Poster for Places of Origin: Polish Graphic Design in Context
Today graphic designers often turn to the internet for inspiration – resources from around the globe are available at the click of a mouse. Many designs and illustrations, however, still stem from and remain rooted in their places of origin – each of them is connected to or inspired by a specific sign, door, street, town, region, or country. Although many of these places may not be worthy of appearing on postcards, numerous extraordinary graphic design pieces would have never come into existence without them.
Thanks to photos, sketches, documents provided by the designers, the exhibition will present pieces in relation to their “birthplaces” and backstories. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn how concrete architecture can influence typeface design, how typesetters working with traditional machines strive to preserve material heritage, or and what designers can do to revive old specialty shops. A special map will help visitors explore For those who will not make it to Reykjavik, an interactive version of the map will be available on-line on the Culture.pl website.
Agata Szydłowska, curator of the exhibtion, explains:
Places of Origin is like the genealogy of Polish graphic design.Their stories can be traced back to their "ancestors": inscriptions on walls, building ornaments, neon signs, old printing presses. Searching for inspiration, contemporary designers eagerly turn to web-based resources that can come from practically any corner of the world, yet, just as often, designers explore local “capital” and their work is connected to specific physical locations.
The exhibition invites visitors on an intimate tour of Poland – a journey through Polish cities and towns, streets and alleys, urban landscapes and the countryside, places which are both designers’ homes, as well as unique sources of inspiration.