“Creations from Nature” have been selected

The current Łódź Design Festival has included another edition of "Creations from Nature", the joint initiative by Barlinek Institute of Design and Design Alive magazine. The contest and workshops for designers, organised for the third time, was rounded off with a prizegiving ceremony and exhibition of the best floorboard designs of recent years.

Creations from Nature is an initiative organised since 2014 by Barlinek Institute of Design, based on three main foundations — the competition to which designers and architects are invited, workshops held at Barlinek, and the final joint exhibition. Once again, the venue for this summary of the year-long work of the designers and organisers was the design festival in Łódź which this year is taking place for the tenth time. The event was hosted by Ewa Trzcionka, editor-in-chief of Design Alive.

Before the contestants create their final floorboard design, they take part in summer craft workshops at Barlinek which let them get to know the product, analyse the possibilities it offers, gain experience and above all be inspired by the magic of wood and the energy of the whole team. The participants work with the genuine product, learn to process the material and have the opportunity to talk with factory employees, whose knowledge helps them implement their ideas and the projects they have planned. We saw this whole adventure in a video summarising the meeting of the designers and their work at Barlinek. "Our objective from the very start of the contest was to show that everything we do at the company is real – exactly the same as our floors. We were not interested in another PR campaign which would end with everyone going home after the award ceremony. This is why Creations from Nature is a long-term process, which is meant to bring real results," stressed Dorota Karbowska-Zawadzka, marketing director at Barlinek, during the meeting. "This year we invited 20 people to the workshops. For three days, we show them the factory, discuss with them, introduce them to specialists. Then the real work begins. The participants sit in the halls, they get materials, they cut, draw, paint and dye. They enjoy themselves, but they also learn," she added, emphasising the extraordinary ideas of designers from previous years – they are all gathered at the exhibition created specially for the ŁDF.

It would not have been complete without an appearance on the stage by last year's Creations from Nature winner, Agnieszka Przewoźna. Her honeycomb inspired design of hexagonal tiles is proof that Barlinek's contest also results in real products. The idea is currently at the advanced prototype stage, and has been featured in a photo session. "We still need a lot of time, but here in Łódź we have managed to show the results of long-term hard work," stressed the architect from Poznań. "But the most important thing is the experience I've gained both from the workshops and just from cooperating with the company. Working with the product is priceless, other contests don't give you that," pointed out Agnieszka Przewoźna.

During the meeting the jury chaired by architect Przemo Łukasik, announced the results. The theme of this year's Creations from Nature competition was the board of the future. Karol Klata received a distinction for his work — apart from the design itself, he proposed a new way to approach laying the product.

Second place and 5,000 zł went to Aleksey Gorelov whose work, according to the jury, was highly consistent, and the results could be seen on a film presenting the possibilities of the board arranged like in a game of tetris.

This year the result was not clear cut, and the jury decided to award two teams first place. First place and 10,000 zł went to Łukasz Jaworski and the design team Aleksandra Kuta, Miłosz Cichoń.

"The joint first prizes are for designs which we were considering for a very long time. We had trouble choosing because both, although different and similar, show that some day we'll be able to work in teams. We'll combine various ideas. We thought our decision could lead to cooperation, that maybe there could be a joint project in future," asserted the jury's representative, architect Agnieszka Stefańska. "I came to the workshops with a completely different design. I had a floor in my head that combined heating and air conditioning. During discussions my idea accidentally evolved into something completely different. I imagined a specific problem, for example people at airports. Our phone reads the plane ticket, and the floor leads us to the departure point. A mundane idea which, after talks with construction engineers, electricians and IT people, and observing the solutions present on the market, turned out to be possible," said Łukasz Jaworski as he collected his prize.

"The Barlinek Institute is an enterprise which has to be deserved," stated Przemo Łukasik during the prizegiving. "The most important thing when creating is the process of evolution A designer has to be brave, has to want to change, take a step or two back, to find the best solution. The two winning ideas are so-called dot dot dot projects, which leave us an open door, don't specify everything, and which we hope will bring the two teams together," added the architect as he presented the prize to Miłosz Cichoń for the project combining the floor with the idea of wireless loading.

"I have to thank Przemo Łukasik, who kept the pressure on us throughout the deliberations of the jury. He made us think about what there would be 10 or 20 years from now. We owe him the new view of the competition product, not forgetting adding important functions and value to it, thinking about an advantage in the future, about seeking a new path," was how Dorota Karbowska-Zawadzka summarised the results.

This year's Creations from Nature exhibition presented at ŁDF mainly shows the history of the most interesting work created during the last two editions of the contest, and a video which is a great reflection of the atmosphere of the workshops. The wealth of material on display includes projects by Agnieszka Przewoźna, Justyna Franczak, Olga Grabowska and Olga Nowosad, Katarzyna Sroka and Filip Zastawiak, Maja Sobura, Agata Smok, Anna Łoskiewicz-Zakrzewska and Joanna Ochota. Exhibition design by: Tabanda group: Megi Malinowska, Tomek Kempa, Filip Ludka.

More on: www.kreacjeznatury.pl