Polish-Swedish exhibition of contemporary design, inspired by the mutual influences of Slavic and Scandinavian cultures over the centuries.
These influences manifest themselves in the myths and legends or the technical solutions that can be observed in elements of material culture. For centuries our ancestors, living in the lands of the present Poland and Sweden had led trades which resulted in exchange of culture. You can even identify common themes in folklore, similar or even the same production methods of everyday objects or decorative motifs. The cooperation between Kosmos Project and Petra Lilji results in objects combining old crafts - eg. spinning, woodcarving, wheat weaving and straw crafts, natural dyeing - with modern techniques used in the design, such as 3D printing.
Objects in the exhibition were created on the basis of dialogue between the participants, which took the form of regular, long-lasting exchange of inspiration and knowledge. The designers led not only discussions but also created objects - each new project was a response to the partner’s ideas relating to the Polish or Swedish culture. Finally the designs of Ewa Bochen, Maciej Jelski and Petra Lilji tell us stories rooted in mythology, dug up in libraries and museum collections and then interpreted as contemporary designs in the form of furniture or fabric. They can satisfy the practical needs of potential users, but they also try to answer to the unspoken, often irrational needs of the mind and body. The works can become an incentive for further research into the topic of Slavic and Scandinavian history, as well as an attempt to "retrieve our common past" and to reinvent our ancestor’s ways of thinking. They express the desire to create things that we can call beautiful owing to their ability to communicate emotions and memories.
