Jakub Szczęsny. Polish Designs Polish Designers

About:

As the protagonist of this year’s exhibition for the Polish Designs Polish Designers series, the Gdynia City Museum has chosen Jakub Szczęsny. We had no doubt that his multifaceted work would help us delve into an issue, which we will be taking a wider look at this year – design and society.

At the exhibition we will be showing how architecture permeates design, and the remarkable things that can happen at their intersection. We will be taking a closer look at the micro-homes that were particularly popular in the pandemic period. We will be asking if, as a society, we really do need more and more space. Or maybe, for the common good, it is time we start saying “no” to excessive consumption?

We are juxtaposing the one-of-a-kind Keret House and the replicable modular mini-homes (which can be adapted to individual needs) to raise the topic of minimalism and limitations as vital social values. There is an interesting tension between architecture and design—Jakub Szczęsny’s installations in the public space, intended to be architecture in action, are a kind of performance. All this is to turn attention to the social dimension of design.

Can design affect us, or the society which we are a part of? Designing a space, especially a public space, can we design relationships, change how users think and make them more conscious citizens? We will be seeking answers to all these questions alongside our guests, highlighting design as a tool to integrate society, improve the functionality of our surroundings, and take care of sustainable development.

The exhibition will also feature multimedia components, such as a film about the designer and a Polish/English catalogue.

Organizer of the exhibition: Gdynia City Museum. 

Exhibition co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Poland).