Design Alive 2015 Collector's Edition/Milan

Magazine of Fine Ideas

№ 14 Spring 2015   Collector's edition

experience 14

Collector's cover by Giovanni Giannoni

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6 Contents

NEWSLETTER 14 innovations, news, curiosities good beginnings

ART OF LIFE

12 Manifesto 15 decree on future of education 50 The call how to protect our children from nature deficiency

PEOPLE

36 The curiosity gene Agata Wilam about future of education 42 Planned evolution Dorota Kabała adrift 93 A chair can be sexy please, have a seat next to the Tomek Rygalik

THINGS 34 KRYSTYNA ŁUCZAK–SURÓWKA Selection No rabbit in the hat 51 Photo shoot no. 14 inspiring books, things to love 62 The design saga caught at the Stockholm design week 104 ART OF CHOICE Katoactivists Dominik Tokarski and Michał Kubieniec from Geszeft choose

ACCESSORIES by German textile brand Sieger. Bow tie – 98 Euros, www.sieger-germany.com More on p. 52 ELK by Agnieszka Bar is a reinterpretation of a hunter’s trophy. Owing to the object offered by My Dear, the phrase “to take the bull by the horns” acquires a new meaning. It is a glass vase which you can hang on the wall and put flowers, dry leaves or horned branches in place of the antlers. On request; PLN 3,520, www.agnieszkabar.pl

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ARCHITECTURE AND PLACES

58 Building no. 8 pillbox on Vikings’ Island 64 The architecture of all senses eight places for a cognitive night in UK 76 Vorrei presentare… Milano Wojtek Trzcionka’s photo reportage 80 Into the city!

Milan subjectively 84 ARCHICONS Io sono Emma Necchi Campiglio stars 90 In the sawmill full of tastes Carlo e Camilla the Milan restaurant 94 NOSPR sounds of life at a new house 106 The factory of dreams at the Rolls Royce headquarters

EVENTS 40 300 years of childhood at the London’s V&A Museum

TRENDBOOK 110 The cloakroom attendant Tilda Swinton – loves, wears, respects 112 Involved artists Gillaumit Mit and art educators 113 STRONG BACK of illustration Krystian Żelazo Alicja Woźnikowska-Woźniak’s choice

MAGAZINE OF FINE IDEAS

№ 14 SPRING 2015

COLLECTOR'S EDITION

DOŚWIADCZANIE 14

COLLECTOR'S COVER BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI

COLLECTOR'S COVER Tilda Swinton as the Cloakroom Attendant captured by Giovanni Giannoni. More on p. 110

Editor-in-Chief Ewa Trzcionka e.trzcionka@designalive.pl Art Director Bartłomiej Witkowski b.witkowski@designalive.pl Online Editor Wojciech Trzcionka w.trzcionka@designalive.pl Editorial Staff Julia Cieszko, Daria Linert, Angelika Ogrocka, Łukasz Potocki, Wojciech Trzcionka Columnists Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, Krystyna Łuczak-Surówka, Janusz Kaniewski, Tomasz Jagodziński Contributors Eliza Ziemińska, Piotr Mazik, Olga Nieścier, Dariusz Stańczuk rmf Classic, Mariusz Gruszka Ultrabrand, Jan Lutyk, Alicja WoźnikowskaWoźniak, Marcin Mońka, Sylwia Chrapek

Marketing and Advertising Director Iwona Gach i.gach@designalive.pl Publishing Director Wojciech Trzcionka w.trzcionka@designalive.pl International sale Mirosław Kraczkowski mirekdesignalive@gmail.com Advertising reklama@designalive.pl tel.: +48 33 858 12 64 fax: +48 33 858 12 65 tel. kom.: +48 602 15 78 57 Subscriptions prenumerata@designalive.pl Publisher Presso sp. z o.o. ul. Głęboka 34/4, 43-400 Cieszyn, Poland tel.: +48 33 858 12 64 fax: +48 33 858 12 65 e-mail: presso@designalive.pl

Logo and layout Bartłomiej Witkowski Ultrabrand Editing Karolina Czech Translation Eleonora Pawłowicz DTP Ultrabrand

Copyright © 2015, Presso sp. z o.o.

Reproduction in whole or in part without express permission is strictly prohibited. Design Alive will not return unsolicited materials and reserves the right to edit recieved materials. The Publisher is not responsible for the content of the featured advertising and has right to refuse to publish an advertisement if its form or content are in conflict with the regulations or nature of the magazine or portal.

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PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

Editorial office ul. Głęboka 34/4, 43-400 Cieszyn, Poland redakcja@designalive.pl +48 33 858 12 64

fot. Jan Lutyk

Tafla C

Tafla O

Tafla Q

TAFLA Steel TAFLA mirrors made in FiDU technology are as unique as the reflections in them. The new modular collection of mirrors gives another dimension of space and creates a unique story on your wall. Easily manipulative material allows us to create an entire collection of solids, so different and yet beautifully integrated with each other. Some of them are characterized by geometric nature and respect for the proportions, while others are distinguished by unique, bionic form.

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EXPERIENCE No editorial this time.

Why?

pphoto: spring by ewa trzcionka

Editor-in-chief

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Bench S

Bench M

Table L

Table M

Table S

PAKIET PAKIET is a new, flexible furniture system designed by Zieta Prozessdesign. Thanks to its modular form it is possible to ship and store it in a flat form. Easy fixing system is great for quick assembly and dismantling. Pakiet modules are made of genuine raw materials, like plywood and raw steel while kept at a low price level. The Pakiet collection is produced in raw materials and the end-customer decides about its final finish. It could be lacquered or raw with an industrial look. Pakiet is a very universal furniture system that could be used either in student’s apartments, mobile offices or restaurants and pop-up stores.

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“The thrill of jumping off a cliff by deciding to do so yourself is a high you will never have if someone else pushes you off of it,” we read in item #4 of Manifesto 15 – a document signed by 33 researchers, theoreticians and practitioners of teaching from all over the world, who see the need to change the education system.

Interviewer: Ewa Trzcionka

Share and sign the manifesto! www.manifesto15.org The easiest way to show your support for this manifesto is to share it with your friends and colleagues. On Twitter, please use the hashtag #manifesto15

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You instinctively feel that something is wrong.

It just does not add up when your child’s usual enthusiasm fades each month as it comes back from school. You start searching for alternatives. A private school? Home schooling? A democratic school? Or do I exaggerate?

Not at all! The relief is huge when such a document is published (what is more, precisely at the time of preparing an issue about teaching, experiencing and experience). The manifesto, signed on January 1st, 2015, confirms many of the theses that our intuition has put forward. It dispels the instinctive anxiety and agrees that education in its present form is declining. What we have – ex cathedra teaching, classes, fitting handwriting between the lines, selections, bells, tests, evening out the inequalities and knowledge unification – is archaic. One may not agree with every single item of the manifesto, but realizing that the current education system, created for the times of the industrial revolution, is just a short period in the whole history of education makes one understand that the time has come for changes and that this is perfectly natural. Manifesto 15 was published online and is spreading fast. We asked John Moravec* himself, a PhD, the main author of the document and one of the 33 people who signed it, to comment on it for us.

it is not prescriptive as to what we need to do. I believe we need to attend to a diverse ecology of options rather than one master metanarrative for the future of education. And, if we are to create a diverse ecology of options, we need to build more trust between ourselves, our communities, parents, students, governments, etc.

In our work in the Minnevate! project for the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, we found that we really live in a culture built around distrust among educational stakeholders. Item #12 speaks to this, I believe, and I think this point is super-important to emphasize.

What can you do, being (just) a parent?

The most important thing a parent can do now is to get involved in their children’s education, and build a metacognitive awareness of what they are learning and the ideas around why they do it in such a way. This doesn’t mean that they should just be aware of what is happening in schools, but they should also develop a critical sense of learning – understanding the questions surrounding the whats, hows, whys, In Manifesto 15 you have pointed out and for whoms. They are important what is wrong and what should be chan- actors in the conversation if we expect to ged. But how to do it? build a collective capacity to evolve eduA manifesto is simply a statement of prin- cation. ciples for how we will solve the problem. It The education system is a huge and is intended to serve as a “snapshot” of what complicated network of relationships. Is we’ve learned to date in regard to creating this dinosaur able to adapt? What is the positive education futures. It’s not meant condition of Polish education? to pretend to have all the answers or the I’m not familiar with the Polish system, best ideas, but it’s an honest assessment but I have spent a good amount of time in of where we’ve been, and illustrate where the Czech and Slovak Republics. From my we would like to go. experience, it seems the “traditions” from I think that one of the biggest problems in the Prussian model are still firmly present. education is that we operate on sets of as- There is a real cultural element to schools sumptions that are often not tested through that are built on a tradition that is focused research: grade/age separation, top-down squarely on obedience, enforced complianmanagement, industrial hours, intrinsic ce, and complacency. motivation of students, etc. We’ve come to The education system today has little inpassively accept so many unproven ideas centive to change. As long as our governand pseudoscience that it seems we’ve re- ments and education leaders are focused ally lost touch with WHAT we are educating on creating loyal factory workers, bureaufor, WHY we do it, and FOR WHOM our crats, and obedient soldiers, our schools efforts are really intended to benefit. are operating as they are designed perfectly.

The view of the document is global. It is The instant we get serious, however, about a statement of principles, and that’s why forming creators and innovators among

our youth, we see that the system has little relevance in today’s world.

I think the real solution is to be found in the development of an ecology of options.

The biggest obstacle that we have is that we are focused on creating a master template for education: one school system, limited modes of instruction or learning, predesigned outcomes and expectations, and funding and accountability models that only reinforce old, one-size-fits-all schooling models.

Do you have kids? If yes, please tell us something about their education.

No, not yet, but I have a niece that is a very important part of my life. She is about to enter kindergarten, and we’re experiencing it’s very challenging for families to navigate the system in place to “best” support learning for their children – even when the uncle is an “international expert” on innovative education. I believe strongly in the power of public education. I’m working hard to make it effective and relevant for all. *) dr John Moravec PhD, graduated from American University and University of St. Thomas. He defended his doctoral dissertation concerning comparative and international developmental education at the University of Minnesota.

He founded Education Futures LLC, an international agency of education development. In his scientific activity, he explores topics related to knowledge development, human resources, leadership and contemporary society. He conducts research, writes and gives lectures, sharing his observations all over the world. www.john.moravec.us

14 newsletter column by angelika ogrocka

Abstract collages of colourful intangibility

Mark Lovejoy is an untypical photographer: he captures transient phenomena with his lens - and we do not mean the changing of nature here. The artist, working in his Seattle, Washington studio, records the process of mixing & drying commercial printing inks. He came up with the idea while working as a pressman in a printing house for many years mixing inks for offset presses. In order to create perfect and at the same time surrealistic patterns, he experiments with mixing various liquids such as oil, pigments and wax, and carefully lights the results in his studio giving an impression of using different textures. The idea behind the project is not the presentation of a final result, but of the very process of colour mixing. The artist creates a visual diary online: publishing selected work on his website almost every day. www.marklovejoydotcom.tumblr.com Text: Angelika Ogrocka Photos: Mark Lovejoy

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A colour palette

The circus touch

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An indispensable element of every office, perfect for writing down an important thought or another task to do. Over the years, we have got used to various shades of yellow of the popular post-it notes.

Norwegian designer Bjørn van den Berg has broken the convention: the colours of his Circus resemble circus tents, while its shape – the famous wheels of fortune. If its beauty delights you so much that you will not be able to stain it with your notes, no problem – it also looks great as a decorative element. A prototype, www.bjornvandenberg.no Angelika Ogrocka

Balance an

The swingin

g lights

d equilibriu

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m

Equilibrist and acrobatics go hand in hand. to imagine a be Thus, it is hard tter name for er a lamp designe Design. This m d by Jean Nouv ultidisciplinary el team works un the famous ar der the brand chitect, who sa of ys about himse a designer, but lf that he is no just an archite t ct creating design. is a very intrigu Equilibrist itsel ing idea: two la f mps are hanged ends of an axis, on the opposit searching for eq e uilibrium. They ern semaphore resemble a mod , which emits lig ht asymmetric the designer w ally. This way, ished to refer to the very na than the users’ ture of light ra needs. A protot ther ype, www.jean nouveldesign.fr Sylwia Chrape k

OF The dolphins' language

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Andre Fangueiro from Studio Lata and Lena Solis decided to revolutionize washing. They designed Dolfi - an object inspired by communication among dolphins. The device fulfils the function of a compact washing machine: just put it in the water together with a dirty piece of clothing and add a bit of detergent. 30 minutes later, your clothes are clean because the power of ultrasounds crashes the dirt particles. What is more, Dolfi uses 80 times less energy than a washing machine, does not destroy the structure of clothes and leaves intact even the most delicate laces, silk, wool… and children’s toys. The design has been published on Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website. We keep our fingers crossed for it. Thus far – a prototype, www.dolfi.co, www.studiolata.com Angelika Ogrocka

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zdjęcie: materiały prasowe

The world’s smallest washing machine

INNOVATIVE DESIGN ULTRA CLEAN CONCEPT Push2clean

ScreenGuard

Magnetic door system

Foil protected glass

WWW.KOLO.COM.PL

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The quarters Just like light wanders the dark side of the moon, so does Luna cabinet open its door. Owing to two movable panels, Patricia Urquiola’s new piece of furniture allows for various combinations of open and closed spaces. The cabinet was designed for Coedition, a French furniture brand, and first presented at this year’s Maison et Objet – the furniture trade fair in Paris, www.coedition.fr

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Eliza Ziemińska

ReFORMed

Form is a new reinterpretation of a classic chair shaped from plastic. Combining the well-know form with innovative technology has produced a robust and light structure. Beside ordinary chairs, bar chairs and armchairs with metal or wooden legs are also available. Prices from 215 Euros, www.norman-copenhagen.com Eliza Ziemińska

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photos: press materials

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DZIAĹ 19

OFFICE BIOLOGY

THE DIVERSE DECADE CALLS FOR DIVERSE THINKING

DESIGN FOR DIVERSITY

TECHITURE C0CREATION

MICROMULTINATIONALS

At Kinnarps we belive that understanding this great shift and not hesitating to act upon it presents a number of opportunities to create workspace and lifespace design for the diverse decade, and therefore make fife better at work. We want to share these opportunities with you because the future is already here. The questions is how to collectively embrace these chances to create positive proactive contribution to the spaces where we spend so much of our lives.

Read more at www.kinnarps.com/TrendReport

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Two decades of F1 GTRs

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On the twentieth anniversary of the victory in the famous Le Mans race, McLaren produced a limited edition of 650S Spider Le Mans coupé. The car’s design was inspired by the iconic F1 GTRs car – the winner of the gruelling race in 1995. The new vehicle was built using modern technologies and light materials, owing to which it may go as fast as 200 miles per hour. The most important trademark of the famous F1 car is the air inlet on the roof of the new vehicle. The price is approx. 268 thousand dollars, www.mclaren.com Eliza Ziemińska

The Australian elegance Bamboo underwear

Hopeless Lingerie is a brand founded

by Gabrielle Adamidis. Since 2008, she has created her hand-made designs in Melbourne, Australia. Lila Knickers underwear is one of her designs which combines all the characteristic features of her work – minimalism, elegance, successful merging of classical style with modernity, smooth materials and playing with conventions. The underwear is made from luxurious bamboo jersey, which gives it incredible lightness and softness. Price: 100 AUD (Australian dollars), www.hopelesslingerie.bigcartel.com Sylwia Chrapek

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Schattdecor looks forward to seeing you at the Interzum Cologne, Booth C020/E029, Hall 6, between 5 and 8 May 2015. www.schattdecor.com

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The power of women Can fashion have anything to do with power? How can clothes influence reputation? What do women in power wear? The exhibition entitled “Women Fashion Power”, organized by the Design Museum in London, presents the way women use fashion to highlight their position in the world. The exhibition designed by Zaha Hadid includes interviews, multimedia materials and original outfits. It has been the biggest presentation of contemporary fashion in the UK to date. It is open till April 26th, 2015, www.designmuseum.org Eliza Ziemińska

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CREATIONS OF NATURE DESIGN AWARD WORKS H OP PER F ORMANCE

THE CARPENTERS This Spring

w w w. b a r l i n e k . c o m . p l w w w. d e s i g n a l i v e . p l

In cooperation with Barlinek Institute of Design

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10 Designer's mirrors

The minimalist accessories

Pia Wallen, a Swedish designer known for her minimalist, timeless felt designs, decided to adopt a slightly different approach to fashion than before. That way, she created My Mirrors collection. First, she made a felt laptop case. Then, the project gradually evolved: the artist began to experiment with colours, shapes and materials. She added lacquered leather and shiny metal buttons. The collection includes clutches, bags, laptop cases and bracelets. The prices range from 49 to 99 Euros, www.piawallen.se Sylwia Chrapek

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Your own comfort checker

Where should you go for a picnic? Which district is best for a morning jogging session? What allergens may appear in the city you are planning to visit? A group of Canadian designers created Tzoa – a small device able to check air quality and UV intensity. Its system also collects information that tells the user if they absorb enough sunlight in winter and if they exceed the advised amount of sunlight in summer. Tzoa collects these data from the environment and sends them to a smartphone, where they are processed by a special application and then saved on maps available to all users, www.mytzoa.com Eliza Ziemińska

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hallucinatory electronics

Hulba’s debut album

Hulba is an artistic pseudonym of Mateusz Hulbój, a musician and a member of Kapelanka band. This time, he took a new role of a music producer. “3:30” is his debut EP containing six tracks which combine classical instruments with surprisingly mature electronic music by Hulba, who was joined by: Agata Nowak (violin), Piotr Nowak (trumpet), Michał Paluch (acoustic guitar sounds), Wawrzyniec Topa (double bass, bass guitar and violin) and Michał Bryndal (percussion). The texts were written by Jarosław Hulbój, thus far known as a designer, curator and lecturer, and sung by Basia Pospieszalska. This eclectic combination fights our temptation to classify. The EP gives pleasure when listened to in whole, in the dark... at 3:30 am., for instance. It was released in an untypical way: on a USB device, which features a 3D-printed QR code allowing the users to get to more materials, www.facebook.com/hulbamusic Angelika Ogrocka

It has only gone 700,000 miles, but everyone knows it is just the beginning. The Google Self-Driving Car was designed last year, but the progress of works on the design allows for stating that the vehicle needs five more years to be introduced on the market. Thus far, the prototype has been co-created by such brands as General Motors and Mercedes–Benz. The first tests of the latest results of those works will be conducted this year in San Francisco, www.google.com Eliza Ziemińska

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photos: press materials

Unmanned

28 Dział

The Dome Home

S designalive.pl

ome employers know how to take care of their employees. Timothy Oulton, founder of a British furniture company specializing in traditional production techniques, built a housing estate for his designers who are staying in China. Its centre is the Dome Home – a place for holding meetings and working together. The building, surrounded by an exotic orchard, is fully made of wood and fulfils the most stringent requirements for energy-saving houses. This original space is aimed at inspiring the designers and encouraging them to meet more often, www.timothyoulton.com Eliza Ziemińska

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Colourful dishes from shopping bags

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At first glance, these objects resemble sand sculptures or hand-painted ceramics. Do not be mislead: Plag is a series of cups and bowls made of polyethylene. This plastic mass floods us in every supermarket in the form of shopping bags and then is discarded on a garbage dump. WaÍl Seaiby, A Scottish designer, decided to use the upcycling technique to stop wasting the material and create functional and very decorative dishes instead. The idea was recognized at the University of Edinburgh, where it received the Innovation Initiative Grant. The products are available in various sizes, colour combinations and patterns. Since they are hand-made, each of them is unique. The prices range from 150 to 300 GBP, www.waelseaiby.com Angelika Ogrocka

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Feel at home

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Serving the future

Sylwia Chrapek

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photos: press materials

Are culture and technology the opposites? Certainly not. This is proved by artists gathered by Joris Laarman’s studio in Amsterdam. As they highlight, they opt for experimental design combined with newest technologies. They aim at studying and shaping the future. People working on the designs include craftsmen, scientists, engineers, designers and filmmakers. In their works, they try to break conventions – they act in the area of experimental production process, interior design, museum exhibitions, architecture, film and workshops at universities all over the world.

Microstructures is an idea supposed to be another step towards the development of digital creation of materials.

According to the designers, 3D printing will soon become a great tool for production, not only for prototypes. This initiative has already produced Soft Gradient – the first polyurethane chair printed using this technology, as well as Aluminium Gradient – an aluminium chair. They are both distinguished by robustness, comfort and relative lightness, as well as untypical texture. A prototype, www.jorislaarman.com

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The sunbath

Though the weather is still unfavourable, we can already start dreaming of summer afternoons outside. The Swedish brand Roshults, which specializes in garden furniture, has widened its offer by manufacturing a minimalist garden shower. A teak base and a simple frame are all you need to cool off on hot days on a terrace. The price is 2,967 Euros. www.roshults.se Eliza Ziemińska

The town on fire!

A tourist information outlet, a communication centre, a space for exhibitions and a presentation of local history: these functions are united in the Museum of Fire, opened in December 2014. Its location is not a coincidence: the name of Żory, a city where the museum was built, comes from “żar” [glow]. Moreover, on May 11th, the citizens celebrate the Fire Day, asking for protection from the fire for their city as it has destroyed Żory a few times already. The exhibitions explain science via play, presenting various aspects of fire. The vibrant orange facade made of copper brings to mind obvious associations with burning fire. The irregular silhouette of the building was designed by Barbara Grąbczewska and Oskar Grąbczewski from OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci. Museum of Fire, ul. Katowicka 3, Żory, Poland. Opened Tuesday to Sunday, www.facebook.com/muzuemognia, www.ovo-grabczewscy.pl Angelika Ogrocka

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Sport on top We are no longer surprised by abundant greenery on the top of a building or a spacious terrace instead of a traditional roof. Chinese studio LYCS went a step further. The design of a primary school located in a densely developed city centre provided for a 200-meter track precisely on the roof. Owing to that, the institution also has a spacious courtyard with a surface area of 3,000 sq. m. despite the small surface area of the school building itself, www.lycs-arc.com Eliza Ziemińska

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DZIAŁ 33

photos: press materials

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A fortress of seclusion

and a portable shelter all in one

The world of concrete and the incessant life on the go make one seek seclusion. Shelter by Danish company Vipp seems a perfect response to this need. The design won the “Best Brand Extension” award as part of Wallpaper Award 2015.

The interiors of this portable two-story flat, whose surface area is 55 sq. m., were manufactured with greatest precision, paying attention both to functionality and beauty of the objects. The applied colour range, composed of black, white and shades of grey, favours rest and silence. Glazed walls let in a lot of light, allowing for a truly intimate contact with nature, so difficult in the urban jungle. The sole concern of the owner is the necessity to select the place where Shelter is to be located. The cost is less than 600,000 dollars plus transport, www.vipp.com Sylwia Chrapek

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34 Krystyna Łuczak–Surówka SELEction

NO RABBIT IN THE HAT During the final design exam in Poland one of my students drew a rabbit going out of a hat at the end of her test and wrote the following caption beside it: “There was no rabbit”. I will never put this test in a shredder, even after the statutory two years of storing such documents have lapsed.

However magical and non-scientific it may seem, this drawing has a direct connection with the topic of the classes and gaining knowledge.

*A historian and design critic, a lecturer at The Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and a specialist in Polish design. Visit her blog at designby.pl

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peaking of the role of history, I always present a rabbit to my students. An illusionist shows the audience an empty hat and pulls the animal out of it a moment later. If history equalled only the knowledge of facts, it would be enough to remember that the hat was black and empty, and suddenly a white rabbit appeared. Still, we all know this is just an illusion and the rabbit did not come out of nowhere. It certainly had a mother and a father, and most probably also siblings. History is awareness of where from, when, how, why and owing to whom the rabbit came. Where was it going to? When, how and because of whom was it going there? This is the magic of history.

Olgierd Szlekys and Władysław Wincze were well known Polish designers of interior decoration and furniture. They were members of ŁAD Association of Fine Artists, who mastered the ability of designing for subsequent generations. Some people know that during the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany they ran a company called Spółka Autorska Szlekys Wincze, which designed and produced furniture. Those patterns designalive.pl

later became the basis for ŁAD’s carpentry workshop reactivated after World War II and they entered mass production. One of them is this very popular stool (design ca.

1942, production by ŁAD works in Kłodzko since 1945 ). It is an example of drawing on tradition with simultaneous creation of a product fulfilling the contemporary requirements. It has a simple structure, is easy to produce and is intended for use in small flats. Few people know that those designers were the first ones officially employed nearly immediately after the war in the Central Authority for Wood Industry (CZPD) in Warsaw. They were given full-time jobs as interior architects (the profession of an industrial designer did not exist in Poland at that time) in the Study and Design Office. The aim of their work was to create industrial equipment designs. Unfulfilled dreams of mass production implementations made both of them give up the jobs quickly: Szlekys resigned in 1947, while Wincze – in 1948. However, their furniture was still produced in ŁAD works, which is why we know it so well.

There is a small carton box on one of the stools: it is a Hefra cutlery case. I must admit that I still know little about it. It was used with various product models and was made in different sizes depending on the contents (this one held six pieces of cutlery).

Hefra dates back to the 19th century, but its history officially began in 1965, when the Henneberg brothers’ factory (which became a state-owned company in 1948 and was renamed as the Warsaw Factory of Plated Articles – WFP) was merged with Józef Fraget’s former factory and called Warszawska Fabryka Platerów Hefra (He–nnebrg, Fra– get). The factory has existed until now, but nobody, from the management board to the secretary and warehouse workers (yes, I did ask in all departments) was able to tell me who had designed this case and when it had been made. This history fascinates me, though I am not a graphic design specialist. The chessboard of rectangular forms, the negative-style composition, black and white colours as well as simplified images of

each cutlery piece separately make it a good design, suitable both for six teaspoons and a 24-piece set. I own its different versions and I am deeply convinced that one day I will discover the person behind it, even if the company’s oldest employees do not remember that.

We do not always know the answers to all questions. What determines our education is the search for the answers, hence the age-old cause and effect dilemma which troubles philosophers and scientists: What was first – the egg or the hen? I am not going to add another argument to this discussion. Instead, I am going to talk about a hen whose history I follow because I have known it since I was a child. Hens were present in my family’s home, as well as in the homes of my grandmothers and aunts.

Actually, they have resided in abundance in many Polish homes since the 1970s as a truly popular product by the Ząbkowice Household Glass Works (HSGZ) in Dąbrowa Górnicza. However, beside the catalogues from the 1970s, I also found the hen-container in materials from ca. 1910 (when the plant was called the Ząbkowice Glass Factory Stock Society in Ząbkowice – TAFS).

Sadly, the author’s name was not given.

The hen exists in three sizes and various colours, but the most common are the biggest ones, made of milk glass (lattimo).

One can also see black hens made of hyalite glass and those made of transparent glass (clear, honey-coloured, pink and blue). They were used as chocolate boxes, butter dishes and – which the intuition suggests anyway – containers for eggs.

The biggest hen in my collection is the classic white one. It sits at my grandma’s home on the fridge “hatching” eggs. I do not worry over the fact that I do not know its designer.

What stands in front of me and remains to be discovered has value for me. Over a decade ago I was asked a question, “When will you stop learning?” I replied quickly and sincerely, “Never. When that day comes, it will mean that I am gone.” I abide by this opinion. I live, so I learn. Sometimes I also have the pleasure of making others learn.

portrait: rafał placek

Text: Krystyna Łuczak–Surówka, PhD Photo: Jan Lutyk

DZIAŁ 35 Stools, design by Olgierd Szlekys and Władysław Wincze, 1942, prod. by ŁAD works in Kłodzko, (ash, burnt pine) Hen, 1970s, HSG Ząbkowice, (1 big and 3 medium ones) Hefra cutlery case The objects come from the private collection belonging to Krystyna Łuczak–Surówka, PhD.

designalive.pl

36 hkjkjhkjh

The curiosity gene

“You have to find your place in education just like in life. You can take what was designed or design by yourself,” says Agata Wilam, a mother of four children and a founder of the Children’s University, who has taken the matters into her own hands to change Polish education. According to her, asking questions creates the best environment for learning. Well, then, welcome to a lesson conducted in Agata Wilam’s style. What has nature encoded in us? What is instinct for? What can a knife do? Why should we return to Socrates? How do we learn today? What will happen tomorrow? What delighted this morning?

Interviewer: Ewa Trzcionka photo: Yulka Wilam

I

n the last two decades, important things have happened in Poland with her participation. They have always concerned knowledge, culture and technology. The list includes the Pascal publishing house, Optimus Pascal Multimedia, Muzeobranie, Onet.pl, Polish first web portal and the Children’s University – the apple in her eye, about which she talks with absolute passion and pride. I met Agata, a nominee for Design Alive Awards in the Animator category, in Cracow, over a plate of pumpkin soup. We ate it nearly cold, however, because the conversation raced through various topics like a rocket through galaxies.

The education as we know it was designed for different times.

School was designed, but widely understood education, that is, what we acquire to find our place in the world, was not. It is like constructing a rocket during a continuous flight. We are designed by nature, culture, places and situations we encounter.

And this is our start.

What you said is nearly identical to Eric Erickson’s remark, who said that creativity was born from the natural genius of childhood and the spirit of place.

We depend on the place and on our childhood, but we can do a lot with all that later.

We can influence that.

What does it look like from a mother’s perspective? What can we do to take care of this original capital of childhood so that school does not waste it?

Such approach presupposes a relation of fight. Many people ask: What is school for, anyway? They reach a conclusion: For nothing. And they take a very courageous step: they educate their children at home by themselves. Thus, we have a choice: to use or not to use school. Certainly, my relation with school is dynamic. Every now and then I do ask myself that question anew to relate myself to it both as a mother and as an educational event organizer.

So what is school for?

It certainly shapes people so as to prepare them for life in a society which has some requirements. School brings up citizens.

On the other hand, it is entered by different people – individuals, each of them unique.

They have their own needs, weaknesses and talents. It seems that school should harmoniously combine these two issues. It would not be good if school educated only individuals without the social context or if it educated only cogs for the society according to current needs. These scales turn in the favour of either issue depending on the “investor”: if the latter is the state, it invests in citizens and if it is a parent at home, they focus on individuality.

The history of education dates back further than to antiquity. School was designed fairly recently, but it is already anachronistic. Moreover, today’s schools educate citizens who will actively create

people 37 the world only in a dozen years or so.

Give free rein to your imagination and tell me what you think school will look like in the future.

It may change a lot. We are stuck in a mass education system which was created in the 19th century and had many advantages back then. Many people who had not previously had access to education were given that access. Nowadays this model is unstable, especially due to the development of technology which is changing the world so much that school as we know it ceases to make sense. The competence of knowledge transfer is moving to other areas. We can reach knowledge by ourselves. Still, it does not mean that teachers are no longer necessary at school. On the contrary: they become masters who introduce their students to the world of knowledge.

Such education dates back to antiquity.

Maybe we should come back to it today?

The Socratic model, in which the master asks his student questions, is beautiful and it would be great to come back to it.

The social context has changed radically, but the model itself is timeless. It is very close to my heart because it creates the best environment for cognition. It results in a motivation to learn, put questions to oneself and the world as well as search for the answers. Modern education is coming back to this very model: the student is able to reach everything by himself. All he needs is a suitable environment since the childhood. By and large, this is how so-called democratic schools work.

What is a democratic school?

Simply speaking, it is a school where the child says what it wants to learn and education follows this. The student guides the learning process and the adult is a wise mentor who helps him. There is no external curriculum there. The basis of democratic learning is the same as that of the Children’s University: children are natural researchers. Man is made in such a way that he wants to learn. Nobody forces the child to learn to walk or grab a rattle. We want this! We want to grab, walk and talk, and then read, write and understand because we need this. Nature has encoded the curiosity gene in us to help us survive. We do not have fangs or claws, but we have something else which allows us to orient ourselves in this world. Thus, such education draws on these fundamentals; we just have to be able to come back to them and create an environment for the natural curiosity gene to become active.

It makes us see the importance of getting to know oneself in exploring the world by the child.

It is a very important element: get to know yourself and then you can build and change.

You can influence that; you have freedom, reason, feelings, senses and abilities around you. But first discover who you are. Sadly, classic school fails here. It does not help. It does not even offer such chance.

Because it is focused on evening out the deficiencies according to a top-down curriculum and tells us what we should be like?

Yes. It does not ask you who you are. It is not interested in you. Julka, my oldest daughter, chose a middle school in which the recruitment process was based on selfpresentation. They wanted to get to know their future students and see who they were, what they were interested in and what was important for them. It was deciding.

By founding the Children’s University, we wanted to show the diversity of knowledge to enable the little students to get to know themselves via various disciplines and meetings with scientists-masters. In the “Inspirations” program, an eight- to nineyear-old child experiences five branches of knowledge. We begin with sciences – physics, chemistry, astronomy and geology – because they concern the fundamental laws of nature which exist regardless of whether you like it or not. Then we add arts: the children learn who they are and who human is; they also discover that man is a creator who acts and thinks. The next, social path tells them that they are not alone. Technical sciences are a synthesis of the three previous branches: as creators, we make inventions in the natural space that we got to know and if we work in a group, we can combine competences and motivations. The fifth branch is mathematics, which unites all that by the structure of thinking. Each of these paths allows for exploring numerous topics. By discovering theatre, street art, geology and mathematics, the children can see themselves in this world. Classes for younger children are even more experimental since they establish their relation with the world by playing. Older children (pupils from the fourth and fifth forms) already have knowledge acquired at school, in daily life, at home and from TV – and are able to process it by drawing conclusions, so we suggest concrete topics to them.

The last program, “Master and disciple”, is introduced between the primary school and the middle school. It allows the young man to follow a chosen path for the whole semester and see what it would be like if it was his work.

This seems to be the malady of many extracurricular activities, where everything is short and there is no time for preparation, elaboration, making mistakes or correcting them.

The University has those limitations, too.

Exploring the topic and finding answers by oneself is very important, so we do our best to give our students such opportunities whenever possible, but we are significantly limited as well. I know schools which are virtually based on this and allow the student to get to know himself at every stage, including the following: if you do not feel like doing anything, you do not do anything.

If you waste one semester, tough luck! You have to sum it up by yourself, anyway. designalive.pl

38 people What school is this?

For a few months, two of our children attended Brightworks school founded by Gever Tulley in San Francisco. Learning there is based on a project and a leitmotif, for instance, “Mirrors”. Speaking of mirrors, we think of physics, mathematics, art and psychology. The students first explore the topic and then choose an aspect of the mirrors which is interesting to them and embark on the project. Finally, the results are presented. The strength of such education is the project-based approach: exploration, action, problems, problem solving and sometimes also failures. At the end, you have to make the knowledge available to others. They have no curriculum there. Working on a project, you must be inquisitive by yourself. The students are not forced to do anything, either: if it happens that someone does not feel like learning, he may give up, but he knows that it is his decision. He has to draw a conclusion by himself. Paradoxically, such experience of wasting a few months may prevent him from wasting a few years in the future!

What does such experience teach them?

Responsibility, independence and understanding that they are the subjects of learning. If they cheat, they cheat themselves.

Thus, when they learn, they do so for themselves, not for their mums, teachers or grades.

Yes, because grades are not a value – they are a unit of measurement. They show a certain reality, like the scales show how much we weigh. Of course, a grade may be unjust, just like the scales can be calibrated incorrectly…

Could we resign from measuring, weighing and grading?

Sure, but thinking of education, we imagine a certain development. We want to know by ourselves at which point of our development we are at a given moment and we need some unit of measurement.

On the other hand, I could imagine a situation where we do not measure anything and simply rush somewhere, experiencing every moment. It depends on our attitude to the world and to life.

That reminds me of a positive example of the Finnish education system. In Finland, children go to school when they are seven and the first check comes when they are 16. There are no grades or tests; there is no homework or division into better and worse pupils. 40 years ago, the country was considered as backward and its only richness was wood. In the 1970s, they completely changed their education system, which is now viewed as one of the best in the world because it helped to revive the country and put an end to poverty by educating a knowledge-based society. The job of a teacher has become prestigious and most pupils want to go to universities. Moreover, the whole education is financed by the state. The effects of this investment are designalive.pl

visible, among others, in the increase of the Finnish GDP. In turn, Polish school checks the pupils from the first days: tests, exams and the whole grading system!

One has to ask what these grades grade.

They grade the system itself. A tough issue...

Maybe this is the cause of the apparent epidemic of dysfunctions emerging in education. Dyslexia, dysortography, ADHD, sensory disorders – what do they actually describe? They say that you are not adapted, but to what: life or the system? We all know that such a label is necessary only at school. Later on in life, the “dysfunction” is not an obstacle at all in most cases and sometimes it even determines the path in one’s life.

Man, like everything else, is increasingly better described. It all existed in the past, but was unnamed. The aim of the description of those dysfunctions was to help and not hinder, but the reality is different sometimes. Those cases have turned into an epidemic because school puts strictly defined competences in the centre. At the first stage of education, a child has to read, write and count as well as be well-behaved.

It is supposed to sit and listen. School reckons that those skills are most important, so if the development is different in this scope, a problem is diagnosed. However, no problem is noticed if a child is not creative or does not act illogically. According to school, you have to know the multiplication table, but you do not have to think logically. Still, the society is changing and “forcing” its members to possess new competences. In the future we will have a lot of freedom, available data around and communication possibilities. Actually, we already have it all.

This requires independence and responsibility. School should prepare the children for such life.

Do you mean that it should teach how to navigate through the unknown because nobody knows what will happen tomorrow? We are somewhat anxious and tense due to the fear of being under surveillance via technology. The political situation also begins to change...

If I were to relate that to the Children’s University, I would say that we want to show the world in a scope as wide as possible. We want the children to be able to understand the world and act in it. We base our activities on the children’s curiosity and do our best to preserve it in them.

However, something may happen which will make the original, primitive competences (like strong legs to escape) most important again in the future. Still, we, the people involved in education, prepare the children to live in an advanced world, not a backward one. By the way, physical exercise classes are quite all right in Poland when compared to, say, those in the USA. Poland has many good solutions, anyway.

I am far from negating the Polish education system as a whole.

You have developed a beautiful and efficient idea. Where is your rocket going to rush next?

Thus far, approx. 25,000 children have attended our classes. This is not much, but numbers are not our aim. We want to give those who have come to us as much as possible to allow them to progress. At the same time, approx. 6,000 little students learn in our four centres in Cracow, Wrocław, Warsaw and Olsztyn. They do not spend much time with us; we meet a few times a month. This amount cannot be increased as it would be hard to find so many scientists and control the organizational aspect.

Instead, a different question emerged: what would happen if such things took place at school every day? Such cool things taking place at selected weekends outside school do not influence the reality too much. And I do not support the approach which says that we have to accept school the way it is and seek knowledge beyond it. Those several dozen hours a week or month are an enormous amount of time in a child’s life.

That is why we have to act at school. We have already started to make our knowledge available to teachers because I believe in the role of the teacher, though many modern educational alternatives undermine it.

Khan Academy is an example here.

The flipped classroom model, that is, Khan Academy, assumes the existence of a teacher, but he does not present knowledge.

Khan Academy assumes that you learn at home by watching short films made available to you. You learn certain issues and obtain knowledge and then come to school to solve problems. There is a person at school to help you do it.

Is this not a modern mentor?

This is actually when a teacher becomes a mentor. He is not a lecturer, but a guide who brings his knowledge wherever he is necessary. This is a new tendency in education. A related issue is technology in education: it becomes a tool allowing you to obtain knowledge. Still, like any invention, technologies may be used differently, depending on the user’s intentions. A knife can be used to cut bread or commit a crime.

Man has been making such decision since the moment he first picked up a stone.

You and your husband Piotr Wilam form an incredibly creative couple and you transfer this creativity to your children.

Your daughter Julia is a well-known photographer. One could think you had good teachers. Do you remember your mentors?

I do not have memories of masters, but I have flashes of what was inspiring in the secondary school. Piotr and I attended the Nicolaus Copernicus General Secondary School No. 1 in Bielsko–Biała, where we had a whole range of interesting teachers.

There were few classes there at that time, so we all knew one another and had a sense of belonging and community. Quite a few

teachers were specific individuals, who did not necessarily transfer knowledge perfectly, but they stood out from the crowd, were characteristic and clearly defined. It mattered because it triggered the shaping of our own personalities. Then I went to the university and the times were such that one either escaped from the reality or thought about it in a very practical way, e.g. by studying foreign trade. I chose the escape and enrolled at theatre studies in Cracow. I dealt with something that did not give me practical skills, but ensured me contact with a wise world. After the graduation I felt that I did not want more theory and gave up my dream to become a director. I was craving for doing something very practical. Those were the early 1990s.

Many new possibilities appeared and it was very alluring.

And then Pascal was founded?

Yes, the Pascal publishing house was established at that time. It was growing and doing fine, so a natural consequence was to go online. Piotr and Tomek Kolbusz founded Optimus Pascal Multimedia, a company issuing (mainly educational) CD ROMs. They were a breakthrough then: they constituted the next step towards the digital world. Then the time came to create Onet.pl, which was another breakthrough. Piotr was its co-founder and I was one of the directors as well as the editor-in-chief. Later on, I became involved in Muzeobranie, a project combining education and multimedia.

Quite a lot to be done by one person.

When do you rest? Away from technology? Do you have time for delight – in nature, for example?

The world created by man dominates in my life, but nature can surely fascinate me whenever there is an opportunity. Those are often single moments. Wait, one of them happened this morning!

So you can capture them!

Absolutely! They are key. We live on a hill.

We have a view of Cracow on one side and the Tatra Mountains and everything between us and them on the other side. Every morning, I get up thinking, “I wonder what the view is like today”. This morning I saw mountain ranges looking as if cut out from carton and arranged flatly in front of one another. They were covered in mist and lit with sunlight. That was very theatrical. We have some 100 kilometres of such perspective behind the window and it matters. I also look above, into the sky. These are my contacts with nature; they are very vivid.

Are they worth collecting?

They must be experienced! Even without the necessity of going on a long journey.

What is your biggest lack?

It is easy to look back and say that one regrets something, but my view is different. I am a big girl already and I know that life is the art of choosing. There is no use regretting, but one can learn something.

There is some drama to it, but it is good drama. I feel that life is so rich and I have

to make choices, but, luckily, I have enough to choose from!

Still, let me come back to the sense of lack because I feel that you are a person who will be able to do something with the lack when she defines it.

This question could be answered in many ways... Sometimes I lack courage and I am not able to push myself forward. If I acted more courageously and made decisions faster, I could go further with my projects...

Do you need that?

Yes, sometimes I do.

What are you most proud of?

My family. I have a big, nice family. Piotr and I have four children. Our oldest daughter Julka has already started her own family and it is beautiful that “the family project” works.

Does it hurt to cut the umbilical cord?

One has to take some risk and give the children freedom when letting them fly the nest. I think that parents in Poland, especially mothers, have a problem with this. They are protective, sometimes even overprotective; as a result, they do not fully believe in their children, which is painful for both sides.

It seems to me that in the past people matured and became independent faster. Today they are mature... in a different way.

Bringing up is like an incubator. We plan everything for our children by organizing all of their time: we take them to school, but they cannot “waste” time after school, so we enrol them in drawing classes, swimming pool, tennis or English lessons. Their life becomes designed, including the surrounding world, which we can buy them, beginning with a rattle. Meanwhile, a carrot is a great toy, too; what is more, it has a taste. We cease to trust our motherly instinct and forget that we are a part of nature which suggests solutions to us. We have books, the Internet and experts who provide advice, but it is enough to listen to ourselves intently. We know instinctively that we should take away our hand when we feel that something is hot, do we not?

Thinking of the child, we sometimes have to let it burn its hand.

Because we learn more from failures than from successes?

Precisely, and such experience may protect the child from something with more tragic consequences in the future. We build ourselves from the first days of our lives.

Coming back to education, the system is not interested at all in what the person is like. Instead, it plans what we want to do with that person as the society. Since we would like to introduce the idea standing behind the Children’s University into schools, I conduct training for teachers. I begin by showing them questions I once collected from children; they reveal what the kids would like to learn from scientists.

The teachers’ first reactions are enthusiastic, but when I ask which of those issues are touched upon at school, it causes conster-

nation because it turns out that the answer is: virtually none.

What questions do children ask? What fascinates them?

Seven- and eight-year-olds most often ask about the universe, which is absent from the curriculum. Well, some names of the planets in the Solar System do appear, but there is nothing more about what is on the other side, the existence of life forms, how the universe came into being or if the Moon is cold.

And dinosaurs?

This is the second most popular issue and it is absent, too, like many more topics. This curiosity is totally ignored. Meanwhile, it is fundamental because if someone is curious, he wants to get to know more and learn more. This is it! Further education is simple.

Helping the child find the answer is sufficient. At the Children’s University, answers are provided by scientists, whereas school teachers receive our assistance in the form of lesson scenarios based on those lectures.

If a teacher lacks knowledge, these scenarios allow him to prepare interesting lessons about the Moon or dinosaurs. We give him knowledge as well as the way to experience the topic and relate it to the reality. A short time ago, I visited the Silicon Valley with my team and we prepared materials together with scientists from NASA and Stanford University. They told us that they were looking for partners such as us because we provided opportunities of experiencing and conducting experiments with children.

How do children experience knowledge at the Children’s University?

If the children ask, “Why does soap produce foam?”, we prepare activities and a lesson scenario to enable them to learn how it works e.g. via scenes acted out in a microscope theatre, where soap particles “fight” against dirt and form an alliance with water. It is via play and not long chemical formulas on the blackboard that they learn that a soap particle has a part which loves water and a part which hates water. Thus, it positions itself appropriately and catches dirt with one part, while water – with the other. This is it. Thus, the whole process can be understood by six- and seven-year-olds, for whom such classes are intended. They can experience in a simple way what surface tension is and how soap influences it. The most useful items in such experiments are ground pepper and paper clips. The children try to put them on the surface of water in such a way that they do not sink. Then they use, say, a washing-up liquid, to change the surface tension and send the small items down. I admit that after we prepared that scenario, I stopped trying to wash a greasy frying pan with water alone.

What will the children learn from the scientists at NASA? They will learn how to weigh the Earth. www.childrensuniversity.eu www.scenariuszelekcji.edu.pl www.uniwersytetdzieci.pl

40 events

A Night in the Studio Ina Hyun K Shin, 2014

Home is Bear the Heart is Mister Peebles, 2014

300 years of childhood 1,800 recreated objects, 107 dolls and 300 years of history. The exhibition entitled “Small Stories” is just a pretext for reflecting upon how the everyday life of British families changes over time.

Everything is served in childlike (do not confuse with childish) style TEXT: SYLWIA CHRAPEK, PHOTOS: PRESS MATERIALS

ondon’s Victoria and Albert Museum is the biggest museum of art and craft in the world. Already when founded in 1852, it was not planned simply as a set of classical exhibitions. In contemporary museology, too, it is a pioneer of spreading knowledge about own collections (and not only them) by experience.

Its activity includes traditional exhibitions as well as a separate Science Department with unique offer. The employees use events, workshops and other activities to wake up creativity and joy of creation in every person regardless of age, thus promoting the idea of lifelong learning.

Such activities include workshops during which children draw inspiration and ideas from the museum’s collections and then, supervised by teachers, artist and designers, create something on their own, e.g. 3D books, digital patterns inspired by the Middle East or architectural models. Older pupils can take part in regularly held meetings concerning their development, e.g. as a designer or computer game creator. The museum also organizes workshops for people who have already finished classical education and search for their paths for the future. The design and sewing course for young Library (A Recent Plan) Liberty Art Fabrics Interiors, 2014 designalive.pl

photos: courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum, London

I always Dreamed of an Underwater Aquarium Bathroom, Katy Christianson, 2014

Monsters in the Pantry Peter Marigold, 2014

women, for instance, takes place in the shadow of the greatest creators: V&A has a collection of works made by the most eminent tailors and the “Fashion in Motion” shows organized here present the wide audience with works by the best designers.

One of V&A’s departments is dedicated to the youngest visitors: it is the Museum of Childhood, located in the Bethnal Green district.

It is not just an exhibition, but also, or rather first and foremost, a meeting place. The offered activities include sensory narrations, demonstrations, art and needlework sessions and much more. One should also mention “London’s Children Book Swap” – a social action of exchanging children’s books.

One example of synergy of the museum’s world with the need for alternative education forms is an exhibition entitled “Small Stories”. It includes short, but very meaningful narrations built on foundations of the most beautiful dollhouses. “Small Stories” reveals details of the everyday life of British families and their features which change over the years: relationships, traditions, taste and elegance, transforming fashion and social differences. This journey unites generations and takes everyone to miniature worlds and their small arguments, parties, crimes and ordinary afternoons. The carefully constructed collection plunges into a history of 300 years.

The museum’s employees have revived as many as 1,800 objects, including 107 dolls. “Dollhouses may be autobiographical or create fantasy worlds. Those exceptional spaces are deposits of real memories, fancy ideas and, oftentimes, sacrifice that lasts many years,” says Alice Sage, curator of the exhibition. “Small Stories” has been supplemented with creative workshops. After visiting the exhibition and listening to the stories, the children are full of new impressions, so they may proceed to creating elements of their own miniature world: books, wallpapers and pieces of furniture. They get to know art, craft and history not only by viewing them from the distance, but also by learning to participate in their creation and through that, they become their part.

“Small Stories” is open till 6 September 2015. After that date, it shall be shown in other regions of the UK, as well as Europe and the USA. www.vam.ac.uk/moc

Offline Hideaway Dominic Wilcox, 2014

Wilderness Dreams Orly Orback, 2014

The Longest Party Table in the World PriestmanGoode, 2014

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42 Dział

In the work over a surfboard power tools are used. Dorota has documented each stage

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DZIAŁ 43

planned EVOLUTION

Dorota Kabała, a designer and founder of a studio named We design for physical culture, has just come back from Brazil with a self-made surfboard and knowledge of its creation process Text: Julia Cieszko. Photos: We design for physical culture

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T

his is not a picture with beach, ocean and sunset. This is not a story about Dorota Kabała alone, though she is the storyteller.

There are more characters here: surfing, sport, Brazil, design and, first and foremost, the perfect state in life where passion meets work. It is difficult to arrange a meeting with Dorota because she currently has little time. She is soon leaving for a trade fair in Cologne, where an exhibition designed by her will be shown, and then she is giving a lecture in the School of Form in Poznań, Poland. A meeting with her is a real challenge for a surfing fan: how could you not envy her those South American waves and surfing on a self-made board?

I knew from the beginning what I did not want to convey by our meeting. A story of a Polish girl who went to Brazil and learned how to make surfboards is close to an easily told romantic banality. I did not want an interview with a person who had enough luck and money to go and do something spectacular (in the European’s eyes, shaping a surfboard near a beach certainly belongs to such extraordinary attractions). There were no fireworks, she did not win a million in a lottery and she did not do it for a shorttime advertising effect. Sure, the story is exceptional, but first of all, it is planned. It is rationally grounded in Dorota’s ideas for both professional and real life.

Surfing is a way of life – or even a way of enduring life – for many people. It is a condition able to fill every thought from dawn to dusk. Weather conditions, swimming, trainings, escapades... It all has one goal: catching the best wave. Add to that music, fashion, photography and filming, with surfing as the main theme. Interestingly, most people who follow and admire this sport do not practice it. They simply want to breathe fresh air, belong to that elite group, dress the same way and live the same way. Australia, Brazil, Portugal, Poland... The surfing industry makes a profit of billions. The biggest clothing brands sell more T-shirts and swimsuits only because they build their position using the image of ocean and waves. Pictures showing a free surfer living in harmony with nature are used in ads even by insurance companies.

Many of us are simply attracted to the designalive.pl

surfers’ hippie way of life. What is so entrancing in this discipline? Its connection with beach, water, heaven with palms and beautiful weather which it seems to require by default? Not necessarily. Imagine the opinion of a large group of Poles for whom surfing in Władysławowo in December is a standard. Some may confirm that it is a matter of freedom and a way of life; others will say that it is just sport and adrenaline.

For Dorota Kabała, surfing is not a onetime fascination or a fashionable addition in her free time. It is a strong combination of passion and work – an ideal symbiosis sought by many of us. Water and waves are a natural environment for a girl who was ten when she started to train synchronized swimming: our mutual friend used to call her a “seal” during surfing holidays. The transfer of sport to the professional life proved to be just a matter of time.

Warsaw. It is the beginning of the year, but winter has still not set in. I meet Dorota in her office in Stara Ochota district. The office is located in a tenement house coming from the interwar period, typical of this vicinity.

It has high white walls with boards leaned against them behind the chair: I spot a kite, a skateboard and a snowboard. Work is in progress: Dorota is preparing herself for another Polish design exhibition.

“Where are you swimming next?” I ask her. “Morocco,” she says, smiling. “Do you want to see IT?” “Sure!” I reply in excitement. She takes a cover leaned against the wall and produces a white surfboard with a characteristic graphic motive. The board is close to the “funboard” type, usually called Evolution.

“These three black Xs symbolize spots which determine the creation of the board. Do you see the signature? It is a mutual one: it belongs to the shaper who was my teacher and to me,” she explains as she gently turns the board to the other side. “I remember the moment when I brought it to Poland.

It weighed two times more because it was wrapped up in a dozen layers of foil. I was afraid that something bad would happen to it. It was almost like taking care of a child.”

Dorota likes well-made objects. She went to Brazil not only to surf and come back with her own board, but first and foremost to obtain knowledge of its creation process, meet the craftsmen who produce handmade boards and watch their work. She even learned Portuguese to be able to talk to them.

“I remember myself in a Poznań – Warsaw train, arranging a meeting with a shaper living next to São Paulo. We were nearing Kutno and I was talking to a guy from a small town in Brazil. It was so absurdly simple that it almost seemed unreal!”

The difference between a hand-made board and that coming from mass production is essential even if we take into account the mass personalization process. On the one hand, it is a kind of experience and emotion: you have a piece of equipment created

people 45

Dorota worked at the shaper’s workshop in which she learnt the craftsmanship and made her first surfboard

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especially for you. As Dorota highlights, it is an exceptional relation with the product and its context: a craftsman, a local leader and spirituality. On the other hand, there is a more practical side to it: many people swim on boards unadjusted to their skills and bodies, thus ignoring the very important first stage of making a choice, getting to know themselves on the water and assessing their abilities accurately. “I was an example of that. When I stood on the board I had made by myself, I could not believe the result. I really started to surf. Personalized factory-made equipment certainly is a good solution provided that you really know what you need. This is why we want designalive.pl

to produce boards for others, help them make choices and create unique, functional solutions in cooperation with clients.

Dorota went through all stages of a craftsman’s work: selecting the board’s parameters, defining the form and finishing the surface. The Brazilian shaper taught her all that. It was a master – apprentice relation: he showed her things and she caught on to them very quickly. She has always had manual skills (both innate and acquired), easiness of assessing symmetry and the designer’s eye. It all helped her during her craftsman’s work: she acquired the know how.

“I spent those two months in Brazil simply

learning. Every morning I went to the beach (oftentimes hitchhiking) and had two surfing sessions several hours each. Then I rested, drank some juice made of fresh fruit and had a nap. At sunset I started working with my board in the workshop. I took notes, watched my teacher and repeated his activities. Imagine this: a closed room, hard light of a fluorescent lamp and me almost in a trance, all covered with white dust, walking around the board. First, you grind it, determine the parameters and remove excessive parts of the material. Then you finalize the shape and even the surface.

Dorota’s fascination with surfing is not only swimming and design. She would also like

people 47 In the process of making a surfboard by hand there are used simple tools adjusted to a particular stage of work

to change people’s thinking of this sport as an exclusive discipline because it is democratic by nature: it does not exclude anyone and does not stem from how much you own.

It is not only a subculture, looking for fun, meeting people and travelling together. Brazil is the best example of that: it has nearly three millions of surfers and three thousand kilometres of the coast. Surfing has become widespread there. Sport clubs are opened even in poor districts called favelas.

“It is not a sport for the rich; this is not where celebrities go. People surf after work, putting on old T-shirts. It was extremely important to me to learn making boards in the country where surfing is a part of culture.

It is like skiing in Slovakia: everyone does it and nobody considers it sensational. It is a normal element of their life.”

I ask her when that ambitious plan emerged in her head. “I had always wanted to create my own surfboard. In terms of the form-tofunction relation, this is the purest product I know. All elements are justified and all dimensions determine the way it works.

On top of that, it is beautiful. I wish other objects around us were equally perfect.

Moreover, a surfboard is something more than a piece of sports equipment that you use. A more emotional relationship is involved here, comparable to that between a jockey and their horse.”

When I ask her about surfing her first barrel (a big wave), she is amused. “Let me make it clear: I do not surf well. I learn very fast, but I am only at the beginning of my road. However, my instructor wishes he had filmed me from the start: he would now have a film advertising his school and my progress.”

Dorota grabs a piece of material of which her board is made and makes grinding movements. “It is muscle memory, you know. You do not forget this. The sound of rubbing sandpaper against the foam evokes ecstatic joy in me. I would like to do it many more times.”

Interestingly, a small piece of plastic be-

48 people Dorota Kabała She specializes in designing for sports industries and sportspeople themselves.

She co-owns a studio called We design for physical culture, which works for sports equipment manufacturers and institutions supporting the development of sport and leisure, such as the National Stadium in Warsaw or Nobile. She is a designer and curator of The Spirit of Poland exhibitions in Brazil, as well as a co-creator of Knockoutdesign and Shinoi brands. She works as a lecturer at the Industrial Design Department of the School of Form.

comes a pretext for further conversation about a new beginning of professional life, changes, Brazil and ways of life. When in 2012 she finished working in her previous design studio, she stopped for a moment and thought: what do you really want? It took some time to pluck up courage and create her own brand.

“There is a place by a lake in the Mazury region in Poland that I always visit. I sit down and think whenever I ask myself what to do next. That time, I went there with a notebook and decided not to come back until I planned something. I wrote down elements which made up my life: things I had in my portfolio, my skills and contacts.

Somewhere deep inside, I had always wanted to design sports equipment. I asked myself: why not trying now?”

Before Dorota founded We design for physical culture, a studio which has already cooperated with such market leaders as Nobile, she had had two lives: a design life and a sport life. She used to spend one half of the day in a tracksuit and trainers and the other half in a white blouse visiting vernissages, from where she escaped to a swimming pool anyway. She gave it a thought, summed it up and let the passion merge with the professional life. Sport makes her able to generate the biggest motivation possible: she returns to the computer with pleasure and her enthusiasm persists throughout the whole project. Work has ceased to be just a duty.

“I own a studio which deals with design for sport, so I refer to it everything I do. I do not believe in designing equipment without practicing a given discipline. If I want our studio to work for a given sport, I know I have to try it. Some time ago, we also dealt with cross-country skis and even parkour.”

However, surfing has proved to involve her the most. It justifies all her training sessions and visits to the swimming pool at 7 am. Dorota is a sportsperson type in every respect: if she does something, it must make sense. Discipline, persistence and a logical plan: it went this way with surfing, too. She first tried it five years ago in New Zealand, but she decided to devote herself to it only when work allowed her to do so.

“At that time all my interests, which had previously occupied my free time, suddenly became justified. They turned into support for my job.

Surfing has ceased to be just fun: it has become a way to good design.”

Exotic holidays, bikinis drying in the sun and photos of Brazilian beaches were not the scenario assumed by Dorota.

“Today, as I sit on my board and wait for waves, I can see the whole process. I can see the shaper’s workshop and myself with sandpaper, and I think: OK, I made a board. Compare this to the situation two years ago, when I thought that the moment I achieved it, the world would be different. I was wrong: it simply became a part of my life.”

“You are talking to me now, but you would actually like to be somewhere else, right?” “I currently feel that being in Warsaw makes sense. I often travel, but I keep the balance so as not to live in wait for another journey. My aim is to derive uninterrupted pleasure from life – to feel at home regardless of geographical location.” designalive.pl

50 art of life

THE CALL

“Nature is imperfectly perfect, filled with loose parts and possibilities, with mud and dust, nettles and sky, transcendent hands-on moments and skinned knees.

What happens when all the parts of childhood are soldered down, when the young no longer have the time or space to play in their family’s garden, cycle home in the dark with the stars and moon illuminating their route, walk down through the woods to the river, lie on their backs on hot July days in the long grass, or watch cockleburs, lit by morning sun . . . ?” Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods Text and photo: Ewa Trzcionka

The book that changes. It changes the way we see ourselves, our society, our family and the world of systems which contain us – both the cultural and the natural ones, whose significance we often forget. The subtitle of Last Child in the Woods reads: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Although I am mistrustful of new definitions, classifications and labels for subsequent disorders, reading the book helped me feel relieved and name something that has troubled me subconsciously for a long time. According to astrophysicist Carl Sagan, “understanding is a kind of ecstasy”, so I wish you such moments of ecstasy during reading as well as further reflections and observations.

The book, written 10 years ago by American journalist Richard Louv, is truly topical and necessary in contemporary Poland. Luckily, our connections with nature are stronger than those in the country overseas, so we can still prevent before treatment is necessary. In his comprehensive study, Louv shows the extremely powerful relations between creativity, social life and emotional development on the one hand and experiencing the world of nature in the childhood on the other.

His universal observations and interesting conclusions contained in the book will be useful not only to parents.

The world is increasingly faster, often virtual and overflowing with data, but it gives us no chance of understanding and true experience with all our senses. In the world of “flat” information, prohibitions, obligations and suggestions, we are unable to act using our natural instinct. Thus, our theoretical knowledge increases and certain kinds of intelligence develop, but independence and resourcefulness decrease because they can only be acquired by real experience.

The book is full not only of theories and studdesignalive.pl

ies. It also gathers concrete examples of people who connect childhood with experiencing nature. An architect recollects what he learned by building bases and houses on trees.

Poets mention the moments of transcendent delight they felt owing to nature. Designers talk about the possibilities offered by nature via so-called loose parts which stimulate activity. Many admire Lego blocks, which are in fact a set of such loose parts – provided that we let our child disassemble the finished construction and make something new the way it wants to. However, we do not remember that the richest collection of loose parts is nature with its abundance of plants, animals, sand, soil, streams, branches, the power of wind, warmth and frost.

“Nature experiences help children understand the realities of natural systems through primary experience. They demonstrate natural principles such as networks, cycles and evolutionary processes. They teach that nature is a uniquely regenerative process.”

The life of young people is increasingly systematic and limited by apparent pleasure and artificial attractions, which prove interesting only for a while. According to a Swedish study cited by Louv, children playing in organized playgrounds often interrupt their activities and take up new ones; they get bored more quickly, too. In places full of nature, however, they can create scenarios of plays that last many days. “When children played in an

environment dominated by play structures..., they established their social hierarchy through physical competence; after an open grassy area was planted with shrubs, the quality of play... was very different. Children used more fantasy play, and their social standing became based less on physical abilities and more on language skills, creativity and inventiveness.”

Nature is an unlimited area of exploration and creativity, but also danger. We lack this, too: fear, pain and defeat are elements both of our nature and the surrounding nature. They are tools for learning. John Rick, a middleschool teacher, so describes the experience he acquired during building a tree house: “Our failures gave us a deep, intrinsic understanding of how things worked. We understood the laws of physics long before we took the class.”

We are threatened with separation from the world of nature not only due to technological progress as well as shrinkage of wildlife areas and our moving further away from them, but also, paradoxically, due to law. “None of the new communications technologies involve human touch; they all tend to place us one step removed from that direct experience.

Add this to control-oriented changes in the workplace and schools, where people are often forbidden, or at least discouraged, from any kind of physical contact, and we’ve got a problem.” Young primates are dying of the lack of touch...

Yes, it is about us.

things 51 NEON is a very popular form of visual identification these days. We realized that there was a place for one in our editorial office, too. The glass wizards from Kapilar made a special design for us: the logo of Design Alive lit up!

A unique design. www.kapilar.pl

PHOTO SHOOT NO.14

Two years have passed since the first photo shoot. Every quarter, in this section we show furniture, books, clothes and various knick-knacks which have caught our eye. Objects change, while packages come and go. All couriers and forwarders know us perfectly already! Quite a few stay with us – the objects, that is, though some couriers stay for a cup of coffee, too. The editorial office of Design Alive is changing into a specific gallery and library of the best books.

Maybe the time will come to open our door wider? Before this happens, let us show you another portion of inspiring reads and objects to love.

EDITED BY: ANGELIKA OGROCKA, PHOTOS: MARIUSZ GRUSZKA

designalive.pl

52 things BACKPACK by one-man company Farmer's Racer. Lars Gustavsson drew his idea of handmade bags from the culture of 19th-century sailors. They are perfect for changing weather conditions: leather straight from white oxen and waxed wool will endure both winds and downpours. Not only is this object capacious and easy to keep tidy, but it also plays a role of a diary – the history of use leaves a trace on it. 270 Euros, www.farmersracer.com ACCESSORIES by German textile brand Sieger. A characteristic feature of the starmarked products is a juxtaposition of many (often untypical) colours, which will add variety to the classical toned-down wardrobe of every man. The scarf costs 229 Euros, the belt – 98 Euros and the handkerchief – 57 Euros, www.sieger-germany.com ADVENTURERS are the main characters of the book entitled The Outsiders. New Outdoor Creativity. It presents not only famous talking heads such as Arved Fuchs – an explorer of the polar regions, skier Ane Enderud or canoeist Mark Kalch, but also places we eagerly visit searching for harmony, consolation and peace during our leave or an escape from everyday duties. Gestalten, 39.90 Euros, www.shop.gestalten.com ACCESSORIES for the kitchen by Normann Copenhagen. The series designed by Simon Legald includes a rolling pin, a pepper shaker, a salt shaker and a mortar. The objects were made of oak wood, while their handlers and holders – of marble. They can be bought separately (prices from 74 Euros) or as a set, www.normann-copenhagen.com

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DZIAŁ 53

COOPERATION of Poland and Turkey to celebrate 600 years of friendship between the two countries resulted in an exhibition and a publication. Cook for Book includes 12 recipes by three valued Turkish cooks and Polish master Tomasz Trąbski from Concordia Taste restaurant in Poznań. The book was issued in a Polish-English version, www.culture.pl LAMP Eikon Basic Mint by design studio Schneid. Nilas Jessen and Julia Mülling care for the environment, so their wooden objects were made very carefully. They are minimalist and allow you to change lampshades whenever you like. 249 Euros, www.schneid.org DISHES created as a result of cooperation between the ceramics factory in Bolesławiec, Oskar Zięta and Galeria Wnętrza from Wrocław, which stands behind the project. The designer, known for his adoration of innovative technologies, suggested untypical decorations of cups, pads and plates. You can choose, among others, the typeface by Marian Misiak, a bunch of ravens or tree rings. A design with the possibility of going into production, www.polish-pottery.com.pl

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54 Dział

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things 55 ← VASE by Malwina Konopacka. The designer chose the eye as a leitmotif, claiming that it was very capacious as regards meaning and appearance. She deals with widely understood illustration, so she decorates her products herself. The carved patterns determine the impression of three-dimensionality. PLN 1,500, www.facebook.com/malwinakonopacka SET for the café by Maria Jeglińska. Mała Czarna [small black coffee] is a tribute to social realism cafés, which were usually furnished with seats made of metal wire. The chair seems to have been taken straight from a sheet of paper and drawn in the air.

In production, www.mariajeglinska.com ALBUM showing over a hundred movie, theatre and social posters by Andrzej Krajewski. The book entitled Moje Okładki [My Covers] begins with articles by Tytus Klepacz and Krzysztof Lenk about the life and works of that drawer, painter and poster designer.

Korporacja ha!art, PLN 40, www.ha.art.pl COMPENDIUM by Caroline Roberts and Lawrence Zeegen. Five chapters of Fifty Years of Illustration present world’s most important artists, among them the distinguished Polish illustrators such as Franciszek Starowieyski, Rafał Olbiński and Roman Cieślewicz.

Top Mark Centre, PLN 129, www.tmc.com.pl

OVERVIEW of designs by the famous Finnish studio.

Already the cover of Lahdelma&Mahlamäki Architects: Works reveals the big influence of its founders on Polish architecture. The Museum of the History of Polish Jews was among the twenty Polish buildings nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award.

Rakennustieto Oy publishing house, 58 dollars, www.rakennustieto.fi RETROSPECTION and the first extensive study of work of the courageous, phenomenal group. The book entitled Agresywna Niewinność. Historia Grupy Luxus [Aggressive innocence. The Story of The Luxus Group] combines historical essays with an interview conducted by Piotr Rypson. All this is topped with previously unpublished illustrations. BWA Wrocław – Galleries of Contemporary Art, PLN 50, www.bwa.wroc.pl INTERVIEW with Wiesław Borowski, a co-founder and for many years a director of Galeria Foksal.

Zakrywam to, co Niewidoczne [I Cover the Invisible] combines an autobiography with a story of an artistic group. The latter is presented by historians and art critics Adam Mazur and Ewa Toniak. The book was issued by 40 000 malarzy publishing house. PLN 39.90, www.40000malarzy.pl

STUDIES edited by Andrzej Szczerski. Modernizmy [The Modernisms] series, started by DodoEditor publishing house, shows the most important projects of that style in Poland. Out of two volumes published thus far, the first one shows the reader around the Cracow province, Zakopane and health resorts located in Beskid Sądecki, while the second one presents Katowice, health resorts in Beskidy and Silesian icons.

Each volume costs PLN 95, www.dodoeditor.pl ANALYSIS by a marital duet of design historians.

Charlotte and Peter Fiell present the evolution of design: departing from the prehistoric times, they focus on the present and conclude with futuristic hypotheses. The Story of Design begins with a motto

by Anthony Bertram, which defines design as the creation of objects satisfying human needs. Arkady publishing house, PLN 89.90, www.arkady.com.pl

VALUABLES by Agata Bieleń. Hand-made minimalist jewellery created from high-grade steel. It reflects the love for classic beauty and architecture. Light, subtle forms will surprise you by their three-dimensionality and solid workmanship. On request; prices from PLN 135, www.agatabielen.com RINGS by June Design, that is, a one-man company run by Katarzyna Wójcik. They are hand-made, combining craftsmanship with precision of geometrical forms and thus making each item unique. PLN 229, www.junedsgn.com

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56 things

ROLLS by Blackroll Poland to improve body mobility. They are suitable for people who have undergone medical procedures and those who do sport as a leisure activity. They boost flexibility, balance and strength. They are compact, easy to clean and waterproof. You can buy them in various sizes and colours. Prices from PLN 49, www.blackroll.com.pl BAGS by Sopot-based brand Code Zero. The sailor’s style is caused not only by the designed patterns, but also the materials that the objects were made of: the creators use recycled old sails. You can choose from several sizes. We present the medium one made of dacron (PLN 229) and the large one made of sail material (PLN 259), www.codezero.pl ARMCHAIR with an original shape, designed by Przemysław “Mac” Stopa for Profim. An ideal example of efficient space use: the shelf under the seat is a practical space for objects such as a laptop, a bag or other useful accessories.

Available soon, www.profim.pl

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BLOUSE by young brand Wisłaki. Minimalist black and white designs are the result of cooperation between Dominika Naziębły and illustrators Agata Dudek and Gosia Nowak, who transferred the images of protected animals living by the Vistula River onto GOTS organic cotton. You can choose from as many as eight animals, including the kingfisher, the beaver, the otter and the white-tailed eagle. Prices from PLN 99 to 259, www.wislaki.com VALUABLES by Agata Bieleń. More on page 55 OBSERVATIONS. Last Child in the Woods. PLN 39.90, www.mamania.pl More on page 50 SKIRT Natasha Pavluchenko. www.natashapavluchenko.pl LAMP from Lineworks collection by the duet of sisters: Monika Brauntsch and Sonia Słaboń, who form the Kafti studio. These lamps are simple, light, ready for self-assembly... and hand-made.

The geometric patterns were printed on Tyvek, which allows for creating various creases in the material. PLN 380, www.kafti.com

Building no.8 As little as possible TEXT: Julia Cieszko PHOTOS: Skalso Arkitekter

otland, called the Isle of the Vikings, has become a famous tourist attraction owing to its charming landscapes and Teutonic past. In its northern part, far from the idyllic reality in the Scandinavian style, there is a totally different place – the Bungenäs peninsula. Until recently, it was inaccessible even to the inhabitants of the island. This lowland area with rich mineral resources was a limestone mining centre in the first half of the 21st century. In 1963, it was changed into

G designalive.pl

a closed military training area, which formed a peculiar architectural order during the next 40 years. Within that time, subsequent buildings sank into the unique landscape of Bungenäs and then were abandoned. However, the traces denoting the former presence of the army and the limestone industry are still visible: together with rocky ground and abundant greenery, they give this area an aura of mystery. Mossy bunkers, hidden military rooms and rusty stoves for burning limestone are natural elements in this part of the island. What was overgrown with grass for years has been combined with modern architecture

and discovered anew, thus becoming a cultural attraction of the region.

In 2010 Skälso Arkitekter, a local design studio from Gotland, received an order consisting in drafting and implementing a spatial development plan for the peninsula. The main task for the young architects was to preserve the specificity of the place and create a friendly atmosphere for inhabitants and guests. Owing to modern architecture and a good development strategy, Bungenäs is supposed to be a place combining nature, leisure and culture, whereas its development plan has to protect the identity of the peninsula – both the flora and the construction ñ

architecture DZIAĹ 59

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60 Dział Skälso Arkitekter has its seat in Gotland (Visby and Fårösund). The office was created in 2010 and joins four architects: Joel Phersson, Erik Gardell, Lisa Ekström and Mats Håkansson

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architecture 61

heritage of the past. The team from Skälso Arkitekter undertook careful restoration of the existing buildings, recreating their form and giving them new functions. A former shop is now a café, while a military canteen – a restaurant with a small hotel. A former limestone warehouse currently houses a restaurant and a gallery where concerts and theatrical performances are organized.

The real challenge and, at the same time, the most original stage of Skälso team’s work was the adaptation of old objects, which are special symbols of the Bungenäs peninsula. One of the most interesting interventions in the natural landscape of the place is Building no.

8. The architects transformed that old bunker into an untypical holiday house for a small family. The building is located in the middle part of the peninsula; in the heyday of the military training area, soldiers used it as a mechanical workshop. Its concrete structure, a military relic of the Cold War era, seems to be emerging slowly from the stony ground

which sucked it deep. The minimalist form coming from the past was not corrected, improved or decorated. On the contrary, it has become the most important element, discovered anew and recovered. The context, the place and the structure itself make Building no. 8 doubly intriguing: these 55 sq. m. connect the past with a new function.

The abandoned object surrounded by pine wood was chosen by the architects owing to its beneficial location: the main facade is directed southwards at the sea. Grey, scratched walls merge with the environment. The main entrance, located exactly where the soldiers created it, leads to an austere, minimalist living room. Natural light was let in by cutting holes in the concrete walls and installing glass door in them. The open spaces of the interiors are justified by the desire to preserve the natural, industrial character of the bunker: it was decided to do as little as possible. Thus, all decorations were consciously excluded and unnecessary colours were limited. The

original concrete walls, ceilings and floors were carefully cleaned, but old scratches were considered as an immanent element of the atmosphere of the building. Some of the few still present pieces of furniture come from the former military training area itself.

The kitchen has a bookshelf and a large dinner table. A stove and a simple yet functional bathroom were added, too.

A small courtyard playing the role of a terrace was constructed in front of the building. Limestone present in the ground was used for constructing low walls surrounding the entrance to the house, thus creating a specific microclimate – a bit of intimacy for the residents.

The building is currently used as a private holiday house, but it is not a stereotypical summer space. A big dacha in the middle of such landscape would be a rather weird phenomenon.

The architects from Skälso skilfully preserved the charm of the vicinity, respected the historical context and created a unique place. A totally real place. designalive.pl

Abacus For everyone who has difficulty in counting. The Abacus cabinet, whose door is at the same time... an abacus, 62 Dział will help them dispel mathematical doubts. A prototype, www.abacusdesign.se

Artek Kaari Collection is the first result of cooperation between the Finnish brand Artek with the Bouroullec brothers. The series is based on simple, but intelligent elements used to construct tables and shelves. Price unknown yet, www.artek.fi

The design saga Cold, but not freezing. Dark, but not gloomy. Spacious, but not empty. Scandinavian atmosphere like in Andersen’s fairy tales. I am in Stockholm, which is still asleep under a snow quilt at this time of the year. In all windows there are lamps for stray wanderers, glowing like lighthouses by the sea. In this city, two times smaller than Warsaw, the residents move around slowly and calmly. Stockholm interior design trade fair is held not far away from the city centre. It is the biggest event of this kind in northern Europe. Those who seek here emotions like those in Milan will leave the city surprised. The Swedish design week goes by in peace and harmony; each element, from exhibition stalls to events promoting new products, fits perfectly and matches the rest.

Eliza Ziemińska Lammhults Pow is a rocker seat inspired by the phenomenon of Power Pose – a body posture recommended to boost self-confidence. The design by Vilde Øritsland, a student from the Bergen Academy of Art and Design, was created owing to cooperation between the Lammhults brand with Scandinavian universities. Price not set yet, www.lammhults.se

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Please wait to be seated The Keystone armchair, inspired by three elements of a Romance bridge, was designed by Dutch studio OS & OOS. Originally made of different materials, it received soft padding and upholstery owing to cooperation with the Please wait to be seated brand. The price is 2,919 Euros, www.pleasewaittobeseated.dk

Louis Poulsen Minimalist and practical.

NJP Table, a new interpretation of a desk lamp, is the result of cooperation between the Japanese studio Nendo with Louis Poulsen, a Danish manufacturer of lighting classics.

Price unknown yet, www.louispoulsen.com

Vifa Beautiful colours and fabrics.

The speakers by the Danish brand Vifa can become a spectacular element of interior decoration. Prices from 399 Euros, www.vifa.dk

Be A stag from Scandinavia? Only as an element of interior decoration.

The metal shelf in the shape of deer head holds not only small knickDZIAĹ 63 knacks, but also books. Prices from 440 Euros, www.bedesign.fi

Wastberg The lamps in 152, designed by London-based studio Industrial Facility, say a lot about the contemporary human needs. They provide light, as well as allow for charging mobile devices. The price is 325 Euros. On the market from June, www.wastberg.com Baumann It looks like a geometrical sculpture. This 3D fabric by the Swiss brand Creations Baumann consists of hundreds of small triangles sewn on a semi-transparent material like sequins. Price not set yet, www.creationbaumann.com

Elfa Sparring+ is a new system by Elfa, intended for orderly storage of all equipment and materials necessary in the office, www.elfa.com

Skoltuna Skoltuna has made bronze and silver objects since 1607. This pre-industrial hand-production plant, established based on the order of King Charles IX, has been guided by the eternal sense of beauty, quality and functionality.

It has operated in the same location for over four centuries.

Prices from 180 Swedish crowns, www.skultuna.com

Nordgrona They clean the air, adjust the humidity level in the flat and improve the acoustics. Moreover, they do not require cleaning. The Arctic moss panels are a solution for those who often forget to water the flowers and still appreciate greenery at home. Prices from 1,100 Swedish crowns, www.nordgrona.com

photos: press materials

Menu Handy containers made of elastic plastic by the Danish brand Menu prove useful in the kitchen, office or bathroom.

Prices from 100 Swedish crowns, www.menu.as

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64 architecture

As usual in such cases, it all started with reflections, thoughts and doubts.

How should one encourage the contemporary people to understand modern architecture, after all? Well, just allow them to use it with all senses. text: ANGELIKA OGROCKA, photos: living architecture

photos: living architecture

THE ARCHITECTURE OF ALL SENSES

few years ago, Alain de Botton published a book entitled The Architecture of Happiness, in which he considers the role of beauty. The main theme of the work is the analysis of human needs manifested in architecture. He has also observed that people simply fear the contemporary designs for unknown reasons and do not understand them. Thus, in 2010, de Botton established Living Architecture.

The venture promotes modern construction in a rather untypical way. We are all used to the “do not touch” messages in museums and galleries and to admiring icons of architecture only by glancing at them while standing in the street. This organization offers experiencing architecture with your whole self.

This is a perfect moment for quoting the words which moved the whole world in 2005, when architect Juhani Palasmaa published a book entitled The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. “The current over-emphasis on the intellectual and conceptual dimensions of architecture contributes to the disappearance of its physical, sensual and embodied essence… This reductive focus gives rise to a sense of architectural autism, an internalised and autonomous discourse that is not grounded in our shared existential reality,” the Finnish thinker wrote. Then, architects and other professions felt the desire to discover the power of senses and their rich yet dormant potential. One could say that the “Holidays in Modern Architecture” undertaking was created in reply to that: it offers renting one of eight houses for approx. 20 GBP per day all year round – for the weekend, for some leave or for holidays. Several most talented designers from all over the world and from different generations were entrusted with planning residential buildings in various regions of the UK. The result was eclectic and amazing. This way, the activists from Living Architecture want to make current and future ideas more familiar to people as well as increase their appreciation of design by allowing them to experience it fully. The architects play with our habits, capturing the transformation of the British countryside, from artificial luxury to aesthetic functionalism. The most precious element, however, is the very being in architecture, learning it and absorbing it. www.living-architecture.co.uk

66 architecture

1

The Long House Cockthorpe

photos: living architecture

This house for ten people in northern Norfolk is the first residential building design in 30 years created by Michael and Patty Hopkins – a married couple running Hopkins Architecture. The studio, which has existed since 1976, combined the aesthetics of latest technologies with traditional craftsmanship. The sea is less than three kilometres away from the building and can be seen from the first floor. The huge open space is toned down and at the same time contrasted with intense colours of furniture. The facade is made from stones coming from a local quarry and thus reflects the artistry of the nearby buildings.

However, in order to protect the residents from marsh winds, it was shifted slightly behind the outline of the house.

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4

The Dune House

Thorpeness Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects (JVA) is a studio founded by Einar Jarmund and Håkon Vigsnæs which has operated in Norway since 1996. The idea they delivered for the English undertaking is a reinterpretation of houses by the sea.

The building is located at the seaside and the surrounding grassy dunes protect it from strong winds. It can house nine people and combines modernity with British tradition. The glass ground floor looks as if it was seated directly on the dune. The typical gable roof was shown in a new version: it was adjusted to the appearance of the nearby hills and boathouses, but viewed from the distance, it resembles a funny hat topping a glass structure.

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The Shingle House

photos: Charles Hoseav, John Pawson / Living Architecture

Dungeness NORD Architecture – Northern Office for Research and Design is a Scottish studio established in 2002

by Robin Lee and Alan Pert. The complex they designed in Kent County can house eight residents.

The simplicity of the buildings refers to fishermen’s huts scattered along the entire coast. Attention should be paid to the location: the beach where the house stands is a nature reserve, so the residents can open the huge windows to admire extraordinary fauna and flora any time. The black colour of the building is contrasted with its white interiors, while the internal yard is protected from winds by enormous glass panes.

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Life House

Llanbister Everyone is familiar with John Pawson’s aesthetics: the British designer is an ascetic minimalist and such is the spirit of the house in central Wales. It has black handmade bricks on the outside, white ones on the inside, wooden ceilings and oak floors. It is supposed to provide space for reflection owing to its simple beauty. It will have three bedrooms and is planned to be opened this spring.

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Walberswick The building has been prepared for Suffolk Shire

by MVRDV studio from Rotterdam that has been in the market since 1993. Founders – Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries have aimed at creativity. Untypical house balances on the slope’s edge. The half attached to the hill was made from heavier materials than the one levitating over the ground. Owing to this the space beneath was used as a playground with a swing for kids. Wooden interiors are decorated with expressive colours forming geometric patterns.

Rooms that can house eight people are hidden behind trees growing by. In contrast, glittering silvery elevation reflects the environment, which makes it fit in the surroundings as a chameleon.

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photos: Peter Zumthor / Living Architecture

Balancing Barn

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The Secular Retreat Salcombe

The creator wants the residents to be unwilling to ever leave the house. The building currently being designed by Peter Zumthor is supposed to be heaven providing shelter from the pressure of contemporary life. The idea of experiencing promoted by the winner of the Mies van der Rohe award has been intensified by the inspiration by cloisters, that is, their residents’ peace and devoting time to contemplation. Such is also the planned atmosphere of the building in southern Devon. The architect has chosen concrete as the dominant element. The interiors will be made available for rent in 2016.

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A Room for London

photos: William Eckersley, Dave King / Channel 4 Television

London A boat by the side of the Thames seems perfectly all right – it is a river, after all. The astonishment is caused by the fact that the ship was placed on Queen Elizabeth Hall and seems to be flying instead of sailing. The design is a result of cooperation between David Kohn Architects, a London-based studio operating since 2007, and artist Fiona Banner. Their model was the old boat going to Congo in Joseph Conrad’s famous novel.

The apartment has only one bedroom, but it also houses a library which every guest has to visit, at least to fill in the deck log for each stay. The creators plan further voyages for the boat.

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A House for Essex

Wrabness Grayson Perry is known for his crazy performances. He cooperated with Fashion Architecture Taste (FAT), which has operated since 1995, on the most eccentric design within Living Architecture. Essex County received a house inspired by legends and the roadside shrine tradition. The main feature of the building is decorations: over 2,000 of patterned tiles made of a copper alloy were used to create them. Moreover, the roof is topped with four symbolic sculptures and the interior is full of mosaics and fabrics. This combination of the archetype with modernity will probably house four residents. Stay tuned for the premiere.

www.living-architecture.co.uk

76 Dział

Vorrei presentare...

Milano!* TEXT AND PHOTOS: WOJCIECH TRZCIONKA

Milan (Italian: Milano, Latin: Mediolanum, Lombardian: Milan or Milà) is the capital of fashion, design and art, as well as one of Europe’s richest cities and one of the lungs for Italian economy. It is also the capital of shopping frenzy and amazing elegance.

Though you can find here “The Last Supper” by da Vinci and the gothic cathedral of the Nativity of Saint Mary (called Duomo), the city itself has middle-class or, considering the Italian standards, lower-class monuments. Still, everyone will love it one day: in their own way, for different things and never during the first visit. I fell in love with it only during the third one as I walked along its streets photographing places, people and ordinary life... designalive.pl

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I would like to present you with‌ Milan!

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80 places

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Into the city!

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Learn the places you really must see during your stay in Milan – regardless of when you happen to be there, although the Milan Design Week ( 14–19.04 ) is a very good time to visit the capital of Lombardy.

Text and photos: Wojciech Trzcionka

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� Spazio Rossana Orlandi

� Museum Triennale di Milano

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Viale Emilio Alemagna 6 www.triennale.it One of the most important locations in Milan and the very first one visited by journalists from all over the world already on Monday, before the design week begins for good. The museum is full of exhibitions and premieres. I love its interiors and atmosphere. “Exhibitions concerning design, ideas and trends are organized here. You can see all the important icons of design... and then relax on the lawns in a nearby park,” designer Gosia Rygalik remarks, laughing. Entrance paid.

www.salonemilano.it One of Europe’s biggest trade fair complexes (46,000 sq. m.), commissioned in 2005 and designed by Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas. It stands out owing to a fancy roof outline. The iSaloni fair itself is best visited on the first day, when the place is still calm.

All the biggest furniture brands in the world have their premieres here and 300,000 people come to see them. Do you forget what you have seen after going through two of over 20 halls? That is why I photograph novelties and their descriptions using a phone and then analyze them in the privacy of my home.

Entrance paid.

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Via Matteo Bandello 14/16 www.rossanaorlandi.com The gallery gathers the avant-garde of international design. People visit it for the unique atmosphere of exhibitions held in every corner of the old tenement house and its yards. It also houses a shop, in which every object has been hand-picked

by Rossana Orlandi – Milan’s cult personality and a famous hunter of young talents, always seen in self-designed glasses and with a cigarette. “Spazio is a bit like a concept shop, but during the fair it teems first and foremost with unique art and design.

Here you can find works by young designers and artists from all over the world, as well as personalities who are not bound to the artistic world, but want to express themselves in a certain way and Rossana allows them to do it. She excels in finding people who are able to share something with the world. The group of those who began their career in her gallery and are now progressing as artists and designers is already quite big,” says Ada Pulwicki, an interior architect. Entrance free of charge.

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� Brera

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www.breradesigndistrict.it An exclusive district in the city centre where big brands have their showrooms to host events and premieres. I love walking in and out of shops, galleries, craftsmen’s workshops and random tenement houses in which something interesting happens to be taking place due to the celebration of design. While on my way, I sip espresso and savour the best ice cream in the world.

Most entrances free of charge.

www.venturaprojects.com This is one of the most interesting places of the whole design week and the spring of Milan’s river of talents. The district is full of avant-garde, people and events managed by the Dutch in Milan for a few years. Schools from all over Europe and young designers also present their work here. Fresh ideas literally burst out of each hall.

The exhibitions are so numerous that it would be impossible to describe them all here. Simply visit Ventura’s website. Entrance free of charge.

Via Plinio 39 www.barbasso.com A cult meeting place of Milan’s design circles. Self-promotion in full swing and the best parties. “A cult bar visited by crowds every evening despite its location in the suburbs, once empty and now filled by hundreds of designers and people connected with design,” Tomek Rygalik explains. Entrance free of charge; events during the design week – only with invitations.

� Leclettico

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Via San Gregorio 39 www.leclettico.it A gallery founded two years ago by eccentric curator Claudio Loria. Hand-made furniture, beautiful art and a marvellous place! A must-be-and-see! Entrance free of charge.

Via Pietro Mascagni 6 www.thedesignjunction.co.uk Edit by Designjunction is a zone that appeared during the London Design Festival in 2011 and delighted people right away. Two years ago the idea moved to Italy. During this year’s festival in Milan it will be located in Casa dell’Opera Nazionale Balilla, a former school. You will find there many young brands, wood and other natural materials as well as carefully perfected shapes.

A place worth seeing. Entrance paid.

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� 10 Corso Como

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www.10corsocomo.com A one-of-a-kind shop: it has a terrace, is full of greenery and houses a collection of niche brands and an excellent gallery. It has been a cult place for years as it combines design, good food and artistic activity in equal proportions. It is undoubtedly a must-see for people visiting Milan and willing to get to know the city’s atmosphere.

Entrance free of charge.

www.tortonaroundesign.com Via Dezza 49 It is a mixture of fairs and presentations.

Gio Ponti (1891–1979) was a famous Italian Years ago it used to be one of Milan’s most architect and designer as well as an editorinteresting design locations. Its former -in-chief of Domus, a magazine on art and freshness, ensured by its founder Giulio architecture which he founded in 1928 and Cappellini (a famous talent hunter and managed until death (the cult magazine trend researcher) and concentrated by him still exists). He acquired fame owing to the in Superstudio Piu, has evaporated a bit.

Pirelli skyscraper constructed in Milan in Still, it is worth visiting to see what Marcel 1958, the city’s highest building at the time Wanders from the Netherlands has been (127 m), because it had a very innovative up to in his enormous hall at Via Savona 56. form of a ship. Since 1957, Ponti lived in Entrance paid in Superstudio Piu; in most a block of flats that he designed together Villa Necchi Campiglio other galleries – entrance free of charge. with all the fittings (see the photo). The Via Manzoni 12 building is today considered as an icon of www.casemuseomilano.it architecture, but its interior is not available One of the city’s most interesting buildings: Naviglio Grande to visitors. an art déco-style villa from 1930s designed “I actually recommend the whole zone around Canale Naviglio Grande.

by Piero Portaluppi. If you do not manage Dolce & Gabbana This place is close to Tortona, but is often to see its interiors, do watch a movie entiVia Goldoni 10 omitted. It seems that if someone finally tled “I Am Love” (directed by Luca Guadawww.dolcegabbana.com gets to Zona, they think that they have gnino), in which the villa “plays” the lead found Milan’s essence, but this is false. The The headquarters of the famous clothing role. It also shows loneliness, emptiness brand were designed by Studio Piuarch, and emotional coldness suffered by Emma, Naviglio Grande zone is filled with plenty which adjusted two buildings from the of niche undertakings such as shops and the main character excellently portrayed restaurants. Here you will also find Fabricca 1920s and 1960s to the company’s needs.

by Tilda Swinton. Entrance paid.

The building was finished with Namibian – one of Milan’s two cult small restaurants More on p. 84 serving fantastic pizza in great atmosphere white marble, glass and raw steel sheets.

Its interior is not available to visitors. and without requiring you to spend a fortune,” says designer Tomek Rygalik.

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We enjoy good food and Milan lets you savour delicatessen hourly. Here a few checked seats

■ Non Solo Pizza Via Raffaello Sanzio 14

■ Latteria Davenia Via Tortona 26

■ La Cappelletta Via Carlo Bertolazzi 26

■ Ristorante La Cantinetta Via Pipamonti 19

■ Fabbrica Pizzeria Alzaia Naviglio Grande 70

■ Cioccogelateria Venchi Via Boccaccio 2, Piazzale Cadorna

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Piazza Velasca 3-5 The 99–metre building, which currently symbolizes the birth of modern Italian architecture, was erected in 1954 in the brutalist style. Its silhouette refers to massive medieval fortresses and defence towers typical of Lombardy. It was designed by Gian Luigi Banfi, Lodovico Belgiojoso, Enrico Peressutti and Ernesto Nathan Rogers (BBPR).

za e della Tecnologia Via S. Vittore 21 www.museoscienza.org For two years, the museum of science and technology hosted the MOST zone arranged by Tom Dixon, a famous British designer. The zone ceased to appear last year, but the museum is worth visiting anyway – at least to see the big submarine, beautiful trains or the reconstruction of the first flying machine designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Entrance paid.

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ioSono Emma

As I go behind the wall surrounding the house at Via Mozart 14, I become Tilda Swinton for a while. Like her, I take light steps along the gravel path.

I pass pergolas with aromatic wisterias and turn to the elegant residence of Lombardian industrialists hidden in greenery from Milan’s noise

The shots come from “I Am Love”, directed by Luca Guadagnino (distributor in Poland: Gutek Film)

Text: Iwona Gach

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first visited Villa Necchi Campiglio driven by the desire to escape the intensity and noise of the trade fair experience at Milan Design Week at least for a while. The direction was shown to me by “Io Sono L’Amore” (“I Am Love”), a movie I had once watched, directed

by Luca Guadagnino, in which the British actress played Emma, the wife of a textile magnate. The critics proclaimed that 2009 melodrama a masterpiece of the genre. I reckon that Villa Necchi Campiglio contributed quite a lot to that: it helped create the movie and its unique atmosphere as if it was one of the characters. That day, hungry for the impressions of sunny Italy and for a moment of freedom from images painfully filling my head (I saw several hundred premieres in the interior design industry), I entered the world that enchanted me.

Villa Necchi Campiglio was built in the years 1932–1935, when Lombardy’s entrepreneurial spirit and urban architecture were both in their heyday (that period saw the construction of the world’s first paid highway – from Milan to Varese). The residence’s owners were sisters Nedda and Gigina Necchi and the latter’s husband Angelo Campiglio. They lived there until death. Gigina was the last one to pass away: she died in 2001, having previously turned 100. The villa was handed over to the city, renovated and finally opened for the public in 2008.

The Necchi Campiglio family included typical upper class representatives of the wealthy circles gathering Milan’s factory owners:

the Necchi company produced famous sewing machines. Those modernity mentors and art patrons loved affluent lifestyle and participated in the city’s civic and cultural life. In the post-war period, that social group contributed to modernizing Milan’s urban fabric, which was visible e.g. in launching the first underground line or Fiera – an international trade fair area. It is precisely this place that has hosted Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano, world’s biggest interior design trade fair, every year since 1961.

The Necchi Campiglio family entrusted architect Piero Portaluppi ( 1888–1967 ) with designing their suburban villa together with all comforts accompanying a modern single-family building: a tennis court, a swimming pool with heated water and a garden. Though the clear silhouette of the villa demonstrates austere functionalism, which definitely rejected all decorations, the interiors are dominated by the art déco style. After World War II, the owners, assisted by architect Mario Bruzzi ( 1900–1981 ), supplemented the rooms with a collection of 17th- and 18th-century art works and with furniture referring to the Neo-Renaissance style, thus making their atmosphere even nobler. The most interesting feature of the building is harmonious merging of functional space with decorative refinement, which probably stems from the owners’ attachment to the centuries-old tradition of Italian architecture.

Luxury and first-class craftsmanship is visible in every detail of the interiors: rosewood panels decorating the walls of the entrance

n o b i l i t y o f m at e r i a ls a n d t h e m ast e ry of craftsmanship

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88 archicons The route of private residences Villa Necchi Campiglio belongs to a chain called Case Museo di Milano, which includes three more fascinating house museums made available for the public by the inheritors of the famous Milan families: the Bagatti Valsecchi museum, the house of Boschi di Stefano and the Poldi Pezzoli museum. They are all located in the city centre and visiting them allows you to learn personal stories of architecture and applied art against the background of Milan’s social evolution.

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f u n ct i o n a l s pa c e D ec o r at i v e r e f i n e m e n t

hall, rhythmically reappearing geometrical forms of objects created by applied art, brass covers of heaters or a walnut balustrade in the entrance hall.

My favourite room is a sunny porch with a set of comfortable celadon sofas designed by Portaluppi himself. It was their velour touch that softly embraced the character portrayed by Tilda Swinton in Guadagnino’s masterpiece as she pondered the tender arms of her lover. The room’s entrance is brass slide door repeating the “brick” motif found in the hall, while huge windows that can be opened wide integrate the interior with the beautiful garden. The shadows of dignified trees protect plumes of fern, green carpets of ground cover plants, elegant hortensias and noble compositions of Japanese maples reflected in the sheet of the swimming pool.

The owners’ private rooms on the first floor are also charming.

They are located at the end of a huge atrium with a tunnel vault furnished with spacious wardrobes which present the original clothes worn by the Necchi sisters. The bathrooms at each apartment are thoroughly modern: they could serve as model designs for many contemporary villas. Here, the hand can feel the nobility of materials and the mastery of craftsmanship hardly found nowadays. By the way, the spacious shower stand tiled with solid

marble blocks and furnished with glass panes and hydrotherapy nozzles must have been considered as quite extravagant in the 1930s.

During business travels, I like to extend the range of my experience by additional contexts, places and moods; they sometimes depart far from the main theme of the travel, but provide a fuller picture of the location I visit. When Studio Fabrica (the Benetton group’s design studio) invited me to visit the villa again in April last year, I ended up in the middle of a vernissage presenting works inspired by Italian landscape and architecture. Whispers of friendly conversations over a glass of white wine, interrupted from time to time with pleasant laughter, were hanging over the swimming pool in the garden. The coffee mill crunched meaningfully and then a double knock on the bar table announced the smell of delicious coffee. I sipped it for the rest of the afternoon, savouring the “dolce far niente”. That moment bore no resemblance to the anxious aura of the film evening when Emma ran down the marble stairs towards the swimming pool to meet something that would change her life forever… My image of Villa Necchi warmed the senses and filled my “Milan” memory box for the whole year. www.casemuseomilano.it

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Carlo &Camilla 90 Dział

in the sawmill full of tastes

Milan’s most fashionable place, awarded Wallpaper’s distinction for the best newly-opened restaurant of 2014. It is hard to believe that not so long ago it was still an abandoned post-industrial space TEXT: ANGELIKA OGROCKA, PHOTOS: NATHALIE KRAG

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The building which currently houses the restaurant comes from 1932. It was damaged by battles during World War II and reconstructed 14 years later to establish a sawmill there. The production was finally stopped in the 1970s.

Carlo Solci, the owners’ son, decided to restore the place to its former splendour, but he is not responsible for the fame that the restaurant has acquired. Tanja, the owner’s granddaughter and Carlo’s daughter, adapted the post-industrial space for a nearly cult place: Carlo e Camilla in Segheria.

Nothing is impersonal in Italy: every undertaking has someone behind it and someone else behind that someone. Let’s go back to the story, then. Tanja, an interior designer and art&design curator well-known in Milan, suggested cooperation to Carlo Cracco, a chef holding a Michelin star, who cannot be called anonymous, either. He conducts a TV show entitled “Hell’s Kitchen Italia” and evaluates beginner cooks in the Italian edition of “Master Chef”. The restaurant’s gastronomic backroom led by him gathers young cooking talents.

Every meal prepared there becomes a performance. The dishes are new interpretations of classic food and, though creative cooking is an art of improvisation, this fantastic cuisine accepts no coincidences. Each ingredient is a fresh local product, specially selected to match the season of the year. There are few permanent dishes in the menu: new culinary ideas appear continuously. Some of them change as often as every day.

Filippo Sisti is responsible for drinks. He promotes a technique called “cooking liquid”, in which he crosses the boundary between the kitchen and the bar. His beverages are yet another show: in modernized versions of wellknown drinks he uses such ingredients as soft and blue cheese, ostrich eggs or pee sprouts, mixing everything in an extraordinary way, even with use of frying or cooking.

The sawmill no longer exists, but it has influenced the atmosphere of the interiors. The post-industrial style is visible mainly in the rugged structure of concrete and uncovered bricks, while the decoration pays homage to the best achievements of Italian culture. The space is dominated by crossed wooden tables running along the whole restaurant. This sense of community is topped with two phenomenal chandeliers.

The tables are fitted with cobalt and green chairs designed by Jasper Morrison; those popular Tate Color chairs were manufactured by Cappellini in new colours. When the guests sit on them, they will have their meals served on strikingly elegant white porcelain crockery by Richard Ginori. And then, a long and loud Italian feast will begin. www.carloecamillainsegheria.it www.carloecamillainsegheria.it designalive.pl

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Portrait: Tanja Solci, the restaurant’s owner and interior designer, Carlo Cracco, chef, and Nicola Fanti, manager

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A chair can be sexy

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“We bet on development by creating new products,” Tomek Rygalik, a creative director in Paged, says in an interview with Design Alive Interviewer: WOJCIECH TRZCIONKA PHOTO: WOJCIECH TRZCIONKA

Paged underwent big changes last year.

You became its artistic director and the company introduced new products as well as started building the brand. Are the results already visible?

First of all, our clients saw that we are not only a manufacturer of good-quality furniture, but also a brand. Our ambitions were noticed, which resulted in our presence in the hall of design during Internazionale Salone del Mobile in Milan, where only good brands can be seen. This is the proof of the change. Moreover, we are continuously working on new patterns.

This is not merely a cosmetic change of the image or betting on one product supposed to make us famous. The scope of our activities is wide: we replace the offered products very reasonably.

What does the market like? Is it the fact that the product is Polish, that it has a good quality or that it was made by a nologies in mind. It may not be as sexy craftsman? as, for example, a story about aesthetic It is the price to quality ratio, but quality dreams. It may seem very pragmatic. is not understood here as the carpenter’s Still, a product can be called good when craftsmanship. It is the quality of innova- it is good for the user, the architect, the tive solutions and of thinking about com- manufacturer, the forest... It truly works plex products. For instance, those people only when it has so many recipients. in the corridor (Tomek points at three Such design is the most exciting one for people going through the secretary’s ofthe designer, too. Believe me! fice - editor’s note) are new clients from Last year in Milan, you showed six new Norway. They came to us after we had product families. How many are you gointroduced the new offer and presented ing to show at iSaloni this year? our brand at last year’s trade fair in Milan. As many as ten! This really is a lot. Most How are new patterns made? manufacturers show one or two impleWell, not in my dreams or, say, my desire mented products, while we display whole to make a particular chair, which is why families, each of them including three to we make that chair now. No. Our prodfive products; these are chairs (with or ucts are a response to very precise market without armrests), bar chairs and tables. demands. We design universal patterns If someone orders 300 chairs from one with particular markets, prices and techfamily after the trade fair, they will get

them. This is unique and impressive. Italians, for instance, show mainly prototypes to excite the potential buyers. We show ready-made chairs.

How is your new furniture selling?

Great. What matters most to Vitra, Moroso or Paged is the contract market, that is, hotels, restaurants and, for instance, cafés. Paged exports its products to 65 countries in the world. We have permanent clients who have bought our products since 1964. Still, we are now winning completely new clients who demand very advanced and refined products. And we manage to offer such products. We want to be viewed as a furniture brand, not just a manufacturer, as well as to build new markets. This is development by creating new products which excite our industry. designalive.pl

N “Silesia is my America.” This sentence was repeatedly uttered by eminent composer Wojciech Kilar, a “Silesian from Lviv” whose bond with Katowice lasted nearly all his life. Today, coming to the capital of the Upper Silesian agglomeration to a concert of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), one can feel that “Kilar’s America” really exists. Guided by the great composer’s spirit, we arrive at the square named after him, where all paths lead to building number 1 – the Silesian Mecca of music.

TEXT: MARCIN MOŃKA, PHOTOS: MARIUSZ GRUSZKA

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P When musicians appeared at a new place for the first time, experts from Nagata Acoustics, who were responsible for all acoustic solutions, encouraged them to ”learn this place.” Today, after just a few months, the musicians are sure they would never change it

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The newly opened NOSPR building has already been named one of the most beautiful and the most functional in Europe and beyond. It perfectly fits the city’s cultural axis as it neighbours on the Silesian Museum and the International Conference Centre which is currently being constructed.

The joy

I remember a concert by NOSPR conducted

by Krzesimir Dębski nearly a decade ago. It was a morning of the New Year’s Day and the atmosphere was less formal than usual during such concerts. The valued composer so explained the acronym naming the ensemble: Our orchestra brings you joy [Polish: Nasza Orkiestra Sprawi Państwu Radość].

The orchestra from Katowice has done it for several dozen years. Its sound has educated generations of music fans and other people alike. Going to its concerts has never been a grim duty, but an activity making your social position more noble and, first of all, a chance for a fuller life. No language is more universal than the world of sounds, anyway.

This trend is slowly coming back today: the concerts by NOSPR are now listened to by crowds and the orchestra knows how to open up to an entirely new audience. When Radzimir Dębski, Krzesimir’s son, was to designalive.pl

Artists enter the stage through a wooden door that has a structure dispersing acoustic waves

appear there in concert at the beginning of March, the tickets to that event were sold out in a few days. On stage, Jimek (Radzimir’s artistic pseudonym) was supported not only by orchestra members, but, among others, by Joka, known for performing in hip hop band Kaliber 44.

When I meet orchestra members to talk about their work in the new building, they say a lot about perfect spaces, comfort and

appreciation on behalf of the listeners. The latter have always been there, but the current situation is beginning to resemble the atmosphere known from cultural events not directly associated with orchestra concert halls. “It has become a new trend, a nice, positive snobbishness, to come to our concerts,” admits Jowita Kokosza, head of NOSPR’s promotion department.

Indeed, when we come to one of the con-

certs covered by season tickets, the hall is full. When the concert ends, people do not rush down the stairs to get their coats back from the cloakroom and quickly head for home, but instead celebrate their stay in the new space. Most people coming to listen to works by Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Wagner or Brahms still remember the previous concert hall in the Katowice Cultural Centre (CKK) at Plac Sejmu Śląskiego [the

Silesian Parliament Square]. However, many new listeners have appeared, not only from Upper Silesia and the neighbouring region of Zagłębie (though they prevail), but also from Little Poland, Lower Silesia and many other regions. “The orchestra’s reputation is such that it is worth travelling several hundred kilometres to listen to it live,” says one music fan, who has come to the concert from Warsaw.

However, it is not only the orchestra’s live sound that attracts people to the building at the Wojciech Kilar Square 1. It is also the place, which had become a topic of conversations, guesses and reflections long before it was opened.

Today we already know that this is one of the best concert spaces in the world.

Eminent pianist Krystian Zimerman, who played in the orchestra’s new seat during

An orchestra is like a living organism. All its ”vessels” are bound in one orchestra bloodstream. Though there is always a conductor leading the band, all the smallest details matter. The acoustic of a large hall enables us to hear a single sound of ……a shifted music stand

100 miejsca

Binding two solutions in a large concert hall makes it possible to experience the sound of an orchestra in many different ways. On the one side there is a classic model with a stage in front of an audience, on the other – a vineyard-like arrangement meaning that listeners sit around the orchestra

102 places In Silesia the love for music is passed down from one generation to the next. Karolina Wawrzynowicz, the violinist, has inherited it from her parents. Today, she plays in an orchestra together with her mother

the inaugural concert, admitted that the hall was in the world’s absolute top. It was not plain politeness – the Zabrze-born virtuoso is usually able to express his opinions clearly, precisely and, first and foremost, in no uncertain terms.

The tradition

Listening to music live makes us better: its therapeutic properties have been known for ages. Making music is even more special, though: you will often hear in Silesia that nobody has yet invented a better way of establishing good relations than playing musical instruments together.

Music-making families are many in Silesia.

The initial passion for music sometimes changes into deep fascination and then there is no doubt about what you should pursue in life. After years of intense practice and rehearsals you finally join the orchestra. “There was virtually no other way for me than playing in the orchestra,” admits Barbara Szefer–Trocha, a violinist bound to NOSPR for over 30 years. She comes from a musical family: her father was, among others, a choir manager, while mum taught music. “I owe everything to my parents, who would find the will to take me to the music school every day and practise with me in their free time,” she adds. Today she plays in the famous Katowice orchestra with her daughter Karolina Wawrzynowicz. “I wanted her to inherit my love for music and I guess I have succeeded,” she smiles. She can remember very well her first days in the orchestra and conversations about the new seat, which had been heard in Katowice for several dozen years. “The fact that we are here is a clear proof that dreams come true,” the violinist concludes. designalive.pl

The orchestra at home

When you look back and learn the orchestra’s history, you will see that this is actually its first real home. True, its oldest times, i.e. the 1930s in Warsaw, the post-war period and the subsequent re-establishment in Katowice as the Polish Radio Great Symphony Orchestra (WOSPR) were magnificent periods in terms of music, but were all shadowed by temporariness.

The current NOSPR seat, created by Konior Studio, amazes the visitors from the first

moment. It has two impressive concert halls, with 1,800 and 300 seats. There are actually over 100 various rooms there which serve the musicians and people working for the orchestra. “We had known that it would be our home already before we moved in,” admits Wincenty Krawczyk, a violist.

This sense of community provided by coexistence and work in a real home makes the music take an entirely new dimension, too. It is not only “the best of the sound” by the Katowice-based ensemble, but also

The new seat has opened its doors also for other ensembles from the region, such as the Silesian String Quartet, the New Music Orchestra or the Katowice City Singers’ Ensemble, which give regular concerts in the new halls.

The invitation There is one more invaluable issue, though, NOSPR does not currently play only big so dear to all the people bound to NOSPR, symphonic concerts with world’s renowned beginning from its manager Joanna Wnuk– conductors. It also organizes many smaller Nazarowa. It is the concern for musical eduevents, equally important as the perfor- cation and feeding the sensitivity to the mance of “The Symphony of a Thousand” by world of sounds – the eternal beauty of the Gustav Mahler or Richard Strauss’s works. world created in concert halls. That is why a hard-to-grasp “spirit of musical experience” hanging in the air within the building, whose form refers to Silesian forms and colours. And on top of that, the musicians you can meet there are simply joyful.

even those smallest things supporting musical education are so important. In Silesia, however, they have known it for ages: new concert halls, always full of life, not only make dreams come true, but also create a natural environment for people who have loved music unconditionally and are able to share this love with others.

katoact 104 art of choice

DOMINIK

Koszutka

The smallest and the coolest district of Katowice, in which Geszeft is honoured to operate. The socialist architecture, surrounded by abundant greenery, has become a background for interesting activities in the district. New places emerge here, such as Poszetka (a tailor’s workshop), Lokal (a café and bakery) or Dwie Lewe Ręce (a gallery). This district will soon be the heart of Katowice.

chosen by: Michał Kubieniec and Dominik Tokarski, founders of Geszeft–a café and shop in Katowice, poland

MICHAŁ A Sunday dinner

Maybe it is a prosaic topic, but I cannot imagine life without a pork cutlet, a mince meat cutlet, a meat roll or chicken soup. Of course, I stick to reasonable proportions and quantities. What and with whom I eat is no less important for me. Good cuisine is fundamental. It makes life taste better.

Family und friends

A strong connection with the item above because city equals people. Without the dearest ones, with whom you can drink beer on a bench, go to a party, walk in the wood or eat a delicious dinner, life has no meaning. This is an invisible value, which we often get to see when we leave for a long time. I have just had an opportunity of going on a journey and I came back with undisguised joy.

“Wielkie Katowice” [Great Katowice] T-shirts A must-have for every local patriot: a series of T-shirts designed by Artur Oleś in cooperation with KATO. Small Paris, Polish Las Vegas or Polish Chicago were names formerly used to refer to Katowice.

Now they have been revived on T-shirts to pay tribute to the city.

In a bit tongue-in-cheek manner, of course. designalive.pl

ctivists Classic trainers

I am crazy about those comfortable classic shoes. I cannot imagine my life without them. I am virtually addicted to buying new pairs before the old ones wear out. This is actually my only weakness of that kind, so I forgive myself... and improve my mood by shopping again.

Katowice

Only modernism!

Katowice does not have a monumental old town and this is fine: we do not need to pretend to be Cracow. We have great modernistic architecture instead, both from the pre-war and the post-war period. It includes Poland’s first skyscraper, Spodek, Superjednostka, Tauzen or Zenit and Skarbek trade centres. Katowice has taught me to appreciate this difficult architecture, which does not necessarily seem beautiful at a first glance. Thus, wherever I go, I search for a local brutalist building instead of classical market squares.

A strange affection exists between us. I adore this city, though sometimes everything here annoys me and I feel like escaping far away. Katowice shaped me as an adult person. I feel that I can fulfil myself professionally here and that the place has some energy – difficult to describe, but helping me in action.

Joanna and Ryszard the dog

My dearest ones: Joanna, my wife-to-be and our dog called Ryszard [Richard], aka “son”. They support me and give me strength and energy for work. Geszeft would not exist without them, either: Joanna designed the interiors and Ryszard kept a weather eye on the contractors. A daily walk in the park, a so-called “loop”, is our mutual ritual which ends every working day.

Electronic music

Eating out

I love eating out! I adore celebrating meals with friends in newly discovered restaurants and bars.

Whenever I go somewhere or someone visits me, I plan trips from this point of view. Only then do I think of other tourist attractions. Burgers, Italian cuisine, Indian cuisine – everything goes. Of course I do not forget about Silesian classics such as meat roll, dumplings and red cabbage.

It has always accompanied me. Already as a child, I was fascinated by Jarre’s sounds.

That passion evolved with time. Luckily, a very good event, Tauron Nowa Muzyka festival, is held in Katowice, so I make the most of this luxury every year.

designalive.pl

The facto y of dreams

In the Rolls–Royce factory, the client even has their own room with a bathroom.

“Our clients do not buy cars. They buy emotions.

We do not discuss their preferences. If they want a yellow car, they will get the best yellow colour in the world.” In Goodwood, “client” is the keyword

A

business class flight. A ride in a chauffeur-driven Rolls– Royce car. And a night in a small, Victorian style hotel, where president Ronald Reagan or Princess Diana once stayed, too (maybe they even slept in the same bed?).

Etiquette at every turn. Such is the beginning of an “ordinary” visit of Design Alive in the extraordinary Rolls–Royce factory in Goodwood, UK. Everybody knows the Rolls–Royce brand and immediately associates it with incomparable luxury. I first got to know it better two years ago during an automotive industry trade show in Frankfurt am Main. Two things from that event got stuck in my memory: the vacuum cleaner which the charlady used right after I left the limousine (let me add that she did it after every guest) and the star-like ceiling liner in the Phantom model ( 1,300 LEDs lighting the space above the passenger).

This encounter is different. “How are you, sir?” It is Colin, my personal chauffeur, who welcomes me in the airport.

“Perfect! Still, I can see that the weather is not going to spoil us this time, either, my dear friend,” I start the conversation.

“Yes, sir. Mist and drizzle again. But we are used to it, are we not?” he replies and designalive.pl

Text and photos: Wojciech Trzcionka

closes the door behind me with majesty that truly becomes the chauffeur. Rolls– Royce Phantom sets off for Goodwood (south of London) smoothly and quietly.

Last year marked the 110th anniversary of the construction of the first Rolls– Royce. Interestingly, the company was established two years later, in the years 1905–1906, in Manchester by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The two men simply wanted to create the best cars in the world. And they did. Not just the best, but among the most expensive, too.

The factory has already changed its location five times; the last change took place in 2003, when the plant was acquired by BMW. It is currently located in Goodwood, West Sussex. The picturesque town is also famous for its circuit and car races.

The factory does not actually look like one, whether you view it from the distance or come closer. It is surrounded by vast woods and idyllic meadows framed by low stone walls. Sheep are grazing around, while pheasants fly out of the mist-covered woods every now and then.

The pheasants are favourite birds of the local community, whose main hobby is hunting. This location was chosen on purpose: multimillionaires who come

here to order their cars and watch them being constructed should be delighted all the time, hunting, playing golf and polo, drinking whisky and smoking cigars.

The factory itself was created by Nicholas Grimshaw’s famous design studio. Steel and huge windows make the outside of the building resemble a mobile automotive industry museum.

Inside, this impression stays with the visitor, too – even near the production lines, which are cleaner than a flat maintained by the Perfect Housewife.

The factory currently produces three car models, mainly on request: Phantom and Ghost (limousines) and Wraith

places 107 miejsca

(a sports car). The latter has completely changed the image of the fossilized brand: this enormous car (acceleration 0-100km/h: 4.6 s, weight: up to three tons) started to be ordered by young wealthy men. In the year of Rolls–Royce’s acquisition by BMW, only 300 cars were sold, while last year – as many as 3,630. Still, the brand does not aim at a continuous increase of the number of sold cars; its priority is the value of individual cars. Thus, the most important part of the factory in Goodwood is the department of special orders, which panders to the clients’ weirdest whims, such as decorating the interior of the

car with diamonds. Yes, they have had such a client. A sheik, of course.

“Since it is the clients who come to us with their ideas of a unique car, our situation is exceptional: we do not have to do market research. They tell us what they need,” argues Gavin Hartley, head of Bespoke Design department in Goodwood.

“We do not discuss the clients’ preferences. The ordered colour may seem weird to us in our geographical location, but when the car is taken to Abu Dhabi, it suddenly turns out that the colour perfectly matches the modern architecture and the desert. Thus, if a client wants a yellow car, they will get the best yellow colour in the

world. Our possibilities are virtually unlimited. Our palette includes 44,000 possible colours, but we can always produce that unique one for a special client. We once made a gold paint with an addition of real gold. 30 litres cost 23,000 pounds.

Sometimes we also have to reproduce the colour, as we did for one client who was so busy that she had no time to visit us, but she sent us her favourite Chanel lipstick with a letter in which she wrote that it was the precise colour she wanted. Another client requested for a dashboard made of the wood of the tree growing in his garden. Of course, he got his wish. This is what we are for.” designalive.pl

108 places rolls royce, rural English countryside and mist. Everything on the spot

The production line looks like a sterile ophthalmic factory. Plates reading “Do not touch” are everywhere. At one moment I was careless enough to lean against the body of a Phantom car.

A security employee suddenly appeared from nowhere and... yelled at me, calling me a frivolous ignorant because that car would cost some 300,000 pounds and if only its owner learned that someone had leaned against it...

The period from the order to the collection of the ready car usually lasts a half of the year. Most of it is consumed by creating and obtaining elements made on special request, which are delivered by external suppliers. Special wooden and leather elements are the only ones manufactured in the factory. Upholstery for one car requires eight to eleven calf skins, while the star-like ceiling liner is made manually for 30 hours using 1,300 LEDs. The very assembly of the car takes about 30 hours, depending on the model.

Phantom, for instance, stops 16 times on a production line, each time for 49 minutes. Oh those precise Germans from BMW! This is enough for the employees from the respective departments to assemble the appropriate elements. Wraith, in turn, has 11 stops 2.5 hours each. Nobody is too hasty by the production line; they work concentrated, in complete silence. The paint shop is even more sterile: the employees are not even allowed to grow beards. It takes 30 litres of paint to coat one car. This is done three times within six days and then the vehicle is polished manually. Now you know why designalive.pl

Wealthy clients of Rolls Royce can choose from an endlessly wide selection of accessories and colours

security employees reproach journalists for careless leaning against the body...

Clients of the Rolls–Royce factory include millionaires, kings, sheiks, actors and musicians. Some buy its products for comfort, others – for fame. The limousines are exported mainly to the Middle East and China. “Our clients do not buy cars. They buy emotions,” says Frank Tiemann, Rolls–Royce’s spokesman. Many clients order the car planning to keep it forever. One such enthusiast lives in Sakhalin, an island on the Pacific near the Russian coast. The brand’s maintenance employees fly there once a year (one-way distance: 8,000 km) for three days. Another “fanatic” bought a huge Antonov plane to be able to take his car to the service centre in Kiev. The most famous client of the British brand, however, is Michael Fux from the USA, who buys one limousine a year: he drives it for one year and then puts it in his private museum. The biggest single order in Goodwood was placed by Stephen Hung, who bought 30 red Phantom cars for his hotels and casinos in China, and paid 20 million dollars for them. Each of these cars is five centimetres shorter than the European version so as to prevent Chinese chauffeurs from the necessity of obtaining a bus driving licence.

The Rolls–Royce plant is a factory of dreams. Here, millionaires make their dreams come true, while the automotive industry enthusiasts such as I come here to dream. And they usually leave with dreams, too. www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

DZIAĹ 109

designalive.pl

The cloakroom attendant

—Clothes have souls. Quit fast fashion—such is the message from famous actress Tilda Swinton

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I

trendbook 111

Text: Wojciech Trzcionka photos: Giovanni Giannoni

It is rather uncommon when a famous actress who has won an Oscar and plays the lead role in a performance is a cloakroom attendant collecting your jacket before the performance actually begins. What is even more uncommon is that later on, your jacket “plays” in the performance together with other spectators’ jackets. No wonder that the one-actor play entitled “Cloakroom” with eminent British actress Tilda Swinton delights people at subsequent events. The actress puts on, smells and throws around the spectators’ jackets to get poetry out from “ordinary clothes”.

More than that! She whispers to them all the time and caresses some because they are not “ordinary” at all. They have souls!

“Cloakroom” was premiered in autumn during one of France’s most important artistic events – Festival d’Automne in Paris. In January, Swinton showed the play in the Mecca of men’s fashion – during Pitti Uomo, a famous trade fair in Florence. She amazed everyone despite the fact that the one-hour performance criticizes the very fashion industry, which manufactures infinite amounts of goods and forces us to buy them continuously. The artist encourages us to stop and think: Don’t you own enough? “Clothes have souls. Quit fast fashion,” she argues.

The performance was directed by Olivier Saillard, a fashion historian from France and the director of Palais Galliera: Musée de la Mode

de la Ville de Paris. He uses the one-actor play full of improvisation to investigate the humanity hidden in jackets, anoraks, scarves, bags and other pieces of garment hanging in widely accessible places. “During one of my visits to the opera house I was hit by a thought that a cloakroom was like a museum of fashion,” Olivier Saillard says.

When on stage, the actress uses clothes brought by spectators. Is it a one-actor play, a performance or a happening? “It is hard to describe what it exactly is. It is easier to say what it is not. It is not theatre, dance or sculpture, not even an intellectually refined essay. I admire journalists who try to describe that something (she smiles). For me it is one hour spent in the space of play. One inspiration was the fact that I used to pass by my deceased mother’s wardrobe for two years. The body died, but the clothes have remained,” the actress says, as if regretting that those clothes cannot speak to her. Could they not tell her a lot about her mother after all? That is why the artist talks to clothes on stage. She humanizes them because being close to us has given them souls. “I used to wonder which of my mum’s clothes I should keep, wear or give away. Yes – wear! There was a tradition of handing down clothes from generation to generation in many countries such as Ireland.”

Asked about her attitude to clothes, Swinton says, “It is very personal, even intimate because the first function of clothes is keeping

my body temperature constant. I have a few favourite clothes; I have worn some of them for years. I buy new ones from time to time and they give me great joy. Each piece of garment creates relations.”

British actor born in 1960; an Oscar winner. She is called the Muse of Ambiguity because her unobvious beauty allows her to play both female and male roles. She is famous for original performances. She carried out the first one in 1995, after the death of her mentor Derek Jarman: she slept in The Serpentine Gallery for eight hours. In 2013, soon after her mother’s death, she created a similar performance entitled “The Maybe” in The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where she slept in a glass cage watched by spectators. In the same year, she recreated on stage the process of making a couture dress in a performance entitled “Eternity Dress” prepared with Olivier Saillard.

A year earlier, she showed “The Impossible Wardrobe” in Palais de Tokyo in Paris: she hit the catwalk, putting on various pieces of garments belonging to famous people such as Napoleon I, Yves Saint Laurent or Betty Catroux. The “Cloakroom” project is planned to crown her fashion trilogy.

designalive.pl

112 trendbook

Involved artists TEXT: ANGELIKA OGROCKA, ILLUSTRATIONS: GUILLAUMIT MIT

W

e all know that education does not have to be boring, stereotypical and repulsive. Actually, we dream of someone to come and change that attitude. A revolution may still be a bit too far away, but one can already find individuals making efficient use of their artistic techniques to encourage and attract those who seem resistant to knowledge.

Funny cartoon characters referring to those we remember in connection with old video games, Japanese heroes and a combination of geometrical forms: this is the characteristic style of an illustrator who comes from France and hides behind an artistic pseudonym Guillaumit Mit. The artist can translate graphic design into interesting actions. designalive.pl

He and his colleagues form Gangpol & Mit, a group dealing with music and graphic design. They release CDs, films and books together. Their concerts combine digital pop utilizing synthesizers with socially involved texts commenting on reality and displayed images. The members of the group sometimes dress as cartoon characters. After the concert, they conduct various workshops directed at specific groups, mainly children. By choosing original elements of reality, they gather interested people, who are often reluctant to pay attention to any forms of education.

The programs they offer include learning animation.

However, Mit’s activities are not the only ones in the world. In Poland we can find a multitude of people who have adopted such approach. Designers, artists, craftsmen – each creativity-related event offers a lot of workshops where these people share their passion with children. Musicians have a similar need. Take Asi Mina (Asia Bronisławska), a vocalist, author and cultural event organizer. She is involved in many projects such as The Complainer or Mołr Drammaz. She makes surprising arrangements using her own poems and those by Polish poetry icons, e.g. Miron Białoszewski. These works often become pretexts for telling universal stories. She invites not only adults to go on a journey with her: during musical and other events she conducts workshops for children, with whom she creates instruments from vegetables. A final concert on a flute made from carrot is certainly unforgettable for every young musician. www.guillaumit.tumblr.com www.gangpol-mit.blogspot.com www.radiominus.com www.asimina.mikmusik.org

Alicja Woźnikowska–Woźniak Strong back 113

↑ filozof ← ADIAL → mag

Krystian Żelazo

chosen by: Alicja Woźnikowska–Woźniak

A

n illustration is often an addition which supplements the text. Except for a closed circle of experts, few people ponder it despite the fact that it is fascinating – and so is its context. Here, in “Strong back”, I am going to ponder subjectively what fascinates me. This is not a column for professional analyses, principles and preliminary rules. I am going to search in every nook and cranny because many talented illustrators work there, committing their imagination and sensitivity to drawings. The page was not chosen by accident: nearly a half of the readers,

↑ WLAD

and not only those of Design Alive, start reading from the end.

Thus, the first to be shown in “Strong back” is Polish creator Krystian Żelazo, whose work I have followed for a long time.

He is a Silesian illustrator and graphic designer who creates comic strips according to original storylines by adding ambitious illustrations to the latter, paying attention to maintaining a high level of methods and techniques. He won the second and third prize at the International Festival of Comics and Games in Łódź, Poland, in 2013 and 2014. The comic aesthetics and way of thinking is also visible in his independent illustrations: they seem to be oblique and open, thus allowing each member of the audience to read their own message.

The author cares about the atmosphere, while the content that our imagination adds to it depends on us alone.

In my opinion, what deserves special attention is the care with which Krystian Żelazo approaches the topics he selects. He develops his techniques diligently, which will certainly result in the highest aesthetic and artistic value. That is why he is my bet when it comes to illustrators. He is an author worth following and he will surely show his abilities many times in the Polish art of comic and illustration. www.krystianzelazo.blogspot.com designalive.pl

114 Dział

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PARIS

SEPT. 4-8, 2015 JAN. 22-26, 2016

MIAMI BEACH

SINGAPORE

MAY 12-15, 2015

MARCH 2016

LET’S CALL THE WORLD MAISON

WWW.MAISON-OBJET.COM

INFO@SAFISALONS.FR ORGANISATION SAFI, FILIALE DES ATELIERS D’ART DE FRANCE ET DE REED EXPOSITIONS FRANCE / SALON RÉSERVÉ AUX PROFESSIONNELS / DESIGN © BE-POLES