Gallery of contemporary art and design "Vartai", 2019. having started annual exhibitions cycle dedicated to contemporary design, June 17. presents the second international exhibition of the cycle - "Personal Scale". In this exhibition of contemporary authorial design projects, as many as twenty individual and collaborative authors from different countries invite to a discussion about sustainability without any rules.
"The exhibition blurs the line between whether an object is handmade or industrial, made from new or recycled material, natural or synthetic, unique or cleverly mass-produced. Sustainability here is revealed not only in the material or the production method, but also in having a personal relationship, which allows us to get to know the objects around us better and questions the established relationship with them", say the curators of the "Personal Scale" exhibition, designers Marija Puipaitė and Vytautas Gečas.
Sustainability is not only in the production process
According to the curators, the theme of sustainability in design is usually developed as offering alternative solutions in the context of industry. The principle of production or consumption is not changed, only certain elements are replaced with more environmentally friendly ones, and sustainability in things is presented as an added value, but not a given. Although industrial design is intended to function globally, the object, on the contrary, functions on an intimate scale and individual choices have a real impact on sustainability.
"We raise questions about the concept of sustainable design itself. The problem of environmental pollution is being tried to be solved by offering other alternatives to mass consumption, basically not paying attention to human psychology, i.e. our relationship with things, while the things themselves can change us as consumers", say Marija Puipaitė and Vytautas Gečas.
It invites you to discover your relationship with design objects
In the "Personal Scale" exhibition, the theme of sustainability unfolds through individual creative practices while looking at the manufacturing industry. The scale of authorial design allows for a more dynamic and free-to-experiment response to the responsibilities of today's designer. These are rather reflections, references in known or only sensed problems, than direct comments in the context of sustainability, according to the curators of the exhibition.
Some of the presented practices can be or are already applied in mass production, others function to indicate the consumerism created by each created object, which manifests itself through material neuroticism or fragility. M. Puipaitė and V. Gečas question the sustainable solutions of design objects and invite to create an individual, critical position. Original design talks about things, allows you to get to know them better, and analyzes the established relationship with them. Designers emphasize that conceptuality, as an intellectual value, makes the object durable, intrinsically valuable, and therefore more sustainable.
The exhibition features famous domestic and foreign designers
According to Tomas Monginė, the manager of the contemporary art gallery "Vartai", contemporary art and design reflect today's and everyday issues, so inevitably the topic of sustainability is discussed in various discourses in creative processes and attracts extremely active interest from those around.
She also claims that the gallery's active work in the field of design in recent years has become important and visible not only in Lithuania, but also on the international design scene, so the "Personal Scale" exhibition is a unique opportunity to see famous Lithuanian and foreign authors.
"This year you will be able to see and buy truly unique works of contemporary design. From the most famous names like Oskar Zieta, Kiki & Joost to young progressive creators like Messgewand, Plasticiet, in the exhibition which will be open from June 17th. until July 23, the presented wide range of design perspectives and practices will intrigue, invite discussion, try and admire," says the manager of the contemporary art gallery "Vartai" about what awaits the visitors of the exhibition.
Exhibitors:
Agnė Kučerenkaitė (LT), Charlotte Jonckheer (BE), Corradino Garofalo (IT), Destroyers and Builders (BE), Joan Vellve Rafecas (SP), Joost van Bleiswijk (NL), Kiki van Eijk (NL), Kotryna Butautytė (LT ), Kodai Iwamoto (JP), Lennart Laurent (NL), Martynas Kazimierėnas (LT), Messgewand (NL/FR), Olivier van Herpt & Sander Wassink (NL), Oskar Zieta (PL), Pepe Heykoop (NL), Pierre Castignola (FR), Plasticiet (NL), Sarmite Polakova (LV), Sho Ota (JP).
Exhibition curators: Vytautas Gečas and Marija Puipaitė
