Tamed Chaos

Supervisor:
Professor Jerzy Porębski

Studio of Product Design (No. 3)

> Monika Smaga

When designing, I like to play with form and stereotypes. I am inspired by interesting configurations of materials, everyday situations and objects created spontaneously out of sheer need, thoughtful solutions and sustainable design.
I do not like making concessions in the design process. I want to bring the assumed goals to a satisfactory close, even if it means a long search for the right solutions. I try to make a product relevant to the situation in which it will operate.
When designing, I like to feel the material used, hence I devote particular attention to prototyping. I put the assumed concepts through practice tests very quickly. Developing the material is not only a necessity but something that also gives me a great pleasure. In my designs I try to use and highlight the natural features and qualities of materials, so that their application is justified in every way.
Environmentally responsible design is important to me, so when designing, I take into consideration every stage of a product’s lifecycle, from its creation, through to its use and subsequent ageing and disposal.

> Professor Jerzy Porębski

The point of departure for Monika Smaga’s degree piece is the notion of chaos. It is a reaction to the overwhelming mess, disorder, disorganisation, noise, incoherence, turmoil and confusion, not only in the space surrounding us but also inside our heads. What can we do about it? Are we doomed forever to try to arrange this chaos, to look again and again for harmony of thought, forms and things, or are we stuck with it? These were the questions posed by Monika, who spent a long time searching for the answers. Eventually, she decided to turn the tide. Is harmony in chaos possible? How far can we control it, to what extent is this perceived chaos conditioned by culture, to what extent can our immediate chaotic environment fulfil its utilitarian functions? She selected residential space and the world of furniture as the field for her experimental explorations. TABLE, BOOKSHELF AND SEAT. From disorderly matter, an organised, harmonious world of objects has emerged. The structure, selection of materials, and colours are all tailored to entice the user to go beyond the realm of traditional perception of space and objects. At the same time, logical, functional pieces of furniture are full of turmoil and chaos. However, the altered, impaired balance of elements, directions and relationships conceals the ingenious technology, simple geometry, carefully selected materials and purity of connections that was employed to create these pieces. The confusion, anxiety, but at the same time curiosity evoked by these objects are an incentive to deviate from the established idea of order, a polemic with our habits, current canons and language of forms. The harmony we witness has been achieved through agreement between mutually exclusive visual, utilitarian and technological phenomena.