ART FOOD Exhibition

ART FOOD

MAREK CECUŁA

Art Director, Ćmielów Design Studio

The Art Food project was initiated by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as a part of an ongoing program promoting Polish design. The project was constructed to involve the early stages of design education. (…)

The project’s main objective was to take design education outside of the university walls and set up conditions that prepare students for professional practice with a specific medium (ceramics). The Polish heritage porcelain manufacturer “Ćmielów Porcelain,” today under a new name—Polish Porcelain Factories Ćmielów” and “Chodzież,” created the setting in which the project took physical shape and became a place of production. 

After an introduction to the project by professional instructors and renowned chefs from esteemed restaurants, students created models for their products. 

The students began a three-week initiative to create their individual interpretations of the Art Food porcelain collection. It was a real confrontation with the material, its processing and firing. Porcelain is a very difficult medium to work with; it taught the students about the compromises one must make while designing an industrial product. The three weeks designated for the project called for long hours in the studio. The work was hard and intensive but the resulting physical objects were a great reward and being able to create well-finished porcelain products brought the young designers much satisfaction. 

Positioning the project between education, professional experience and the potential for devising a consumer product offers unique conditions for design students, forming a bridge between academia and practice. It inspired the participants to implement their knowledge and skill towards becoming successful designers. The porcelain industry continues to supply vast amounts of products for the domestic market and the constant demand for new goods makes it an attractive medium for the creative minds and hands of young designers. 

The products resulting from this project will stand as a new proposition in the dynamic evolution of culinary culture and as a sign of engagement between the creator and the creative user…

[from ART FOOD 2013 exhibition catalogue]

Participants so far:

ART FOOD 2013

The School of Form, Poznań, Poland;

The Royal College of Art, London, UK

ART FOOD 2014

The Academy of Art and Design, Wrocław, Poland;

The Central Martins College, London, UK;

The Pratt Institute, New York, USA