Those studying at School of Form at SWPS University, as part of the "Bulwa" project, have created ceramic dishes that redefine the ways in which potato dishes are served. Potato pancakes served vertically, kopytka on meters, Silesian dumplings in a tureen - the students' projects remind us of the value of the potato, a staple of the Polish diet, and force us to reflect on contemporary food consumption.
Working with ceramics requires alertness, sensitivity and precision. The "Bulwa" project was an opportunity for students to develop these attributes, and also allowed them to exercise critical thinking.
Without exercise and exploration, looking into the past to understand the future, conscious designers and designers will not develop. And that we need them and will need them more and more, in a dynamic world prone to crises, there is no doubt
- comments project coordinator Maria Krześlak-Kandziora.
"Gratin dauphinois," Jagoda Bergel
Jagoda Bergel 's project is dedicated to the display of a traditional French potato casserole. Its porcelain and wood form is in the shape of a hemisphere, acting as a "dangling potato," which adds fun and familiarity to the food. In this way, the author gives the object a metaphorical dimension - a potato dish can be elegant or unleavened, and it depends on how it is served.
Gratin dauphinois - project "Bulwa".
proj.: Jagoda Bergel
"Tuber et Labora", Anatol Grewinskiy
Anatol Grewinski with his project questions the tradition of serving potato pancakes horizontally. It is an object that is dedicated to this very dish and encourages people to give up the use of cutlery in exchange for the opportunity to consume the pancakes directly from the dish.
Tuber et labora - project "Bulwa"
proj.: Anatoly Grewinskiy
"Blister for kartacze", Michalina Kaczmarek.
Balancing on the border between kitsch and satire, Michalina Kaczmarek designed a blister dedicated to kartacze. Thanks to its innovative form, the dish has a chance to be properly exposed, helped by an unobvious combination of materials - plexiglass and porcelain.
Blister for kartacze - project "Bulwa"
proj.: Michalina Kaczmarek
"Totem", Olga Plewnicka
Totem is a project by Olga Plewnicka, which makes potato blintzes almost into a sculpture. "It elevates this simple dish to a higher level - literally and metaphorically - by elevating it upwards and serving it in an unusual way," she writes. - writes the author. The modular form of the dish forces you to interact, taking it apart to discover more portions of the dish.
Totem - "Bulwa" project
proj.: Olga Plewnicka
"Clucking", Barbara Agnieszka Nowakowska.
Porcelain dishes from the "Kluskowatość" series, designed by Barbara Agnieszka Nowakowska, by their shape refer to the form of the potato to which they are dedicated - Silesian noodles. Their rounded, irregular shape - the result of the spontaneous nature of working with the material - perfectly emphasizes the character of this classic dish.
Noodles - project "Bulwa"
proj.: Barbara Nowakowska
"Antisalat," by Franciszek Szwaj
Franciszek Szwaj 's design is a dish that forces you to deconstruct the potato salad. Its shape allows you to lay out each of its ingredients separately, mixing them freely, which is facilitated by the different heights of the individual elements of the dish.
Antisalat - project "Bulwa"
design: Franciszek Szwaj
"Kopytka na metry", Jan Polak.
Designed by Jan Polak, the dish allows for a new way of eating kopytka - by lifting it to the mouth and sliding individual ones straight into the mouth. With this, the author provokes reflection on the "cultural" and "uncultured" way of eating.
Kopytka na metry - project "Bulwa"
proj.: Jan Polak
"Hot potato," by Yevgeniya Gudym
Inspired by the foil for baking potatoes, Yevgeniya Gudym created a modern vessel, referring to the process of preparing the dish. She used thin metal to create a unique, sort of crumpled form, which serves as a frame for the ceramic mold.
Hot potato - "Bulva" project.
proj.: Yevgeniya Gudym
"SSIJ", Katarzyna Matosek
Katarzyna Matosek 's project is a series of ceramic objects designed for scooping kisel and consuming it in an almost intimate way. The shape of the objects, with a large number of crevices and nooks, compels a longer celebration of eating the meal.
Suck - "Bulwa" project
proj.: Katarzyna Matosek
"Guillotine," by Anton Kostromtsov
A statue of a pyra with gziko - a way of honoring the potato as the foundation of traditional cuisine. Anton Kostromtsov alludes to the symbols of constructivism, geometry and cosmos in his design.
Guillotine - "Bulva" project
proj.: Anton Kostromtsov
"Dumpling orbit," by Zuzanna Kotwas
Another cosmic inspiration came true in the project of Zuzanna Kotwas, who designed a candleholder for Russian dumplings, the shape of which refers to the solar system.
Pierogowa orbit - project "Bulwa".
proj.: Zuzanna Kotwas
"Cubes", Helena Zdrojewska
Helena Zdrojewska's dish allows you to have fun while consuming potato tortillas. Ceramic cubes hide successive portions of the dish, transforming it from simple to intriguing.
Cubes - "Bulwa" project
proj.: Helena Zdrojewska
"Durszlak," by Ignacy Malinowski
Ignacy Malinowski dedicated his project to a traditional dish from the south of Podlasie - zagubas. Spiral wrappers of dumpling dough filled with potatoes drip with water and fat, which flows down through hand-drilled holes in the porcelain.
Colander - project "Bulwa"
proj.: Ignacy Malinowski
"Dés à Boire," by Jakub Sobiegraj.
Soup in the form of a shot? Jakub Sobiegraj 's project transforms the consumption of soup from an engaging activity into a brief, social accompaniment to a gathering.
DÉS À BOIRE - "Bulwa" project.
proj.: Jakub Sobiegraj
"Fries on the Level," by Clare Arrowsmith.
This dish is another opportunity to add an element of fun to feasting at the table. Clare Arrowsmith 's design is a fry Jenga, consisting of individual troughs for each fry, encouraging a celebration of eating this dish.
Fries on the level - "Bulwa" project.
proj.: Klara Arrowsmith
"Hit, zatoipiony!", by Lukasz Machnowski
Red Sea... soup - Lukasz Machnowski 's project is a combination of a borscht dish with mashed potatoes and a game of ships. The peculiar shape, reminiscent of the shape of rippling water, can diversify the consuming public waiting for the main course.
Hit it, sink it! - "Bulwa" project
proj.: Lukasz Machnowski
"Pizza," by Magda Mączyńska
The shape of the dishes designed by Magda Mączyńska does not suggest what might be inside. The tower of pizza pieces is a completely unobvious proposal for consuming this traditional dish.
Pizza - "Bulwa" project
proj.: Magda Mączyńska
"Kluskolumna", Milena Bednarczyk
Grey noodles are another traditional dish that deserved a mention, according to School of Form students. Milena Bednarczyk 's dish took the form of a pedestal on top of which noodles or a full plate of them can be displayed.
Noodle pedestal - project "Bulwa"
proj.: Milena Bednarczyk
"Stilts", Pola Oleszczyk
Hasselback dish requires multiple cuts to prepare, which is what inspired Pola Oleszczyk to create the Stilts design. The potato floats on them, making it possible to look at it from all perspectives.
Stilts - "Bulwa" project
proj.: Pola Oleszczyk
"Palace", Mateusz Miszczak
The shape of the object designed by Mateusz Miszczak refers to the lump of the Taj Mahal temple - to emphasize how important, even sacred, the consumption of dumplings, to which this vessel is dedicated, can be.
Palace - project "Bulwa"
proj.: Mateusz Miszczak
Half a year of work on the projects allowed those studying to reflect deeply on the idea of designing utilitarian objects with a kitchen application.
Slowly arriving at assumptions and gradually discovering the designed object in their work provides a sense of proficiency
- comment the authors.
Objects created as part of the "Bulwa" project were presented at an exhibition at the BioBazaar at the Norblin Factory in Warsaw on March 7. The project was realized as part of classes at the School of Form at the Faculty of Design at SWPS University.
Maria Cipińska
Illustrations provided courtesy of School of Form.
