WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Alicja Patanowska www.patanowska.pl

Based in London, Alicja Patanowska is a designer and artist specialising in porcelain and glass. Having graduated in 2014 from the Royal College of Art, Patanowska has been working with porcelain and glass factories in and Italy, as well as in her own ceramics studio in London.

She has been awarded at the 2015 British Glass Biennale and selected for the Talents section of the 2015 Ambiente in Frankfurt. Since graduating, she has taken part in various international exhibitions and her works are a part of several art and design collections, including that of the Shanghai Museum of Glass.

Alicja Patanowska Quotes:  “I consider craft skills to be crucial for my artistic practice as I design and learn through the process of making something.”  “Careful observation of everyday life provides the ultimate inspiration for my projects.”  “The duality of function and sculptural qualities in my work illustrates the inherent link between art and design. One complements the other, making an integrated whole.”

Alicja Patanowska’s LAB Series LAB Series for the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, Manufaktura Stoneware factory, Krosno glass factory, 2015

The LAB Series is a tabletop greenhouse planting lab. There are two products in the series: MushroomLAB and HerbLAB. The LAB Series is a beautiful and intriguing decorative piece inspired by morning dew in the forest, with a practical application as it allows growing plants and mushrooms under a glass dome. Is there anything tastier than home-grown mushrooms from your little secret lab? The potential of this project was first noticed by the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, Poland. The Museum funded prototypes of the LAB Series for the Helsinki exhibition MODERNA – Crafts And Industry. In collaboration with MANUFAKTURA, a traditional Polish stoneware manufacturer, and the KROSNO glass factory, Alicja Patanowska is now putting the finishing touches on the LAB design brand offering a chance to reunite with nature and tradition.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Art Food 2014 In 2014, for the second time, students from design schools in Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States met during special workshops, which combined culinary arts with design. Under the guidance of Polish designer Marek Cecuła, the students created unique ceramic dishes. The results of the 2014 edition of the Art Food project were shown in Wrocław, London, and New York.

The Art Food project presents unique yet functional ceramic dishes, made to show and enhance the beauty of food, and serve as a canvas for the gourmet works of chefs and food stylists. At the same time, through participation in the project, design students from the United Kingdom, the United States and Poland, have the opportunity to become familiar the design process as a whole – from the creation of the initial concept to negotiations with clients. The Art Food workshops are a chance for the students to experience design outside the classroom, and for them to gain more insight into the world of industrial design and commercial production.

Students from three schools took part in this year’s edition of the workshops: the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Central St Martin’s College in London, and the Pratt Institute in New York. During their three-week residency at the Ćmielów Design Studio and “Ćmielów” and “Chodzież S.A.” porcelain factories in Poland, the young designers created unique ceramic dishes based on designs they had worked on during their summer semester, under the guidance of Marek Cecuła – the Art Food project leader, renowned artist, designer and teacher.

During a semester before the workshops in Poland, the students attended special design, anthropological and culinary workshops organized at their respective schools, during which they carried out research on the cultural aspects of food consumption, and about how taste and preparation influence the presentation of food – and vice versa.

The workshops were a unique opportunity for the participants to become familiar with the design process – from the initial concept to production, from negotiations with clients to ongoing cooperation. These experiences gained will be crucial for the further development of their careers – the project opens doors into work in the field of industrial design. Chosen designs may become products that are mass-produced and distributed on a wide market.

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is the main organizer of the project, as part of its program to promote Polish design worldwide. The project is co-organized by Marek Cecuła’s Modus Design Studio, the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Central St Martin’s College in London, and the Pratt Institute in New York, and the “Ćmielów” porcelain factory.

Art Food 2014 participants works on display are by: Marta Dachowska Karolina Bednorz

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Marta Dachowska Marta Dachowska is a graduate of the Faculty of Ceramics Design at the Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw (2011-2014). She also studied on a scholarship at Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche (ISIA) in Faenza, Italy (2013). She is a designer and architect.

Marta Dachowska Quote: “My work encourages the user to question the familiar by introducing the element of surprise. I extract the essence of an object and simplify it so that the effect of added surprise is more vivid and joyful.”

Moonplates, Art Food 2014, Polish Porcelain Factory Ćmielów

The Moonplates' structure refers to the natural stone surface – a primitive dish. The contrast with the smooth, glazed edge of the plate emphasizes the natural surface where food is served.

Karolina Bednorz Karolina Bednorz is a recent MA graduate from the Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Poland, specialising in Ceramic Art and Design (2010-2015). She also studied on a scholarship at Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche in Faenza, Italy (2012/13). She has taken part in numerous projects, like the International Symposium of Ceramic Trends at the Sargadelos Porcelain Factory in Cervo, Spain (2013) and “Art Food” (2014), as well as holding various internships, one of which took place at Keramische Werkstatt Margaretenhöhe in Essen, (2012). She was awarded second prize at Cevisama Lab Ceramic Design in the category “Ceramic products formed by other methods” in Valencia, Spain (2013). Her designs often feature logic games, challenging users and allowing them to play.

Karolina Bednorz Quotes:  “My favourite part of designing is when I simplify the developing idea in order to highlight its essence.”  “Fine-tuning a product for production makes me finally see the down-to-earth aspects which I hadn't considered before."  “I like products which allow the user to find the perfect application.”

Aloe Bianca, Art Food 2014, Polish Porcelain Factory Ćmielów

Food is not just found on plates. It can be found where it originally comes from: on trees and plants, where you gather them and eat them straight of the bushes, while talking with relatives... The memory of lifted hands reaching for berries, plums and cherries is the main inspiration for my project.

The designed vessel is modular: place one module over another and it presents a vertical construction, whose shape is inspired by an aloe plant. By rotating the cups around their axes, the construction opens up in multiple directions, inviting the human hands to reach for the food. The vessel is composed of a base cup and a diagonal leaf-shaped attachment. The grooves on the leaves can be used as a place for small foods on-a-stick. The features of the vessel allow to dip food from cub in the sauce from the leaf or to separate the ingredients so that the user can freely compose its dish. WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Bartek Mejor www.bartekmejor.com

Bartek Mejor, born in , graduated from the Royal College of Art in London (UK) in 2011 with a master’s degree in ceramics & glass, and completed a bachelor’s degree in ceramic design at Bath School of Art & Design (UK). Since 2008, he has been collaborating with a leading Portuguese porcelain and lead-crystal glass brand, Vista Alegre, for which he has designed several collections of tableware and decorative objects.

Bartek also worked as a design consultant for porcelain manufacturers such as Wedgwood and Royal Doulton. His collections are regularly presented at design fairs around the world and individual projects are exhibited at curated shows and awarded in contests, including Must Have 2013 at the Łódź Design Festival (PL) and Talente Design Award 2008 at the International Trade Fair in Munich (GER). In his works the artist tries to combine one of the oldest arts – ceramics, with modern technology. He is interested in finding different ways of using digital tools in a more direct and “crafty” way. The original design is usually created in the virtual space of computer programmes, but is finished in a real material – plaster. This gives him the opportunity to verify the design in manual processing and better control over the final shape of the work. The resulting objects are to be visually stimulating and functional at the same time.

Bartek Mejor Quotes:  “3D modelling software allows me to create forms which would be virtually unachievable to make by other means. The process of transition from a digital to a physical object has always fascinated me. I tend to experiment with various methods of prototyping, and this affects the final aesthetics of the works.”  “My goal is to combine the sensibilities of a craftsman with the tools of the digital age. I experiment with prototyping processes that include building paper structures and layering different materials to re-create digital concepts. The final objects are cast in porcelain and draw inspiration from modern architecture, paper craft and details observed in nature.”

Cyclone, Fabbian

Cyclone is a ceramic pendant lamp designed for the Italian lighting manufacturer Fabbian. The round shape of the lamp shows the movement of the fluid ceramic thrown into space. The result is a vortex, frozen at the right moment, reminiscent of natural forces such as hurricanes or cyclones. The design won a nomination for the main design award at the DMY 2013 fair in Berlin.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Bogdan Kosak www.ceramikakosak.pl

Bogdan Kosak designs consumer porcelain and makes ceramic sculptures. He conducts workshops and holds events connected to the tradition of his craft and to modern approaches to ceramics design. The companies he designs for include Porcelana Śląska, BGH Network in and Kera Ceramika in Bielsko Biała. In 1995-2006 he ran the model-making workshop of Porcelana Śląska in Katowice. In order to pursue private projects in artistic and consumer ceramics, Kosak started his own experimental ceramics studio – Modelarnia Ceramiczna – in 1995.

Bogdan Kosak Quotes:  “A dish is the most legible, recognisable and universal form. When it is well-designed and masterfully-crafted, it ceases to be merely a utilitarian object.”  “To design is to introduce order to the space we live in, both personal and public. In this case, introducing order means to improve and enhance; to do away with objects and actions that contribute to aesthetic and communicational untidiness.”

SU-MIN, Modelarnia Ceramiczna Kosak

A flatware set of hard, fine china made using artisanal methods and decorated with copper and iron at a temperature of 1360° C. All of the pieces have been cast and glazed with shellac after initial processing and drying. Natural resin hardens the porcelain clay only where several layers of shellac have been applied, with the result being that the surface between the glaze lines can be washed with warm water to achieve a counter-relief. After the first firing at 900° C. but before the final firing at 1360° C., the glaze is applied and the relief pattern is formed by hand washing with a sponge.

The relief texture in SU-MIN is the product of form and function coming together, and though their decorative appeal is what catches the eye first, their functionality dictates their existence. The artisanal production method and the hand-crafted relief give the pieces a sense of uniqueness. The polished, matte, relief lines form a lattice on the surface, making the inevitable signs of use like scratches and chips seem like decoration. The SU-MIN collection allows time to be a contributing factor in the process of porcelain decoration.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Kabo & Pydo www.kabo-pydo.com

KABO & PYDO is an interdisciplinary design studio founded by Katarzyna Borkowska and Tomasz Pydo. Their design work spans several fields, from packaging to visual communication and multimedia projects. They are involved in the process of creating new products from the conceptual and strategic stage to the final launch. The principles they hold particularly dear in their design approach are: to use innovation and devise unique solutions, to observe the needs of the user and to exceed the user’s expectations, functionality, ergonomics, aesthetics, production efficiency and user experience.

Kabo & Pydo Quotes:  “A good product should inspire people and help make their lives better.”  “Let’s search for unique solutions and let’s be originators. To look for novel solutions is the only way towards innovation.”  “Design is a tool for a manufacturer to achieve their main strategic goals.”

Starter plates

These starter plates form a system that makes it possible to achieve a variety of arrangements. The set includes: a hexagonal plate, a rhombus plate and a triangular plate. The possible formations are easily adaptable to any table shape and serve to organise the dining surface.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Karina Marusińska www.marusinska.pl

Karina Marusińska (born in 1983) is a graduate of the Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław with a degree in Ceramics Design (2003-2008). She was awarded scholarships to Pais Vasco University in Bilbao, Spain (2007) and the Institute of Ceramics in Guebwiller, France (2008). She obtained her postgraduate diploma in Design Management in Warsaw in 2010 and completed the international postgraduate course 'Kaolin' Art and Design in Contemporary Ceramics at ENSA in Limoges, France and Jingdezhen, China (2013-2014). She is currently working as an assistant lecturer at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts, Faculty of Ceramics and Glass, 2nd Studio of Functional Ceramics Design and studying for her PhD at the Faculty of Ceramics and Glass (since 2012). She is an interdisciplinary artist, didactic coordinator, culture animator and organiser of social initiatives as well as a member of the art group Luhuu! and the design group Wzorowo.

Karina Marusińska Quotes:  “I explore the potential of ceramics, conceived as a natural resource, material, medium, tool, a carrier of meaning and cultural heritage. Formal issues are an excuse to reflect deeper on the condition of the modern world, reaching into the past and to tradition, while asking questions about the future.”  “I study dependencies, similarities and differences between art and design. I show the process of art and design drawing closer to each other and I locate the points where they overlap.”  “I direct my attention to the non-visual dimension of design. I generate both forms and meaning, creating a space for dialogue with the user. I study perception in an intercultural dimension.”

Weeds, Porcelain, cobalt

The term “weeds” is used in reference to people who refuse to comply with the ideas of the Communist Party of China and who try to challenge the status quo, thus facing repression. Floral motifs in Chinese art play a significant role as carriers of symbols, the use of which is governed by specific rules. The designer drew her inspiration from the flora of a Chinese region where the techniques of preparing kaolin (the basic raw material in the manufacture of porcelain) have been cultivated in their purest form, unaltered for hundreds of years. The artist’s series of photographs shows weeds sprinkled with kaolin clay and street dust, giving the illusion of camouflage.

The project consists of a series of dozens of porcelain plates depicting a number of weed species. The designer has combined two techniques: underglazing – the oldest technique, considered a milestone in the history of Chinese porcelain, and stencilling – typical of anti- authoritarian activity and street art. Hung on a wall and forming a herbarium of sorts, the plates also take on the symbolic dimension of a monumental, commemorative wall and become reminiscent of porcelain epitaphs or occasional propaganda plates glorifying eminent personages. Due to the durability of porcelain, the memory of “Weeds” will be long cherished. The well-ordered arrangement of the objects ironically refers to the nature of Chinese society, subordinated to the State, contradicting the very content of the images themselves. The missing elements of the composition create empty spaces – witnesses to that which has disappeared in anticipation of what is yet to come.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Kristoff Porcelain www.porcelana-kristoff.pl

Fabryka Porcelany Krzysztof Sp. z o.o., the producer of Kristoff porcelain, started out in 1831 as Krister Porcellanmanufakturna. Founded in Wałbrzych, it was one of the first such companies in Silesia and today it is the oldest remaining one in the region. In the 1950s, collaboration with the Institute of Industrial Design resulted in a line of decorative figurines produced on the basis of designs by prominent Polish artists. These figurines would reflect the rich design aesthetics of the following two decades. The company’s catalogue still includes the historical Fryderyk collection, first designed in 1936 and enjoying cult status today. In recent years, the Kristoff porcelain factory has taken a novel direction among Polish porcelain producers by seeking out collaboration with young illustrators, designers and graphic artists.

Examples of collaboration with young designers:

Kaja Kusztra www.kajakusztra.com

Kaja Kusztra lives and works in Warsaw. She graduated from the Industrial Design Faculty of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, where she studied under Artur Frankowski. She studied philosophy prior to starting her education in design. Today, she does graphic art for publications, illustrations, and brand identity.

Kaja Kusztra Quotes:  “I think that a well-edited text and a brilliant artistic form can have the same effect.”  “I believe in transparency of communication.”  “I always try to remember the underprivileged and to avoid design work that adds to the glamour and appeal of a product promising improved social standing.”

Great Inventors, Kaja Kusztra, Kristoff Porcelain, 2013

Figures that each left a mark on history with their genius. Timeless exponents of humanism who defined new directions and who, to this day, remain underappreciated outsiders. How well do we remember them? Subtly, from the nooks of history they are conjured in the contemporary graphic art work of Kaja Kusztra as she inscribes them onto the Baroque relief patterns of a porcelain line that the Kristoff factory has been producing without interruption since 1936.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Magda Pilaczyńska www.lookatmeplates.com

Magda Pilaczyńska is a graphic artist, illustrator and porcelain pattern designer. She works on posters, visual identity, publications, and book and album covers. Two of her porcelain patterns for Kristoff Porcelain have been awarded with the Must Have distinction at the 2013 Łódź Design Festival. She was also a finalist in the 2014 Dobry Wzór [Good Design] contest held by the Institute of Industrial Design. One of her recent projects is a signature line of decorative plates called “Look At Me.” She finds inspiration in 1960 aesthetics, which she attempts to marry with modern elements. One of her favourite practices is to combine classic illustration with elements of photography, or with textures and patterns sourced from other materials. Collage is a favourite technique of hers.

Magda Pilaczyńska Quotes:  “In design, what interests me most is that beauty comes from functionality and vice versa.”  “It makes me happy when something that was born in my head becomes a part of somebody’s daily life.”  “The most valuable moment in designing is the moment of surprise, when something appears that even I didn’t expect.”

White Breakfast Moustaches, Magda Pilaczyńska, Kristoff Porcelain

The inspiration for the “White Breakfast” collection designed by Magda Pilaczyńska was the colour white, the most basic colour in porcelain. Here the white serves as a base to be accented with delicate pastels. White endows reality with a sense of delicacy, like the milk in a morning cup of coffee. The graphics awaken positive associations for a pleasant and easy start to any day.

Tymek Jezierski www.tymekjezierski.com

Tymek Jezierski was born in 1983. He is a draughtsman, illustrator and poster artist based in Warsaw. His work appears regularly in a variety of Polish magazines and he co-authored a comic book about the Warsaw Rising. He is also known for his posters for the nightclub Chłodna25. His cover for Architectura magazine brought him a Chimera prize and LURZER’S ARCHIVE listed him among their top 200 illustrators. He is one half of the duo Brothers in Arms, with his brother Jakub.

Craftmaster, Tymek Jezierski, Kristoff Porcelain

Porcelain is a noble material, but one that is exceptionally challenging to decorate. What would happen if you brought it down from its pedestal for a moment and treated it like any of the more ordinary materials we use in our daily lives? Tymek Jezierski of the ILLO agency decided to try to redefine porcelain decoration by taking cues from a simpler decorative art such as crochet.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Magdalena Łapińska www.lapinska.com

Magdalena Łapińska graduated with a design degree from the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts and currently works in graphic design, producing illustrations and designing ceramics and porcelain. She loves modernism, which always finds a way into her work, in various forms. She has worked with many cultural institutions, such as the Museum of the History of Polish , Krzysztof Warlikowski’s Nowy Teatr and the National Culture Centre as well as numerous periodicals. For three years, she was in charge of the aesthetics behind the lifestyle magazine K MAG. Her work has been shown at exhibitions like DMY Berlin and the Łódź Design Festival and in cities like Tokyo, Havana, London and New York.

Magdalena Łapińska Quotes:  “Designing poses a new challenge each time. You cannot get bored in this line of work.”  “The most important thing is to really feel the subject matter. Sketching, thinking and slowly working your way in… only then do unexpected solutions arise. The design has to work inside you for a certain amount of time.”  “Spending time in a satisfying way makes you a better designer and designing lets you spend time in a satisfying way.”

Foxes

Foxes is a personal project by Magdalena Estera Łapińska, entirely hand-crafted by the artist. It was inspired by the very-popular 1960s figurines produced by the Ćmielów Porcelain Factory and by traditional Chinese and Dutch porcelain, to which it owes its cobalt and gold decoration. Each fox is unique; no two are the same and each is signed and numbered. The figurines are like totems meant to bring good fortune to their owner.

The Second Life of Plates

This plate project was born two years ago. Finding inspiration in history, Magdalena Łapińska designed these wall decoration plates using 1960s-style graphics. Łapińska chose to utilise ready-made, often second-hand, plates that she had procured from various sources. Each plate was given new life, adorned with decorative graphics and repurposed as wall decoration.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Malwina Konopacka www.malwinakonopacka.com

Malwina Konopacka is a graphic artist and designer based in Warsaw. She studied at the Design Faculty of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts and at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. She has done work for the publishing house Lampa i Iskra Boża and for the magazines Elle and Bluszcz. Her illustrations have graced the pages of titles like Machina, Podróże, Gaga, Architektura and Przekrój and she is a regular contributor to the magazines Dwutygodnik, Kikkimora and Zwykłe Życie.

Malwina Konopacka Quotes:  “Some of the notions that exemplify my design approach are: 360 degree illustration, 2.5 D design, interdisciplinairness, juggling tradition and modernity.”

Malwina Konopacka’s EYE Vase

The EYE vase is a ceramic object produced in a limited series of 35 copies. A graphic motif of the titular eye adorns depressions in the surface of the vase. The EYE vase premiered at Tokyo Designers Week in 2014 and was later shown at Inside Out; Polish Graphic Design and Illustration in the Making during WantedDesign 2015 in . September 2015 will see the launch of a new series by the artist – 20 one-off designs painted chiefly in green, titled Jungle. WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Maria Jeglińska www.mariajeglinska.com www.1882ltd.com

Maria Jeglińska (born in 1983 in France) established her London-based Office for Design & Research in 2010. She works on a wide range of commissions: industrial design projects, exhibition design, research-based projects in the field of design. Her clients include Ligne Roset, Cinna, DesignMarketo, Kristoff Porcelain, the St Etienne Design Biennale, and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. Her work is regularly exhibited internationally and was shown at the Villa Noailles, Barbican Art Gallery, Centre Pompidou Metz, the Triennale di Milano, and elsewhere. In October 2012 she curated and designed “Ways Of Seeing/Sitting” at the Łódź Design Festival in Poland. She co-curated and designed “Wonder Cabinets of Europe” at the London Design Festival in September 2012 and at the ICFF in May 2013. She completed ECAL’s industrial design course in 2007 and was awarded a scholarship from the IKEA Foundation that led her to working with Galerie kreo in Paris, Konstantin Grcic in Munich and Alexander Taylor in London.

The Nightingale, 1882 Ltd

The Nightingale is a tale written in 1843 by Hans Christian Andersen and tells the story of Chinese Emperor who prefers the tinkling of a mechanical bird (which eventually breaks down) to the song of a real nightingale.

The Nightingale pattern is composed of two surfaces treated differently: one involving a mechanical reproduction of a hand- drawn pattern and a second one produced by a skilled craftsman. The latter is hand glazed and does not form a deliberate motif. It is beautiful in its imperfection. Though different, both surfaces at some point relied on a hand-generated pattern. The set is built on a contrast of techniques and finishes: a precise hand-drawn pattern versus abstract designs resulting from chance markings.

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Modus Design Ćmielów Design Studio www.modusdesign.com www.porcelana-cmielow.pl

Modus Design has been in business since 1976, initially founded as a ceramics studio by Marek Cecuła in the SoHo neighbourhood of New York. The studio’s calling card are its alternative forms of utilitarian and decorative ceramics, which they have been producing for years. Modus Design ceramics compel users to embrace an everyday sense of ceremony in seeking out ever-new ways of composing the tabletop “landscape.” Currently, Modus Design is based in Kielce, Poland, where they create products of a local, national and even global scope. In January 2013, the studio joined forces with Polskie Fabryki Porcelany “Ćmielów” i “Chodzież” S.A. to form the Ćmielów Design Studio, a design outfit in which Marek Cecuła serves as artistic director. Their design philosophy is centred on a revival of the “artists in industry” movement, in which designers work together with manufacturers to create new products. ĆDS is also a testing ground for modern technologies and experimental techniques in the production of utilitarian and decorative porcelain ware. The studio’s calling card are its alternative forms of utilitarian and decorative ceramics, which they have been producing for years. Modus Design ceramics compel users to embrace an everyday sense of ceremony in seeking out ever-new ways of composing the tabletop “landscape.” Working with manufacturers, the Modus designers lend a unique character to objects arising through mass production. The touch of the human hand introduces an artisanal individuality to industrial production, the outcome being that no two products are exactly alike.

New Atelier with MOND decoration, Marek Cecuła, Polskie Fabryki Porcelany “Ćmielów” i “Chodzież”

Mond Decor is a decorative style alluding to contemporary art of the Constructivist period (1913-1920, Russia/Netherlands), which proposed a departure from a literal representation of reality and the use of new aesthetic expression based on geometric abstraction. The interpretation of these principles in the decoration of utilitarian products harkens back to the development of contemporary art and imbues this set of porcelain tableware with an avant-garde appeal.

Cobalt-Coloured Beads, Polskie Fabryki Porcelany „Ćmielów” i „Chodzież”

Cobalt-Coloured Beads is a unique jewellery product, which employs a “mix and match” approach to let the user determine the final look of the necklace. All of the porcelain beads can be re-arranged to create an original and truly individual piece of jewellery. The interactive necklace can be modified in terms of the arrangement of the beads, their colour and their number.

Kiwi, Agnieszka Tomalczyk, Polskie Fabryki Porcelany “Ćmielów” i “Chodzież”

The KIWI project is a series of forms inaugurating a line of porcelain figurines created for the Ćmielów Design Studio. This collection represents an interpretation of the shape and movements of the exotic kiwi bird. The design process took place in multiple stages, with the use of paper, plaster and 3D printing. The resulting figurines are crafted in porcelain that has been glazed and finally hand-painted.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Natasza Grześkiewicz Natasza Grześkiewicz graduated from the Polish Academy of Fine Arts with a degree in Small Industrial Design. While pursuing her degree, she also studied in Portugal and was a resident student at the European Ceramic Work Centre in the Netherlands, and did an internship with the design studio Tjep in Amsterdam. She extended her stay at the EKWC to finish her master’s graduation project – “Service.” Since then she has been fascinated by porcelain manufacturing processes, trying to interpret them in a new way. She believes that departing from strict manufacturing rules and following your intuition allow for freedom in creation. She participated in a residency program at the Ćmielów Design Studio based in the biggest Ceramics Factory in Poland. She is currently working as a product designer at Studio Rygalik.

Natalia Grześkiewicz Quotes:  “My goal is to bridge the industrial world with the world of handicrafts.”  “I seek individual character through the intrusion of the human hand into the process of production.”

Service

Service is a collection of plates made using unconventional methods of porcelain manufacture. Here, the creation process based on strict rules is replaced by an intuitive way of producing, without worrying about the plates being deformed or irregular. Accepting the material’s properties allows for greater creative freedom, increases curiosity and urges one to experiment. The consistency of the porcelain slip becomes a matter of chance and the process is reminiscent of meal preparation, based on knack and instinct.

Forcing porcelain – naturally prone to deformations – into a faultless shape disconnects ceramics from their untoward character. So why does this process of manufacturing aim for perfection and uniformity, and why does it reject the material’s authenticity? The mark visible on the plate's edge shows the unpredictability of hand gestures, so at odds with the machine-like “copy–paste” method.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Zieta Prozessdesign www.zieta.pl

Zieta Prozessdesign is a multidisciplinary team of architects, designers, engineers and technologists. These solutions are FiDU and 3+ technologies of stabilising metal sheets are use to produce one-of-a-kind-furniture, architecture ultra-light construction or even antennas for space industry.

As process designers Zieta not only aspires to design fabulous forms, its aim is to create innovative solutions which generate endless possibilities for development and usage. Zieta designs processes that are inspiring and lead to unpredictable results and forms.

Throughout the design process Zieta want to reach the best possible synergy between technology and design.

PAKIET, new modular furniture system, Zięta Prozessdesign, 2015

Zieta Prozessdesign is glad to present you PAKIET – their first project made in wood! PAKIET modules aremade of genuine natural materials, like spruce plywood and tempered spring steel. The main advantage of using plywood is the ability to minimise the cost of production to its maximum, as well as maximise its outreach to a mass audience. PAKIET will prove itself ideal in student spaces, the homes of young families, or small start-ups. Thanks to its modular composition, as well as easy transportation and store, it is equally suitable for pop-up bars and restaurants. The client becomes the final link in the design chain, and without the use of any additional tools, is able to create a perfectly functioning, full dimensional piece of furniture. Raw plywood equally enables product personalisation – we are able to paint it and decorate it to our personal wishes.

PAKIET collection is very simple and fast to assemble. Received wooden elements after usage of metal clips became stable, ready for use product. The advantage of this design is it’s personalization possibilities. Natural spruce plywood can be painted, remodel and decorated. This way each product can be unique and represent our current needs and style. Metal clips are also available in more sophisticated copper version.

WHAT GOES BEHIND… CONTEMPORARY POLISH CERAMIC DESIGN DESIGNERS BIOS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS www.culture.pl

Notes to Editor

What Goes Behind... Contemporary Polish Ceramic Design September 24th-27th, 2015 Tent London London Design Festival

Organizer: Culture.pl Exhibition Design: Zieta Prozessdesign Graphic Design: Temperówka Studio Exhibition Production: Marta Piechocka-Nowakowska & Michał Nowakowski

Participating designers: Karolina Bednorz, Marta Dachowska, Natasza Grześkiewicz, Maria Jeglińska, Tymek Jezierski, Kabo-Pydo, Malwina Konopacka, Bogdan Kosak, Kaja Kusztra, Magdalena Łapińska, Karina Marusińska, Bartek Mejor, Modus Design, Alicja Patanowska, Magdalena Pilaczyńska, Agnieszka Tomalczyk

Polish manufacturers: Kristoff Porcelain, Polskie Fabryki Porcelany “Ćmielów” i “Chodzież” S.A.

London press contacts: New York press contacts: Anna Stewart + Joost Vanhecke Chris Abbate + Katie Bone [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] +01 212 528 3160 x17 +44 (0)7974 264 210

Download press releases, background info and images: bit.ly/1F1Ekey

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