Poland – guest country of DESIGN WEEK LITHUANIA 2017
In early May, during DESIGN WEEK LITHUANIA festival, so far the biggest presentation of Polish design in Lithuania will be held. Citizens and guests of Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda cities will be invited to visit even five unique exhibitions representing contemporary Polish design scene. Such in-depth presentation was possible to arrange in collaboration with Polish Institute in Vilnius, Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw and Lithuanian Design Forum.
The programme of events dedicated to Polish design consists of five exhibitions that reveal the potential of Polish designers, show various innovative products and reflect Polish designers success at the world’s biggest design events. At the same time this is an attempt to change the opinion of Poland, which is regarded as one of the largest furniture and home decorative items manufacturer, leading in terms of quantity, but not quality. In fact, Polish achievements in the field of design are significant. Young, talented and creative Polish developers are already recognized in the world and successfully present their work under the label “design from Poland”.
During DESIGN WEEK LITHUANIA 2017 these events dedicated to Polish design will be held:
EXHIBITION „GRADUATION PROJECTS 2016”
Graduation Projects is a review of projects created by graduates of design studies from Central Europe: the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and citizens of these countries who study outside of the territory of the Visegrad Group. Both Bachelor and Master projects can be submitted. The projects are evaluated in two categories: 2D – applied graphic design (including website design, active design, and application design) and 3D –industrial design (including fabric, clothes, glass, and ceramics design).
The review dates back to 2002 – it was then that the editors of the 2+3D quarterly presented selected graduation projects from several Polish design universities in their magazine. In 2006, Zamek Cieszyn joined in to organize regular exhibitions of the projects. In 2010, the review acquired the name of “Graduation Projects” and an international character, as graduates from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were invited to participate. A year later, Hungary became a participant as well. Each of the following editions of the exhibition travelled to other cities in Poland and Europe i.a. Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Prague, Tallinn.
As many as 302 works have been submitted to the current edition (189 graphic design projects and 113 product design projects). The 2D section has been assessed by Filip Blažek (Typo), Marcel Benčík (1977), Agata Korzeńska (Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice), Wojciech Kubiena (2+3D), Anna Pilch (Zamek Cieszyn), and Krisztina Somogyi (Plusminus Visual Intelligence). The 3D section has been judged by Wioletta Beczek (Zamek Cieszyn), Czesława Frejlich (2+3D), Natalia Jakóbiec (Wzorro Design), Marcin Krater (Wzorro Design), and Michał Latko (SOKKA). The result of this year’s edition is the unique “uneven” verdict: 19 graphic design works and 21 industrial design works.
Exhibition opening: May 1, 4:30 p.m.
Pienocentras palace, Laisvės Ave. 55, Kaunas
Exhibition open: May 1-7
Project partners: Zamek Cieszyn Design Center (PL), 2. 2+3D Polish Design Quarterly (PL), 3. TYPO (CZ), Plus Minus Visual Intelligence (HU), 1977 (SK).
Organizers: Zamek Cieszyn Design Center, The first design center in Poland.
Partners: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, Polish Institute in Vilnius.
WE. BEAUTY OF DIVERSITY: Agnieszka Bar & Julia Janulaitytė
The Polish-Lithuanian series of socially engaged events is a joint project of the Polish glass designer Agnieszka Bar and the eminent Lithuanian fashion designer Julija Janulaitytė, who created the Julia Janus brand.
The exhibition is designed as a space from which you can observe tolerance and social reactions to diversity. The authors present the relation between clothes and the shape of human body, as well as the forms of unique glass objects and the shapes of leaves. Bar and Janulaitytė give equal meaning to each and every form. The diversity of nature indicates specialisation and adaptation to one’s environment. Everything that comes from nature is equally beautiful.
Thanks to the juxtaposition of women’s bodies of different shapes, that are dressed in the same exact clothes, with glass objects formed thanks to a one-of-a-kind method, and leaves that come from the same tree, the artists are raising the questions: do we judge leaves from the same tree as beautiful or ugly? Are we critical towards unique glass dishes that have the artist’s and the craftsman’s prints on them? What are our impressions of people from our surroundings that do not fit into so called “normal” standards? When we evaluate these people, do we create unnatural divisions? What are the limits of our tolerance towards people? Are we, humans, the same as leaves and materials in the hands of craftsmen…?
The artists first met in 2015 and decided to collaborate on their works. In their joint project, they fused their strategies and approaches to design into one story that was close to their hearts. Together they speak of beauty and the healthiness of shapes. They compare diversity without making any judgements.
The collection of objects created by the designer Agnieszka Bar was produced in a one-of-a-kind process. She highlights the value of hand-made objects, which are marked by fingerprints and emotions, she reveals their origin, as well as, reminds us of the natural reserves and craftsmanship. The author is intrigued by questions such as: Does beauty exist in objects if there was no joy in making them?
VILNIUS, 1-3 May
ČIOP ČIOP, Žalgirio St. 135
Talk before the opening: May 1, 6 p.m.
Project opening: May 1, 6:30 p.m.
KLAIPĖDA, 5-7 May
Klaipėdos kultūros fabrikas, Bangų g. 5A, Klaipėda
Talks before the opening: May 5, 4 p.m.
Project opening: May 5, 5 p.m.
Organiser: Agnieszka Bar Glass Design, Julia Janus, BASK
Co-organiser: Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Partners: Polish Institute in Vilnius, ČIOP ČIOP, Culture.pl
The exhibition Roundabout Baltic is co-organized by the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Institute in Vilnius and the Museum of Applied Arts and Design in Vilnius and will beon display for six weeks as part of Design Week Lithuania 2017. The exhibition was presented in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Iceland and gained huge popularity. Until now it was seen by more than 50 000 viewers.
An amazing international design exhibition opens on 3rd of May 2017 at the Museum of Applied Arts and Design in Vilnius to present objects created in eight countries connected by the coastline of the Baltic Sea. Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka is the curator of the Roundabout Baltic exhibition organized by the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola. The cooperation of this team has brought about many celebrated exhibitions promoting Polish design abroad, including Unpolished, Moderna and Polska Folk.
The Roundabout Baltic international exhibition showcases achievements of designers from the stretch of the Baltic Sea in a broad cultural and visual context. It is not, however, a review-exhibition, but rather a narrative exhibition, a personal narration of the curator, which portrays the visual connection between the designers, their work and the seaside landscape etched into their creative sensitivity through design, usable and decorative objects. The landscape provides the background for the story: dunes, beach and water, vegetation, rocks and submarine life, different times of day and changing seasons. The products and objects crafted by artisans from Baltic Sea countries are the cornerstone of the multilayered narration of the project. The Roundabout Baltic exhibition presents works of designers from eight countries, more than 40 authors and more than 70 exhibits altogether. However there is no emphasis on the countries in the way the exhibition is arranged. Quite opposite, concentrating on formal similarities resulting either from local inspirations, choice of material or the production methods, I show analogies in the way creators from the Baltic region think and which are more important / more pronounced than cultural, economic or climatic differences between these countries.
Exhibtion opening: May 3, 7 p.m.
Exhibition open: May 3 – June 15
Design talk with the curator: May 3, 6:30 p.m.
Museum of Applied Art and Design in Vilnius, Arsenalo St. 3A
Curator: Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka
Organizer: Stalowa Wola Regional Museum
Co-organizer: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Polish Institute in Vilnius
Partners: Museum of Applied Arts and Design (Vilnius), , Museum of the City of Gdynia, Design Center Gdynia – the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park.
Past editions:
12.03 – 31.03.2017 The Nordic House, Reykjavík (Iceland)
24.01 – 26.02.2017 Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga (Latvia)
8.10 – 28.12.2016 Estonian Museum Of Applied Arts And Design, Tallinn (Estonia)
22.06 – 11.09.2016 Form/Design Center, Malmö (Sweden)
POLISH GRAPHIC SIGNS EXHIBITION
This second exhibition of graphic signs from Poland is a reconstruction of the first graphic design exhibition that took place in Warsaw in 1969. In addition to old logotypes it also presents works made by Polish graphic designers between 2000 and 2015. In contrast to the artefacts from 1969, the language of modern visual communication is based not only on graphic signs but also on more complex projects including typography, forms, shapes and colours. Many of the works are a part of branding systems or complex marketing strategies. More than 200 works are on display at the exhibition, which has already been on show in Vilnius and Kaunas. Organiser: Polish Institute in Vilnius. Partners: DesignCrit, Oldschool Logo, Klaipėda Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts.
Exhibition opening: May 4, 5 p.m.
Exhibition open: May 4–26.
Vilnius Academy of Arts, Klaipėda Faculty, Daržų St. 18, Klaipėda
EXHIBITION „POLISH DESIGN IN THE MIDDLE OF”
The exhibition ‘Polish Design: in the Middle of’ presents a selection of works by 30 new and more estab-lished Polish designers. Brought together in this way, their projects provide an insight into the potential of Polish design and the mindset of Polish designers. Polish design currently finds itself in an ever-changing landscape. It is on the move, evolving and exploring fresh, individual directions. It is in the middle of transition, reflection, inspiration and innovation. This exhibition is truly multidisciplinary, bringing together designers, illustrators, manufacturers, craftsmen and young companies.
This interactive exhibition is designed to invite visitors (professionals, general public of all ages, including children) to discover and explore Poland and Polish design. It will give insight into areas of inspiration, recent developments in contemporary design, as well as in such fields as crafts, interior decoration, various technologies and even toys. Visitors will be able to experience the humour, empathy, and way(s) of thinking of Polish designers. The designers whose work will be presented include internationally renowned Polish designers, such as Oskar Zięta (Zieta Prozessdesign), Kosmos Project, Estimote Polska and Pani Jurek, as well as students from the School of Form (founded by Li Edelkoort, Zuzanna Skalska and Piotr Voelkel). The exhibition is curated by Eindhoven based Polish designer Izabela Bołoz.
The exhibition is organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, operating under the Culture.pl brand, and is part of a programme promoting Polish design worldwide. Polish Institute in Vilnius and M. Žilinsko Art Gallery in Kaunas are partners.
Exhibition open: May 5-28
Exhibition opening: May 5, 5 p.m.
M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Nepriklausomybės Sq. 12, Kaunas
Curator: Izabela Bołoz