Urszula Korman-Hollanek: Do designers and artists treat materials differently? You are known for your projects that successfully combine art and handcraft. Your flag project, ZAKOSY, is an excellent example of such merger.
Professor Karol Murlak Nonetheless, I believe that design (product design) and art are rather different. Design and art represent two different spheres of activity and two different world views. I strive to emphasize this differentiation also as the Director of the Institute of Design, stressing that creators representing both of these disciplines work differently as professionals and have different research and creative needs.
Which one of these disciplines is worth highlighting?
I couldn’t say. I don’t think you can prove superiority of one of these areas over the other.
And how do you identify yourself? More as a designer or as an artist?
Although I am a designer by profession, my practice and my approach to materials is closer to that of an artist.
What does it mean?
Let’s take a sculptor as an example – working with the material is the main and the most time-consuming phase of the creative process. It is similar in my case. Regardless of the material I work with, I am constantly in touch with the matter. My engagement in the creative process goes far beyond the phase of developing a ready-to-implement concept. I am not afraid of working with my hands in a workshop. On the contrary – I love it!
You like to “get your hands dirty”.
In a manner of speaking. I like to be immersed in the creative process, therefore I need to feel a strong bond with my materials. At our Institute I am not the only one favoring such approach. This way of working is typical for many of us.
What about the function of the object or product itself? Isn’t the function what differentiates art and product design? After all a designer must take into consideration the criterion of usability, which is totally unimportant to an artist.
Classically trained designers are taught that users’ needs should be a starting point of each project. In this case, the “first lines” drawn on paper are preceded by research on users’ expectations. However, in the school of design that focuses on materials, the function seems secondary. I would even venture an opinion that the material becomes not only the matter, but also the aim of design efforts, if the project seeks to understand and harness the matter. In such a case, the analysis of usability happens at a decidedly later stage. At the same time, I would like to emphasize that it concerns exclusively a specific school of design. After all we cannot disregards user’s needs while designing everyday furniture, expositions, and services. In this case function analysis becomes a priority.
What kind of material is the best reflection of you? Is there something that you like to work with particularly
It changes a lot. For a long time, I was working with traditional materials, such as wood or metal, and I was defining my design practice as “searching for new uses of old materials”. At the time, I was creating innovative concepts based on classic solutions. For example, a few years ago, a team under my leadership developed an installation – a huge musical instrument made entirely of metal. In that case, my experimentation was focused on producing certain sounds from the particular elements of the metal whole. Another example of this approach to materials was my project of an exceptionally narrow heater. It resulted from research of materials and collaboration with engineers.
Recently, I have begun adding new materials, including biomaterials, to my design work, and this aspect of my work has become very important to me. A while ago, I got very involved in searching for a biological alternative to hydrogels, which currently are acrylic-based.
How are hydrogels used in everyday life?
The most obvious use of hydrogels is in all kinds of personal hygiene products, such as diapers, including those advertised as ecological. Hydrogels often take on a form of pellets, which swell when they absorb water, and shrink when they dry. The drawback is that all acrylic elements take hundreds of years to biodegrade.Therefore, we have been searching for a natural substance that could replace hydrogel, one that would posses all its pluses an none of its drawbacks.
How advanced are your experiments in this matter and is there a chance they could be successful?
They look promising, but it is too early to talk about the details. I will only say that a plant, a seaweed to be precise, which is the key ingredient of this solution, has been used in some cultures for ages to absorb and then release water. However, it has never been used on an industrial scale. We still need to conduct research to verify whether this solution could be applicable on a mass scale
In that case, let’s talk about researchers who are members of the Institute of Design. And there is a lot to talk about, because the Institute, which you lead, can count among its members many acclaimed art theoreticians and practitioners, such as Oskar Zięta, Ph.D., Ewa Klekot, Ph.D., and Maciej Siuda. Many of these designers have been experimenting with materials for years.
Yes, but before we move to talking about key projects of renowned designers, I would like to mention the work of Róża Rutkowska, who was our student. She created SCOBY as her graduation project. It started with her Bachelor’s thesis and now her idea is a rapidly growing initiative, which has a chance to be implemented worldwide, on a mass scale.
A while ago, SCOBY was a popular topic in the media around the world. Róża Rutkowska, a graduate of SWPS University’s School of Form developed an ecological alternative to plastic.
SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) is a completely plastic-free material, which has been developed using biomass and microorganisms. It can be developed locally, anywhere in the world, in small spaces and with very few resources. Once it is no longer needed, it can be composted and used as fertilizer for crops, which means it becomes an element of a circular economy, which is very important from the ecological point of view. There is a real chance that in the future, the material developed by Róża will replace all kinds of foils and other plastic packaging, although it will still take some time.
Talking about materiality, we must mention Oskar Zięta.
He is well known to art curators, engineers, and designers around the world. The FIDU technology of shaping steel, developed by Oscar Zięta, has become a staple of design handbooks. How does it work, exactly?
It is a method based on blowing air between two pieces of tightly welded sheets of metal, cut to a certain shape. This process results in a 3D object and a new shape. Visually, it resembles an inflatable toy, but it is much more sturdy. Engineers were convinced that a stool manufactured using this technology, called PLOPP, could bear a load of up to 60 kilograms without getting deformed. Meanwhile, it can bear a load of over two tons.
Which means that the groundbreaking FIDU technology could be used in other areas, going far beyond the production of furniture and designer gadgets.
Definitely yes. Oscar is already working on it. His technology could be used in the mining industry and anywhere, where the delivery of large and strong steel elements poses a problem. Thanks to FIDU, we can transport a small light sheet of metal underground and blow it up there, creating a durable construction element, which is shaped to a required size.
Oskar Zięta calls himself a technological process designer, not a product desginer.
Yes, all the time, he has been working very intensely in this area. His next project – ULTRALEGGERA – will be competing for an entry in the Guinness World Records, as the lightest chair in the history of design. The chair has been manufactured using the FIDU technology, and it competes with Superleggera chair [ed. considered so far to be the lightest chair in the world], which was designed by Gio Ponti, the famous Italian architect and designer. Since 1957, many designers have undertaken this challenge, but they were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Zięta’s chair – Ultraleggera – weighs a tad over 1,660 grams, and it is perfectly suited for normal use.
It looks like the record has been broken!
It seems so, but let’s wait for the formal confirmation of the results.
Another important person who participates in many of our initiatives, although formally he is not a member of the Institute of the Design, is Arkadiusz Szwed, a product designer.
His favorite material is porcelain. Delicate and very characteristic. He represents a completely different approach to materials. An opposite of Zięta.
Yes and no, because Arkadiusz also searches for new characteristics of a traditional material, and analyzes the human-technology relationship. In collaboration with an anthropologist, Ewa Klekot, Ph.D., they created the “Human Trace” tableware, which was made as part of a larger project “People from the Porcelain Factory”, combining anthropological research with design. The “Human Trace” project was developed using a traditional production line and involved ceramists whose gloved hands were dipped in cobalt salts. Thanks to this process, the hand traces on the ceramics were invisible until the firing process, when they surfaced as dark blue marks. This way, human hand prints were immortalized in the porcelain, bringing to light the “human factor” involved in mass scale manufacturing. The authors of the project wanted to emphasize that every, seemingly repetitive element of mass production, is actually unique. On the other hand, the project highlights repetitiveness, an important and interesting aspect of human work, which fosters the continuation of the craftsmanship tradition.
I should also mention Arkadiusz’s latest projects focused on searching for new methods of creating ceramic forms. As you know, traditional forms are created by shaping a block of plaster on a potter’s wheel. Arkadiusz, on the other hand, plays with the forms made of latex. His first project was an inflated balloon, then he introduced an inflated glove. Recently, he has been experimenting with various latex receptacles (including condoms). He places a variety of objects in these “sacks”, and the objects create different bulges and bumps providing unusual forms for ceramic casts.
Probably Maciej Siuda is next on your list.
Definitely. He represents an interesting example of an architect, who creates projects on a very small scale, which is atypical for this profession. Usually, acclaimed architectural projects are associated with huge cubature, while Maciej likes to work in 1:1 scale, which means he behaves exactly like a designer. Additionally, he likes wood and often uses it in his work. For example, his project MYKOsystem – an installation presented at the Polish Pavilion in Milan – was a study in wood or actually, cellulose, seen from the perspective of different spices. Maciej also works with the “tissue” of existing buildings. For the “Warszawa w budowie” (Warsaw Under Construction) Festival, he designed an exhibition founded on an unusual concept of showing historical layers of a structure. In a closed high school building on Nowogrodzka street, he peeled back subsequent layers of paint and wall structure, which revealed materials used by architects 60 years ago. The majority of artists contribute their art to a given space, using that space as a background, while Maciej proposed a totally different approach – the materials of the building became the core of his creative process. The wall with removed stucco became the main event, rather than just the backdrop of the exhibition; cleaned wood paneling showed the vibe of the bygone era, and a school desk, which was turned upside down, gained a sculptural dimension.
We have been talking about revealing traces of the past, but I would like to ask you how do you see the future of design in the context of materials, their use, and the application of technology in design?
I think, and I hope, that we can expect a departure from mined resources, which will impact design materials to a large degree. Nowadays the majority of materials that are used in design is somewhat dependent on resources obtained from the ground, either directly, like metals, which we still mostly mine rather then reclaim, or indirectly, like plastics, which are a derivative of crude oil. I am sure, there will be more attempts to discontinue exploitation of these materials, and I expect that most of them will be successful.
In my opinion, the future will also bring an increasing minimal use of materials, which is perfectly aligned with Oskar’s project mentioned earlier. The reality will demand that we develop objects offering the same functionality as before, but requiring much less resources to produce. Especially that we’ve already discovered that we can make not only a can, but also a chair, using the same amount of sheet metal, so we will aim to be more frugal and efficient with the use of materials. Durability will become crucial. The goal of design initiatives will be to develop objects that are as durable and long-lasting as possible.
We should also expect a requirement to lower our demand for energy use. An interesting example here is aluminum, which is a rather favorable material from the ecological point of view, because once mined aluminum ore can be used and reused practically forever – a characteristic that only a few materials known to us possess.
But doesn’t the repurposing itself require a lot of energy?
Regrettably yes, this is a drawback. Each subsequent process of reclaiming aluminum unfortunately, is not particularly energy saving. Therefore, I am certain that scientists will look for ways to cut down on energy consumption, and it would be wise to look for inspiration into the past. For example, let’s take sun-dried bricks and figure out how we could use natural energy for similar processes. Another strong tendency should be the use of biomaterials. In 2018, at Gdyna Design Days, Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, Ph.D. and I, presented an exhibition “Growing Matters”, where we highlighted natural materials, which could provide an interesting alternative, starting immediately.
For plastics?
Among other things. Starting with an extreme example – we could grow a chair (as a small tree, which we would cut down at some point and use as seating) – to looking at materials, which so far, have been regarded as scrap, for example animal intestines, which are very well suited to become an upholstery material or fish skin that could become a great alternative to cow or pig hide. Of course, each of these solutions or trends requires close collaboration of designers, researchers, and engineers.
Is there a chance that the solutions you mentioned could eliminate plastic entirely, and if yes, then when?
At this point, we have not yet been able to develop an alternative for each kind of plastic. Let’s take polyvinyl chloride, better known as PVC, which is very difficult to recycle, yet in some areas, such as health care, it is impossible to replace. And in such a case, we should rather consider how a given type of plastic, if we must use it, could be as durable as possible, so that there is the smallest amount of this material possible in circulation, and so that objects made of plastic did not break too soon or that we “stopped liking” them. Just imagine a situation when you would like to inherit a plastic chair from your great grandfather as eagerly as, a wooden one nowadays.
It is a big challenge and responsibility for designers.
Indeed, the way they design an object may be crucial for its durability and longevity.
What will be the next step after 3D printers that have taken the design process to the next level?
For now, 3D printers serve as design tools that help designers mainly with quick prototyping of complicated shapes. However, such conveniences have their drawbacks – they make you lazy. I can observe it in my students, some of them don’t even feel like cutting a 1-centimiter high plywood cuboid. They run straight for the 3D printer.
And how probable is it that 3D printers will become easily accessible to everyone and will be found in every home
And instead of buying shoes in a store, we would print them?
For example.
I think that for now it is a very distant future, but we cannot discount it entirely. And in this context, the issue of materials becomes important again. You must remember that current 3D printers use plastic.
I have been mostly talking about the material aspect of design, but members of the Institute create many exceptional projects that do not take on a physical form.
That’s true. Their authors focus on the process, which leads to the creation of a particular experience, phenomenon or service. Taking this opportunity, I should mention members of our Institute of Design from Wrocław, under the leadership of Professor Mariusz Wszołek. One of their initiatives is the Legal Design project, which proves that legal acts can be well designed. Furthermore, their projects are deeply rooted in everyday life. In a nutshell – they are very useful.
Which areas of life, exactly?
For example, contracts that we sign with banks. The goal of the team is to design a process for creating contracts that could be easily understood for an average customer. Therefore, in this project our designers collaborate with lawyers and communication theoreticians. On the other hand, Marcin Wysocki, Ph.D., uses design techniques while working with cultural institutions on projects aimed at improving communication concerning cultural initiatives.
Were the Institute of Design, together with School of Form, meant to be another Bauhause, that is a cradle of new design thought?
At SWPS University, design emerged in two different locations as two independent entities: the School of Form in Poznań and the Department of Graphic Design in Wrocław, but what these two initiatives had in common was ambition to propose a new approach to design education. At the same time, one of these initiatives was definitely more focused on product, fashion and space design, while the other one, on graphic and communication design. I wouldn’t make direct comparisons to Bauhaus, but what we had in common with that school of thought was a belief that students must be close to their work, use their hands, and be in touch with their materials. They should know and understand every phase leading to the implementation of a creative concept. But what differentiated us from Bauhaus was a conviction that a very important factor, linked with design, is the social sciences and humanities component, and I believe, that both Professor Michael Fleischer, who founded our Department of Graphic Design, and Professor Mariusz Wszołek, who currently leads it, would agree with me. The main criticism of Bauhaus concerns the fact that, as a school, it did not provide any theoretical background, it did not develop students intellectually, therefore it did not deserve to be called a university.
SWPS Universtiy’s Institute of Design was established much later. What were its goals?
The main goal of the Institute was to oversee the non-teaching activities of our employees, such as supporting the research, artistic and design projects of these two entities [ed. School of Form and the Department of Graphic Design], and creating an added value, based on this foundation. Initially, Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, Ph.D spearheaded these initiatives and at some point I took over. Our goal is to establish an integrated creative community, which on the one hand provides a space for individual development, and on the other hand, a platform for joint activities and projects. We are very happy that our proposals reach beyond the walls of our university and find opportunities for collaboration with local governments, cultural institutions, schools, NGOs and private companies, for whom we design custom-made solutions.
Is the Institute more of a creative or a research center?
Both. We are keen to carry out research and provide results. This is how we are different from other artistic universities that focus mostly on the creative practice, but obviously, we also carry out strictly artistic or design initiatives. The third area of our focus is the development of teams, not only within the framework of our Institute, but also the whole university and beyond. The latest example I am proud of is the plan to launch doctoral studies in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano in Italy. It is very likely that we will be able to realize this plan later this year. Moreover, we cooperate with University of the Arts London and Aalborg University in Denmark, who employ many experts specializing in social design.
We also collaborate with numerous centers in Poland and around the world in the culture sector. Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, Ph.D is leading these initiatives. The results of our artistic and design endeavors were presented in renowned cultural institutions such as Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, the National Museum in Kraków and Gdańsk, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Center for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, as well as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Design Museums in Helsinki, Tallinn and Budapest, and at the London Design Week.
To conclude, I would like to ask you a question, which I ask all researchers. What is your research dream, assuming you would have unlimited funds for realize it?
I would go back to the topic I mentioned earlier – I would like to design a material that would have a precisely defined disintegration date, so that we could program and predict that time. A material which, depending on its composition, could last for 100 years or just 5 minutes.
I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you, for the benefit of us all. It would be a ground breaking discovery in the efforts to reduce waste and protect the natural environment.
Thank you for your time.
Urszula Korman-Hollanek
Projects referenced in the interview:
Read more about the projects mentioned in the interview in the following publications::