Design Diaries: Object-Making

In the 21st century and the age of polycrisis, as our place and role in the world call for systemic rethinking, the way we talk about design is changing as well. Issues and narratives, the “immaterial” and the “interdisciplinary,” are increasingly taking the place of materials and styles, object-focused approaches, and traditional disciplinary categories.

But what does this global transformation mean for designers in their everyday practice, and what regional conditions does the Central European design community face? Do Czech, Slovak, Polish, and Hungarian designers encounter similar challenges today, or are their experiences fundamentally different?

If you’re curious about what’s happening next door, come join us!

At the first event in the Design Diaries series, professionals working specifically in object-making and product design will share their experiences through short presentations, exploring how their work relates to the design strategy of their respective countries. Rather than conventional portfolio presentations, the evening will focus on personal stories, glimpses into designer, manufacturer, and client relationships, different interpretations of design, and the role of public and private sector involvement. Together, these perspectives will help us understand the current regional position of design, as it strangely oscillates between culture and commerce.

Speakers (around 8-minute presentations):

Dávid Valovič (SK) – artist & designer

Anett Sáfrán (HU) – ceramic-focused product designer

Stanisław Stupkiewicz (PL) – designer & art director

Natálie Navrátilová (CZ) – product designer

MAIII Collective (HU) – designer collective

Silvia Seneši Lutherová (SK) – art historian, theorist

The program is organized by the edit team, with the collaboration of Urbanum and the support of the Visegrád Fund.

The program will be held in English.

The event is free, but registration is required due to limited capacity. Please register at the following link:

https://forms.gle/dSxJhrxbgqRZDiFH8

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Design Diaries is a five-part event series that explores the contemporary challenges facing design from a regional perspective, the specific characteristics of individual countries’ design strategies, and current issues concerning designers across various fields. During the thematic evenings, regional representatives of each topic (both designers and theorists) share their thoughts through short presentations inspired by professional diary entries. The aim of the program is to facilitate knowledge exchange and professional networking in the fields of design and object culture among the Visegrád Four countries, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, and to foster potential future collaborations.

You can find out more about the upcoming events at:

https://www.editbudapest.com/design-diaries

Partners:

The Faculty of Architecture and Design STU, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Łodzi, Academic Design Centre, Faculty of Multimedia Communications at Tomas Bata University Zlín, CHYBIK + KRISTOF Architects, Slovak Design Center

Graphic Design: ugly but useless

The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.