Asteroid i półkotapczan. O polskim wzornictwie powojennym

Industrial design, like clothes and hairstyles, goes through changing trends. Something that was once widely considered innovative and genuinely interesting quite quickly becomes boring and outdated. But – as in fashion – every now and then there comes a wave of popularity for earlier, tried and tested solutions. 

Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed the great comeback of design from the 1950s and 60s. In Poland’s case, this era was marked by an additional factor, namely that projects were conceived within the system of a centrally-controlled economy and censorship. The period of the Polish People’s Republic didn’t foster creative freedom, nonetheless – as the author of this book shows – the fruits of artists’ work from this time deserve close attention. 

The book is a cross between a richly illustrated album and an interesting tale of designs made in Poland. Jasiołek doesn’t present them in chronological order but tries to show what it was like to work as a designer in a country where everything was in short supply and those shortages had to be constantly concealed. Designers had to demonstrate inventiveness and predict all the potential uses of the furniture, tools or homeware they created. Yet what seems to matter most in this book is the fact that artists never gave in to the temptation to neglect their work. And although manufacturing in communist countries was poor, the quality of industrial design was very high. 

Thanks to its clear layout and well-written story, Asteroid and Wall-Bed presents readers with items created in Poland in the second half of the 20th century, while also explaining how, by whom and for whom they were designed. As a result, for many people it may serve not just as a source of information but of inspiration as well.