Wild design from Poland

27 februari 2014

On March 5, Nahuel Blaton and Sebastian Rypson (Anthropologists in Art – AiArt) will give a lecture on the bizarre eclectic design that originated in Poland during the nineties.

in Art – AiArt) will give a lecture on the bizarre eclectic design that originated in Poland during the nineties. This was part of the reaction to the collapse of the country’s explosive growth of a wide variety of capitalistic companies and initiatives. The tradition of Polish graphic design was put aside in pursuit of adapting a more Western style. The designers, mostly amateurs, had never been to the West, their knowlegde of Western design was mostly shaped by the knowledge of the people around them. Despite their aversion towards the old graphic styles and typographies from the Socialist era, these remnants did become a source of inspiration because of the lack of Western material. This resulted in design and advertisement that was both amateuristic and energetic. AiAirt describes it as the period of the Wild East: no rules, laws or clarity, everybody did anything to rise above the chaotic, fragmented Polish visual landscape.