Three Worlds – An Exhibition of Works by Students of the Faculty of Architecture, Bialystok University of Technology

30-04-2025

Four people are standing indoors in front of a black wall covered with boards displaying technical drawings and sketches of furniture and spatial structures. Three people are on the left, dressed in casual clothes—trousers, a skirt, and blouses. The fourth person, standing on the right, is gesturing with their hands as if explaining something to the others. In the foreground, there is an object resembling a seat or lounger, made from wicker and wood. In the background, other wicker elements are also visible.

Prototypes of furniture that merge traditional craftsmanship with contemporary mass production techniques can be seen at the “Three Worlds” exhibition at the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok University of Technology until 12 May 2025.

The exhibition Three Worlds – a creative combination of craftsmanship and modern production showcases the outcomes of the international BIP project “Three worlds – a creative combination of craftsmanship and modern production”, carried out by the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok University of Technology in cooperation with partner universities: Vilnius Kolegija (Lithuania) and Rezekne Academy of Technologies (Latvia).

– Together with Klaudia Kapla and colleagues from Lithuania and Latvia, we designed a multifunctional piece of furniture that serves as both a bedside table and a lamp – says Katarzyna Dąbrowska, a third-year architecture student at the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok University of Technology. – It’s a table with one of its legs made of vertically woven wicker, to which a light bulb is attached with a cord, acting as a lamp. The wicker below, just under the tabletop, can hold a book or a phone, for example. Everything is interwoven, which gives the piece stability, and is connected to a furniture board. Wicker is a fascinating and demanding material, but the final effect is fantastic, and I hope to use it again in the future.

For the students, it was the first opportunity to work with wicker.

– Wicker is such a material that you can make almost anything out of it – from small items to large objects, including furniture – says Stanisław Skórzak from the “SPLOT” Wicker Workshop, a craftsman with 40 years of experience in basketry and wickerwork. – It’s a universal material that grows in Poland – no need to search for it around the world. Wicker products are beautiful, but they are very time-consuming to make because no machines are involved. Handcrafting requires dedication and time, otherwise the material dries out.

The project involved students from the FORMA Student Research Group and their mentors: Aleksandra Jakuć, MA, and Assoc. Prof. Radosław Górski, PhD, Eng. Arch. (as project coordinators). Together with their colleagues from Lithuania and Latvia, students from the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok University of Technology worked on creating original furniture pieces that combine traditional craftsmanship with modern production technologies.

– I was really pleasantly surprised by this Faculty, by its size, and by how friendly the students and teachers are, and how enjoyable the collaboration has been – says Karila from Vilnius Kolegija, Lithuania. – I am very satisfied with the project. It’s not only about design, but also about teamwork, meeting new people, working with materials and crafts, and integrating this with traditional furniture-making.

As a result, unique objects were created using materials such as furniture boards and wicker – a response to the challenges of today’s world, including the growing disconnection between humans and nature, and the loss of cultural heritage.

The exhibition, located in the hall of the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok University of Technology at 11 Oskar Sosnowski Street, is open until 12 May – the Day of Bialystok University of Technology, celebrated as part of the 21st Podlasie Festival of Science and Art.

by jd, pc