We won!

Adam Mickiewicz Institute are delighted to announce that the Polish Pavilion THE POETICS OF NECESSITY, designed by Zofia Jaworowska, Michał Sikorki, and Petro Vladimirov, has won the 2023 London Design Biennale Medal, awarded to the most outstanding overall contribution. Responding to the biennale theme of ‘The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations’, THE
POETICS OF NECESSITY, organised by Adam Mickiewicz Institute, explores how unexpected objects such as reclaimed windows emerge from the world of reuse, and crisis collaboration.

In times of crisis, especially when available resources change and shrink, the world relies on new communities and new processes. Designers have to divert from aesthetics to functionality while remaining creative in their work. The Poetics of Necessity aims to reinterpret objects and tools that spontaneously emerge in grassroots humanitarian aid activities. The installation is
inspired by the WINDOW project – a call to action to collect reusable windows, given by Poles to Ukrainians stripped of dignified living conditions as a result of war. Here, a building element, the humble window, transforms from waste into a chance for safety.
It becomes a transmitter of new relationships, a barometer of the most urgent needs. The window serves as a starting point for a discussion about new aesthetics in design in times of sudden geopolitical shifts.

Curators Zofia Jaworowska, Michał Sikorki, and Petro Vladimirov say: ‘We are thrilled we could share a project which is very close to our hearts with a wide, international public. Material reuse is definitely the future of architecture and has immense
social potential. Polish-Ukrainian solidarity is proof of that.’

Barbara Schabowska, Director of Adam Mickiewicz Institute says: ‘We are honoured to be awarded the most outstanding overall contribution medal at the London Design Biennale 2023. By capturing the essence of collaboration and solidarity, the
Poetics of Necessity presents a unique perspective on the war in Ukraine, showcasing how people can come together to support each other in difficult times. The windows collected and exhibited at LDB will travel to Ukraine in July.’

The Poetics of Necessity has been designed by Zofia Jaworowska, Michał Sikorki, and Petro Vladimirov. It constitutes an attempt to convey the relations and processes emerging during the time of crisis. The undertaking is divided into 3 stages: collecting the windows, presenting them at the exhibition, and sending them to Kyiv and Kharkiv, where they will serve as building material for people rebuilding their homes. As highlighted by the authors of the exposition, the exhibits will be made of waste turned into utility objects, thereby becoming synonyms of safety and foundations of dialogue.

This year’s London Design Biennale takes place in June under the theme “The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations.” International, interdisciplinary collaboration in the fields of architecture and design is key to grasping the meaning of the exhibition. For the first time in the history of the event, curatorial care is the responsibility of an entire institution – Nieuwe
Instituut, a Dutch museum of architecture, design, and digital culture, whose general and artistic director is Aric Chen.

IN SHORT: YAYYYYYYYYY!!