Hive and Artichoke, crocheted cushions designed by twin sisters Kasia and Monika Gwiazdowska, were in the running for the main design competition at the Singapore Expo, held during the International Furniture Fair Singapore 2013. Hive was awarded the Grand Prize of the competition, while Artichoke received a Merit Award. The pieces are currently on show at the International Furniture Fair Singapore as part of the exhibition of finalists for the Furniture Design Award.
Hive is a chair woven from flax, its shape clearly mimicking that of a honeycomb. Monomoka's Artichoke is made of 156 overlapping crocheted discs. Other projects, such as their Lentil stool and Sleeping Mice cocoon cushion, use diverse techniques to create whimsical objects that retain their original function. Each piece takes months to design and produce - hence each collection has no more than 13 objects. Their uniqueness has been appreciated both at home and abroad - with Sleeping Mice among the finalists in last year's competition by the Society of British Interior Design.
In Singapore the design duo is represented by their business partner Piotr Saladra. Their designs competed against four other finalists by two designers from Singapore and one from China (Sim Miao Ling, George Soo and Min Chen).
Monomoka was established in 2004 after Kasia and Monika Gwiazdowska graduated from the architecture department at Wrocław Polytechnic. Their architecture studies gave them a background in the relationship between form and function, which they transferred to a newfound interest in design.
They create each piece of furniture from several handmade elements - from several dozen to more than a hundred - joining them into one unified object, typically stools, chairs and sofas, with other everyday objects including lampshades. They use flexible textiles such as polyester, linen, cotton or wool to create decorative, textured forms in lively colours. For certain models, they combine the soft, woolen forms of their cushions with wood elements to achieve a structural balance.
Ecology is a big part of Monomoka's work. They insist on using natural materials and base their process based on creating by hand. Many works mimic the appearance and workings of the natural world. Piotr Saladra explains the aim of achieving "an organic effect of multiplying small-scale, nearly identical elements drawn together in a specific structure. With these modules, one can create flexible, modifiable forms in various colours and materials that are adapted to different needs".