Rygalik belongs to a group of enthusiasts who believe good design can help improve the world – making it smarter. Such a philosophy, in his opinion, can and should be the key to a decent life. Perhaps this attitude is a reason for his popularity as a lecturer.
At the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Rygalik runs a studio called PG13. The group consisted initially of 13 people, but over time the number of students increased. Rygalik chooses them from among the best portfolios and the most open minds. The design process in his studio is based on discussion, analysing problems, and finally constructing objects that try to respond to these hurdles.
The Genotyp / Genotype lamps are a product of experimentation with various materials, using all assets to create a useful product whilst influencing the sculptural effect of the final object. This reinterpretation of the classic standing lamp with shade resulted in a family of lamps made of Corian – a DuPont material used for bathroom and kitchen surfaces – that, as a group, are of slightly different colour, proportion and scale. The smooth, translucent Corian perfectly fits the lamps’ functions.
In his later works, Rygalik often refers to Pokój z Kuchnią / Room with a Kitchen designed for the Toruń Centre for Contemporary Art. The multifunctional space workshop opened in May 2009, designed for creative leisure. It was meant to be a space open to all, where one could read a book, have a coffee and talk. It also housed an educational workshop for children and youngsters.
Designing pieces for this space, Rygalik escaped from the boundaries of prefabricated furniture. Tables, benches and seats are site-specific, between designs and art. The concept is based on creative recycling concepts and architecture of Brazilian slums, where houses are built with materials often recycled from other buildings or landfills. The OSB furniture designed by Rygalik, can, over time, morph, migrate, or be finally destroyed.
Commenting on the concept of Room with a Kitchen, Rygalik said, ‘The beginning of the project often involves ideas that something can be used for something else. An open mind is important’.
A similar philosophy about space can be seen in the Absolutna Przestrzeń / Absolute Space (2009). A club in Warsaw was taken over by Rygalik and his studio, who designed a white plywood structure with tables and chairs in the middle, filling the interior of the club and spilling onto part of the street outside. This was in practice an architectural landmark, full of irregular organic structures, similar to the structure of ice.
Another interior design was created in April 2011 at the Constitution Square in central Warsaw. Warsztat / Workshop was set up to be an inspiration for meetings. In order to make the atmosphere a friendly one, once again, the workspace was made out of OSB.
Rygalik was a leader of the international research project workshop Rooted Design for Routed Living. Their alternative-design strategies were ‘implemented in 2009-2010 in the framework of artistic residencies in Poland and Norway.’ The participating Polish and Norwegian designers attempted to find an ideal solution to a common problem: an artistic residence that blends well with local history, aesthetics and heritage. Among the designs that emerged from this cooperation was the Daybed armchair, which can change its function according to its configuration.
Rygalik’s furniture is manufactured by companies in Poland and abroad. The artist considers a handful of designs in his portfolio as crucial. These include the leather Raw armchair, which supports a load without additional structural support, designed for Moroso in Italy, and a bent-plywood chair with an openwork structure in order to strengthen the construction, designed for the Finnish company Artek. The designer is also eager to work with Polish companies that place a strong emphasis on good design and build a brand based on Polish designers of innovative projects – Iker, Noti, Vox and Comforty. The Lemming armchair, designed by Rygalik for Iker, was selected for the design collection at the National Museum in Warsaw.
He cooperates with numerous companies, to name the few: DuPont/Corian, Moroso, Artek, Iker, Noti, Vox, Heal’s, ABR, Ideal Standard. Between 2011 and 2013 he acted as a creative director for Comforty, since 2013 he has been working in the same role for the company Paged. He designed numerous projects of sofas, tables and armchairs for Comforty, starting with a very functional sofa bed, lol, and ending on a rather extravagant high note with his Chopin sofa, whose fluid shapes mimic that of a piano. In 2014 Paged showed six collections in Milan, all of them created under Rygalik’s supervision. EVO, DUB, K2, TOLO, SEN and LUBI are characterised by a similar flair for adventurous colours and meticulous care for functionality. Rygalik combines wood, plywood and upholstery to create sitting arrangements that are both simple in form and comfortable for the user. Cosy and modern at the same time these projects can act as an adequate summary of Rygalik’s aesthetics.
In 2014, together with Gosia Rygalik, he prepared a special collection under the aegis of culture.pl. The collection, named NASZ, consists of both furniture (chairs, tables, pouffes) and dishes (mugs, plates, saucers). In 2015 Rygalik won the Designer of the Year title, awarded by the Institute of Industrial Design.
NASZ collection is an outcome of a research and development project that has worked as a catalyst of the creativity based on the resourcefulness in design. Characteristic for the times of austerity, the resourcefulness, when confronted with the possibilities of contemporary design and advanced and innovative industry, becomes an exceptional design strategy of an invaluable capacity.