Nature, in all its forms and aspects, fascinates and inspires many Polish designers, and stimulates their imaginations and reflections on the world around us. The exhibition tells about the 'natural' inspirations of the designers and their search for identity. It builds a narrative around our cultural diversity, and shows how important it is in the contemporary global world to maintain individuality and uniqueness.
The authors of the exhibits derive inspiration from Polish traditions, habits, local customs and beliefs. They use ornamental motifs, simple handicraft techniques, and natural materials. They know how important a responsible approach to natural resources is, as well as economical techniques of production. They manage to keep a distance from our Polish traditions and customs, such as a fondness towards mushroom picking or adorning walls with hunting trophies, which derives from the noble past. They look upon their cultural heritage with humour, without pathos and solemnity. They know that what is local and distinct is an important value worth preserving.
The exhibition’s curator Ewa Solarz says:
I like the conceptual approach to the subject of human relationships with nature of Ewa Bochen and Maciek Jelski of Kosmos Project. An inspiration for their simple, geometric animal masks was the primeval Polish pagan culture and Slavic rites based on the deep bond between man and nature. My grandparents always argued over antlers hanging on walls. The non-drastic version of hunting trophies are works by Magda Chojnacka (Bongo Design) and Agnieszka Bar. I think that my grandmother would accept these simplified sculptures of steel wire shaped like a fox's head from the Wild Head series by Magda Chojnacka. And for sure she would be delighted, like me, with My Dear – the glass deer by Agnieszka Bar, the sculpture shaped like an animal's head which can be animated and shaped by putting sticks into it. A similar idea was used by one of my favourite designers, Magda Jurek, in her lamp Maria SC. The tubes the lamp is made of encourage experimentation with various plants and change the lamp’s appearance.
The authors of many of the presented works are at the beginning of their design careers – still studying or gaining their first experiences. Others are already internationally recognized, have been awarded international prizes (Malafor, Agnieszka Bar, Maria Jeglińska), and their numerous projects have been put into production. Everyone knows those folk handicraft techniques and can use them to produce modern items, and everyone appreciates the charm of natural materials: wood, glass, wool, ceramics and even hay.
Each of the exhibits tells its own story – most often subversive, ironic and full of humour, not literal, but deeply rooted in Polish culture.
The designers: Agnieszka Bar, Katarzyna Bogucka, Dizeno Creative, Bongo Design, Endesign, Maciek Gąsienica Giewont, Maria Jeglińska, Halina Kamińska, Kosmos Project, lightovo, Malafor, Karina Marusińska, Mono, Monomoka, Alicja Patanowska, Marcin Pogorzelski, Pani Jurek, Tabanda, Undesign, Wzorowo.
Forest and Meadow
7th-28th November 2014
Designgalleriet, Stockholm, Sweden
Curator: Ewa Solarz
Organizer: Culture.pl
Partner: The Polish Institute in Stockholm
Źródło: materiały promocyjne, październik 2014