywood, branches, empty bottles, metals pipes and other random objects which have been blended into eye-catching compositions that are constant motion thanks to the movements of the river. The objects also generate sound, which is projected onto the river banks.
In 2013 Tabanda conceived the spatial composition for the Design Terminal at Gdynia Design Days and curated the Contemporary Improvisations exhibition, which revolved around the creative potential of Poland's northern coast, its designers and producers. The project gave a glimpse into the creative universe of designers and how objects are made from conception to finish, from chairs, shoes and musical scores. The form of an egg was presented as an ideal example of shape and form, while new approaches to form through improvisation were encouraged. The exhibition went on to be shown at DMY Berlin later that year.
Selected exhibitions and awards:
- 2015 London Design Festival, London
- 2015 Maison et Objet, Paris
- 2015 “Do It Your Way”, Design Week, Milan,
- 2015, IMM Cologne
- 2014 DesignAlive Awards, Creator of the Year
- 2014 “Taste of an Object”, Mediolan
- Pappel Design Preis 2013 - DMY Berlin 2013 for Contemporary Improvisations
- Must Have 2013 - Łódź Desgn Festival for the Diago chair
- 2013 DesignAlive Awards nomination (Creator category)
- 2013 "Must Have from Poland", Hong Kong
- Must Have 2011 - Łódź Design Festival - for the Moose table, Falon seat and Lampania lamp
- Contemporary Improvisations - Curator - DMY Berlin 2013 and Gdynia Design Days 2013
- Solo exhibition in the Mid Careers section at Polish Design Focus - DMY Berlin 2013.
- Materia Prima - Must Have from Poland 2013 - Milan
See more on Tabanda at www.tabanda.pl
Author: Katarzyna Zacharska. Translated (with edits) by Agnes Monod-Gayraud,01.08.2013, updated AM, May 2016.