Paper Modernism
At one point Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw was searching for a design for interesting gift-souvenir school could give to their new students, visitors, guests. That’s how gift from our school became a main topic of international on-line workshops between Warsaw and Schizouka (Japan). Collaboration was based on exchanging ideas about creating meaningful, ecological and recognizable gift ideas from both of our schools.
Collaborator / Client:
School Project in collaboration with Shizouka Institute of Art and Culture
Technology & Materials:
Printed digital poster, paper hat stencils
Year & Place:
2020, Warsaw, Poland
Development
Initiating points
I started from the question: what is something our school uses on a daily bases and how to transform it into an object that represents us as a school? Variety of faculties made it additionally hard because of the different characteristics of the disciplines, and therefore different materials that are being used in art-creation process.
Process
The workshops gave me an idea to use paper – universal material which can be easily transformed. In Japan it is essential part of traditional architecture and base to the art of origami. In Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, paper is used not only for drawing , but also for creating spatial compositions.
Form of the project was something I came up with by analysing study culture in different countries. In many of them, the presence of a uniform or academic hat used for official celebrations builds sense of community and belonging. In Poland this traditions were long gone, so I decided to reinvent them into something fun.
Educational program in the Academy has strong roots in polish modernism from the 1960’s so as an inspiration for form of the new academic hat I chose sculptures and architectural compostitions of former professors:
Historic hats analysis
Historic hats analysis
Historic hats analysis
Result
Final project
The project concluded as 3 modernist paper hats templates to print on A3 paper. The shapes of them refer to the designs and works of former professors of the Academy, as well as to the headgear popular in Warsaw, such as the beret, the cassock and the academic cap. Moreover, the cap can be decorated by the owner using paint, pencil, crayons, or any artistic tool.
Additional element of the gift is poster with short biographical notes about professors listed above.
Contests&Exhibitions
Academy of Fine Arts website – Publication, 2020
Shizuoka University of Art and Culture – Exhibition, 2021
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