In our "Designer Icons" series today we look at Edyta Baranska, glass designer and owner of the Baranska Design studio. Immediatelyafter studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw under the legend of Polish design Zbigniew Horbowy, Edyta Baranska worked with the best glassworks in Poland and Norway, creating utility and design forms that combine utility with the artistic character of objects. She has participated in numerous insertions in Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Mexico and the USA, which has resulted in the presence of her works almost all over the world, including in thepermanent collections of the National Museum in Warsaw and Krakow, one of whose projects qualified for the collection of the 100 best projects in the history of the Republic of Poland.
Edyta Baranska at the "Uskrzydlone Pokolenia" exhibition.
© Baranska Design
1 Your adventure with glass began thanks to Professor Zbigniew Horbowe. What captivated you the most in this material?
Glass is an unpredictable, magical material... it has a hundred facets from transparent and smooth, to matte and rough, from colorless to a feria of colors, this material is impossible not to love.
Edyta Baranska's installation for Dubai Mall
photo by Artur Walczewski
2 You design both lamps, furniture and art installations. Which of these realizations give you the most joy on a daily basis?
New challenges give me the most joy. It doesn't matter if it's a lamp, a sculpture or a piece of furniture. For an artist, the most important thing is to create, to invent something new, to look for a new way.
"Flowing Clocks"
Photo. @pietruszkafotografia
3 Where do you get inspiration for your designs? Is it travel, nature, or maybe everyday life?
I think I'm most inspired by nature, especially on a macro scale - I'm fascinated by enlarging small elements of nature to large sizes, looking for textures, details, carvings.
A close-up of Edyta Baranska's lamps
© Baranska Design
4 What does your ideal day in the studio look like - from the first coffee to the last experiment with glass?
Often trivial, like any small businessman: emails, meetings, pricing, production supervision, but when I'm in the studio "after hours" or on a Saturday it's time to think about a new project. I'm an ADHD type, I go to bed in the evening and immediately get up, run to my notebook because a fantastic solution has just come to mind and I have to write it down immediately so I don't forget or else I won't fall asleep.
Lamps from Baranska Design
© Baranska Design
5. your designs combine beauty and functionality. How do you manage to reconcile these two worlds?
Reconciling these worlds is design, it is a necessity. If I want to be a designer then I have to be able to reconcile these two worlds. This does not mean that sometimes something goes into the trash.
6 Do you have your favorite glass or technique that you most like to experiment with?
My technique is fusing glass, but I've spent a lot of time in the past working with glassworks, so that's also my element.
Edyta Baranska
© Baranska Design
7 What makes your work so well received at international design exhibitions and fairs?
Customers in conversation with me say that you can see passion in my eyes. When I talk about what I do, it's always with energy and commitment. I love what I do, so I guess that's why the projects I create are received very positively, because I put all my energy and passion into them.
8.What is your creative process like - do you have rituals or habits that support creativity?
The project is born in my head, I often walk around with it for a while, analyze it, change it, and when I feel that this is already what I would like to put on paper, I draw. When I run out of time to hand in a project, I excel under pressure, often even better than when I have too much time.
10. What would you say to young designers who would like to work with glass and in the design world?
Compete in competitions! Take part in exhibitions for young people, show your work and don't be afraid of criticism, because you never know who will notice you and admire your work.
