Follow The Object

How arrange the world anew? Where did we make mistakes? Is it possible to design better what already exists? "Follow The Object" is an ethnographic research method that allows to look at human behavior resulting form the usage of various objects. We decided to "follow" selected phenomena and objects and, by analyzing them, take a closer look at the contemporary world. Asking questions, looking for answers, creating dialogue, a lively, active process. The aim of our activity is to redesign selected objects, but above all, the thought and design process, a debate on consumption, production and design. The selected object becomes a symbol of material culture and, at the same time, discussion about the future. 

We worked on the exhibition in the "summer school" mode, in eight teams consisting of lecturers and students of the Faculty of Design of the Academy of Art in Stettin. We worked on eight intriguing issues which, although close in meaning, have become an autonomous space for reflection: rituals of passage associated with saying goodbye to the ones that have passed away and social rituals establishing maturity, a speculum and photography as symbols of visual culture, ambiguous, rich in meaning matters - milk and coal, a mask symbolizing the changeability of identity and rebellion, and a chair - a prestigious and democratic facility at the same time.

We structured the process and together we watched how it helps, disturbs us, irritates us, facilitates our work and piles up questions. In our action, is the questions, not the answers, that are the essence. The research process, the flow of thoughts and the dialogue that we open with this exhibition and the accompanying publication.

Come and sit with us. We will be happy share our research.

Curators:
Agata Kiedrowicz & Agnieszka Polkowska
Exhibition was a part of Łódź Design Festival 2021.

Participants:
Aleksandra Brejwo
Alicja Fijał
Dawid Fik
Sara Gackowska
Patrycja Janiak
Olga Kiedrowicz-Świtalska
Małgorzata Kopczyńska
Kosmos Project (Ewa Bochen, Maciej Jelski)
Marianna Krajewska
Emilia Łapko
Julia Łyżwińska
Patrycja Makarewicz-Leszczyńska
Magda Małachowska
Marta Murawska
Daria Opasiak
Natalia Rybak
Kamil Sadłocha
Anna Sienkiewicz
Milena Smyl
Olaf Stachurski
Patrycja Żyżniewska

Set design:
Olga Kiedrowicz-Świtalska
Teresa Otulak

Graphic Design:
Pełnia Studio

photos: Piotr Lewandowski

Food For Thought

Doctoral dissertation "Antifragility in design” shows an experiment as a key factor in the process of trend development, which enables the design of products, services and experiences with innovative potential. In the thesis Agnieszka Polkowska proposes a set of tools for designers for forecasting and designing the future, so far used in sociological sciences. It takes into account the theory of antifragility of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, assuming the existence of a division of phenomena into fragile, robust and antifragile. They have specific life cycle thanks to which we can predict how their nature will change over time. As designers we can materialise the ideas, creating a resource of knowledge that can initiate a discussion about a possible and desired future, but also constitute a starting point for conducting further research on the implementation of innovation.

Based on that a speculative proposal was created, constituting the tangible effect of theoretical considerations and being a pre-implementation stage. "Food for thought” is the essential part of PhD dissertation and is a project that was created in a cooperation with the nootropic substances producer.

The starting point for the project was exploring the possibility of developing the product offer was the analysis of the digital capitalism reality, in which it is important for the individual to be able to control oneself by affecting emotional states and performance. In this project, Agnieszka proposed the use of nootropic substances as an active ingredient of food of the future, which task will be to expand human cognitive capabilities.

photos: Michał Polak

Follow The Object

How arrange the world anew? Where did we make mistakes? Is it possible to design better what already exists? "Follow The Object" is an ethnographic research method that allows to look at human behavior resulting form the usage of various objects. We decided to "follow" selected phenomena and objects and, by analyzing them, take a closer look at the contemporary world. Asking questions, looking for answers, creating dialogue, a lively, active process. The aim of our activity is to redesign selected objects, but above all, the thought and design process, a debate on consumption, production and design. The selected object becomes a symbol of material culture and, at the same time, discussion about the future. 

We worked on the exhibition in the "summer school" mode, in eight teams consisting of lecturers and students of the Faculty of Design of the Academy of Art in Stettin. We worked on eight intriguing issues which, although close in meaning, have become an autonomous space for reflection: rituals of passage associated with saying goodbye to the ones that have passed away and social rituals establishing maturity, a speculum and photography as symbols of visual culture, ambiguous, rich in meaning matters - milk and coal, a mask symbolizing the changeability of identity and rebellion, and a chair - a prestigious and democratic facility at the same time.

We structured the process and together we watched how it helps, disturbs us, irritates us, facilitates our work and piles up questions. In our action, is the questions, not the answers, that are the essence. The research process, the flow of thoughts and the dialogue that we open with this exhibition and the accompanying publication.

Come and sit with us. We will be happy share our research.

Curators:
Agata Kiedrowicz & Agnieszka Polkowska
Exhibition was a part of Łódź Design Festival 2021.

Participants:
Aleksandra Brejwo
Alicja Fijał
Dawid Fik
Sara Gackowska
Patrycja Janiak
Olga Kiedrowicz-Świtalska
Małgorzata Kopczyńska
Kosmos Project (Ewa Bochen, Maciej Jelski)
Marianna Krajewska
Emilia Łapko
Julia Łyżwińska
Patrycja Makarewicz-Leszczyńska
Magda Małachowska
Marta Murawska
Daria Opasiak
Natalia Rybak
Kamil Sadłocha
Anna Sienkiewicz
Milena Smyl
Olaf Stachurski
Patrycja Żyżniewska

Set design:
Olga Kiedrowicz-Świtalska
Teresa Otulak

Graphic Design:
Pełnia Studio

photos: Piotr Lewandowski

Food For Thought

Doctoral dissertation "Antifragility in design” shows an experiment as a key factor in the process of trend development, which enables the design of products, services and experiences with innovative potential. In the thesis Agnieszka Polkowska proposes a set of tools for designers for forecasting and designing the future, so far used in sociological sciences. It takes into account the theory of antifragility of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, assuming the existence of a division of phenomena into fragile, robust and antifragile. They have specific life cycle thanks to which we can predict how their nature will change over time. As designers we can materialise the ideas, creating a resource of knowledge that can initiate a discussion about a possible and desired future, but also constitute a starting point for conducting further research on the implementation of innovation.

Based on that a speculative proposal was created, constituting the tangible effect of theoretical considerations and being a pre-implementation stage. "Food for thought” is the essential part of PhD dissertation and is a project that was created in a cooperation with the nootropic substances producer.

The starting point for the project was exploring the possibility of developing the product offer was the analysis of the digital capitalism reality, in which it is important for the individual to be able to control oneself by affecting emotional states and performance. In this project, Agnieszka proposed the use of nootropic substances as an active ingredient of food of the future, which task will be to expand human cognitive capabilities.

photos: Michał Polak