Craft x design = <3
Willow wicker, leather, glass, ceramics and textiles are the natural materials that will fill the rooms of the ÚĽUV Design Studio at Dobrovičova 13 until late November.
Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to admire the links between craft and design in the results of creative workshops and collaborations between design students from the Faculty of Architecture and Design of the Slovak University of Technology (STU) in Bratislava and master craftsmen from Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Open: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 12.00 – 18.00, Thursday 12.00 – 19.00
Exhibiting artists: Natália Petríková, Magdaléna Kollárová, Martin Jurik, Matej Čička, Juraj Kotoč, Jana Vlčková, Hana Rehorčíková, Lucia Suchá, Eva Polgáryová, Tomáš Páriš, Martin Mjartan, Katarína Pšenáková, Laura Zolnianska, Žofia Horová, Barbora Hagárová, Martina Bajteková, Oliver Uhrák, Dominika Rothová, Sedrik Poturnay, Miroslava Kamenská, Branko Sedlák
Curator of the exhibition Martin Mjartan lives by design and craft. Martin Mjartjan, a teacher at the Creative Centre of the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava, points out the values connected with work, creation and creation of job opportunities in the regions of Slovakia. “For design students, contact with production and the opportunity to meet people from creative practice is crucial in preparing for their profession. We have therefore decided to focus on the organisation of workshops and discussions as the main activities of the Creative Centre. In two years, we have managed to organise four workshops in which students have had the opportunity to encounter different branches of craftsmanship,” explains the curator.
The series of workshops arose from the need to create opportunities for collaboration, mutual enrichment and inspiration. The EMIA – Empathy in Art project, aimed at developing and selling a product for marginalised groups, among other objectives, helped to realise them. The workshops were dedicated to the collaboration of design students, economics students and craftsmen and consisted of several activities, lectures, discussions taking into account the issues of marginalised groups of the population. In addition to creating their own designs, the students were also involved in innovating products that were already being produced in the social environment and imparting knowledge on design or sales and marketing strategies to vulnerable social groups.
Student designs were always guided by masters of the craft. Jozef Najdek supervised the leather work, Milan Hanko supervised the ceramics, and Ondrej Novotný supervised the manufacturability of the glass blowing designs. The basketry creations were guided by Erika Rudíková with Petr Beno and the textile products were consulted with the students by Františka Ondrašiková from the Roma SUV project.
The philosophy of the ÚĽUV Design Studio is to support young Slovak designers with the aim of preserving traditional craft practices. The unquestionable importance of such collaborations is evidenced by the words of Martin Mjartan: “Since time immemorial, heritage has been passed down to us in the form of skills and experience acquired by previous generations. It survives thanks to the will to learn, to create and then to pass on what we have learned. We are aware of the long haul we are embarking on. However, the results already show that craft and design understand each other. They have the combined potential to motivate other heads and hands to ensure that the heritage of our ancestors continues to flourish.”
