Aleksandra Kupidłowska {tag:studenci}, a graduate of interior design at Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Warszawie, demonstrated her project "zeTKNIJJ" at UpComing 2024, a series of objects that draw attention to the importance of furniture in supporting mental and physical well-being in times of intense visual stimuli.
Aleksandra Kupidłowska's "zeTKNIJ się" project consists of a series of objects representing the use of the senses in design, with the main goal of drawing attention to the needs of people who are particularly sensitive to tactile stimuli.
przyTUL - an armchair for hugging"
proj.: Aleksandra Kupidłowska
armchair to soothe the senses
The background for the creation of the designs was an analysis of post-1945 projects devoted to the issue of haptics, including in the context of tactile sensitivity. The "zeTKNI się" series of objects explores methods of dealing with sensory stimulation. The author draws attention to the often overlooked in favor of aesthetics, features of objects that affect other senses.
An example of a reversal of this trend is the przyTUL chair. It works primarily on the sense of touch, and is meant to induce tension and relaxation at the same time. The armchair was inspired by the need to support sensory-sensitive people such as those who are blind or on the autism spectrum. For such people, touch can be a unique source of discomfort or, on the contrary, serve as a soothing experience.
Sculpture as a manifesto on overstimulation
The next object in the series is the sculpture poCZUJ, which is the author's personal interpretation of touch as a uniquely sensitive sense. The promoter of this work is Professor Antoni Grabowski. To create the helmet, it was necessary to make a cast of the author's bust. Even this process underscores the author's idea of depicting excessive escrow for excessive sensory impressions. During the preparation of the casting, the author had her eyes, ears and mouth taped. Cutting off these senses made it impossible to feel the texture and temperature of the plaster being laid on the skin. At the same time, during the process, it was impossible to escape from the excess senses.
feel - a sculpture inspired by touch
proj.: Aleksandra Kupidłowska
Eventually, a sculpture was created in the form of a helmet, the top surface of which imitates a spiky cactus.
Ms. Aleksandra Kupidłowska's work is a unique design for an upholstered armchair that responds to the need for closeness and sensory comfort in a world full of visual stimuli. Combining traditional upholstered construction with an innovative approach to sensory perception, the armchair invites tranquility and regeneration through touch - a sense often neglected in the age of social media. The design expresses a modern approach to furniture that supports mental and physical well-being in times of intense visual stimuli.
- comments Dr. Jan Kochanski, supervisor of the thesis "przyTUL - an armchair for hugging".
UpComing 2024 exhibition
photo: Filip Piotrowicz
Sculpture poCZUJ
design: Aleksandra Kupidłowska
The project is one of the graduation works exhibited at the UpComing exhibition as part of this year's edition of the After school club project, which showcases selected graduation works by male and female graduates from nine departments of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The exhibition will run until June 22, 2025 at the Czapski Palace (Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, 5 Krakowskie Przedmieście Street).
