Open-air rocking benches, an expressively landscaped square and creative devices for the Autistic Home. This is the yield of the second installment of this year's twelfth Mood for Wood workshop. Poznan received more urban wood furniture - from minimalist to more complex.
We described the first part of the international Mood for Wood 2023 workshop under the motto "Finding balance" in July. Six pieces of wooden equipment were then created around Lake Malta in Poznań. The second installment of the twelfth workshop organized by the Common Point Foundation and Poznan SARP provided furniture of more local significance and not as strongly exposed as those by the lake.
The installations were created in three neighborhoods: within the square on Wspólna Street in the Wilda district, on the grounds of Elementary School No. 36 on Słowackiego Street in Jeżyce, and at the Autist House in the Grunwald district. The first space is an area open to the public, the second is used primarily by students, and the third is used by tenants, caregivers and guests of the city's only facility for autistic people to become independent. The Autistic Home, which opened years ago, is a grassroots effort by parents who want to provide their children entering adulthood with a welcoming living space.
As every year at Mood for Wood, wooden furniture was made by young designers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary - in groups of several people under the guidance of experienced tutors. The main coordinator of the event was, as always, Magdalena Wypusz.
Mood for Wood 2023, edition II, Poznań, August '23 - installations in the square on Wspólna Street, proj. group under the direction of Karol Szparkowski and Monika Ryszka;
visible exterior south elevation of the 1929 municipal complex with the largest courtyard in the city
Photo: Dawid Majewski
to draw the eye
The most spectacular structures stood in the square opposite the municipal complex with the largest enclosed courtyard in the city (designed by Wladyslaw Czarnecki, 1929). The small green enclave, cut off from the denser buildings by a rather busy street, did nothing to attract local residents. Now the multitude and variety of forms attracts attention . Their expressive shapes with colorful "poles" give the place character without competing with the surrounding elements. The design group, led by Karol Szparkowski and Monika Ryszka , describes their realization as follows:
Each platform was placed at different heights. The lowest platform under the tree can be used as a stage for music bands or seating areas - meetings of residents, birthday parties, workshops. The tall columns attached to each platform provide the opportunity to hang lighting, paintings/posters or other items prepared in workshops made by the community. The red color used for both structures is meant to catch the eye of passersby and encourage them to visit this shared space. The undulating shape of the platforms comes from the organic space between the greenery and the need to contrast the existing square bench.
Mood for Wood 2023, edition II, Poznań, August '23 - installations in the square on Wspólna Street, designed by a group under the direction of Karol Szparkowski and Monika Ryszka; vertical colorful elements are meant to attract the attention of passersby usually walking on the other side of the street
photo: Dawid Majewski
to watch or not to watch
Thefurniture for the Autistic Home has a more restrained look, but a more complex design. Three forms were created in the shaded area of the plot, all based on the same 2 × 2 m module.
Mood for Wood 2023, edition II, Poznań, August '23 - elements in the garden of the Autistic Home, designed by a group under the direction of Jan Szymankiewicz (OBIEKT); integrating the "tribune" into the surroundings; in the background - the Autistic Home
Photo: Dawid Majewski
Designers under the direction of Jan Szymankiewicz from the OBIEKT studio introduce the assumptions of the realization:
Each of the three structures serves a different but coherent purpose. The open platform was filled with hand-woven mesh. It was designed to allow for rocking and swaying while providing a space for relaxation. The second structure combines the same mesh with flat surfaces. The last structure, placed on a knoll, is designed to allow residents to relax and be part of the community without maintaining eye contact. It also faces an exterior wall that can be used as an outdoor cinema screen . The shape of the seating resembles a combination of bleachers and recliners.
The use of the Japanese kumiko technique is interesting here : the wooden pieces are connected together almost without screws.
Mood for Wood 2023, edition II, Poznań, August '23 - elements in the garden of the Autistic Home, proj. group under the direction of Jan Szymankiewicz (OBIEKT); combined platform combining traditional seats with mesh elements
Photo: Dawid Majewski
to be unobtrusive
Theminimalist form, meanwhile, was taken by the works of two groups joined together during the course of the work under the direction of Wroclaw-based landscape architect Katarzyna Kobierska and Nils Wenk from Berlin. The rocking and references to Japan are also important in the objects made for the school in the historic Jeżyce district. The group created long visually robust benches with a dark color achieved through a traditional Japanese method of wood tanning called yakisugi. The tanned and cleaned boards are supposed to be resistant to bad weather, insects and moisture for a very long time. Contrary to appearances, the seats are not static. One is split vertically, the other horizontally. The elements can be moved relative to each other. Thus, one can rock and sway.
Mood for Wood 2023, edition II, Poznań, August '23 - one of two seats in the courtyard of SP no. 36, proj.: combined groups under the direction of Katarzyna Kobierska and Nils Wenk; in the background the main school building with a corner tower and a gate leading to the street (first on the right)
Photo: Dawid Majewski
The simple shapes of the two long massive seats contrast with the exceptionally spectacular form of the school buildings from the beginning of the previous century. The clinker-faced edifices with neo-historic and Art Nouveau forms are even the hallmark of the western section of Slowackiego Street and are marked in the space by a tall clock tower. During a workshop with children, the designers decided that in such a stimulus-rich environment, the viewer should not be stimulated by new shapes or colors. Only a discreet pattern appeared on the benches, and it is this pattern that corresponds formally with the refined details of the school.
Mood for Wood 2023, edition II, Poznań, August '23 - one of two seats in the courtyard of SP no. 36, proj:
combined groups under the direction of Katarzyna Kobierska and Nils Wenk; the horizontal slit allows the elements to be moved in relation to each other
photo: Dawid Majewski
The authors of the work also justify the composition of the seats in the space.
The two straight lines that make up the seats introduce new opportunities for social interaction, relaxation and movement. They were placed so as to create separate zones in the space. One complements the historic granite bench, while the other faces the historic tower, offering an observation point. [...] The project was designed to allow both individuals and larger groups to play, fostering exploration and creativity.
Mood for Wood 2023, edition II, Poznań, August '23 - seating in the courtyard of SP no. 36, proj.: combined groups under the direction of Katarzyna Kobierska and Nils Wenk; view from above
photo: Dawid Majewski
The benches set up in the courtyard are, in addition, a prelude to further changes within the school - this time in the street space. The City Road Administration has just begun work on traffic calming and a new friendly arrangement of the sidewalk and roadway - in line with ideas developed during a workshop arranged in the spring. We will discuss this topic in more detail in A&B once the work is completed.
