Chess A00
Kasia Rysiak and Paulina Mirowska
- where?
Pracownia Wschodnia, Hallera Square, entrance at 8 Skoczylasa Street
- what could we see?
From 2021, artists from Pracownia Wschodnia have been running a gallery, a printing studio, a photo darkroom, and a photo studio. Their former seat was located in Praga South at Lubelska Street. The authors of the project have been associated with Pracownia for over 10 years. The idea for A00 chess set was born during countless conversations over coffee. Artists Kasia Rysiak and Agnieszka Wach, exploring the rules of chess, decided to design their own set. Its genesis was the desire to have a chess set that would be characterized by elegance, contemporary design and noble materials. It is thanks to this place and people that the project was initiated and implemented. The premiere of the A00 set took place in 2019 for the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus. The name A00 comes from the chess openings. At the exhibition, we could understand the design and production process of the original A00 chess sets. Sketches, models in clay and plaster, casts, material and color tests, and prototypes were presented. The exhibition was also accompanied by the final two chess sets: A00, which was created for the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, and the Wulumulu set, which was designed for more mechanized production. The exhibition was complemented by photographs by Paulina Mirowska, taken by herself and prepared in the darkroom of Pracownia Wschodnia, presenting documentation of the production of the first chess set. The figures were carved by the sculptor Agnieszka Wach. Kasia Rysiak designed and sewed covers for the chessboards, and prepared drawings that were applied to the chessboards and graphic materials. The project was also carried out by: Łukasz Zembaty – a printer who made prints in the screen printing technique on boxes and chessboards; and Kuba Omalecki – a carpenter who made chessboards and boxes. The A00 set was created in a limited, collector’s edition.
- context?
ENERGY, WOMEN AND LUXURY. Implementation of the chess project required creative energy and involvement of specialists. A00 was created for people who like to spend time together during long, intellectual games. The authors of the project are women. Creating female craft has an important personal and social aspect for them. Women make up over 50% of the A00 chess production team and make up the majority of the buyers. The A00 chess sets are made of high-quality materials (beech, black oak), with respect for the environment and craftsmanship.
Kasia Rysiak – designer and visual artist, associated with Pracownia Wschodnia in Warsaw for almost a decade. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, the Faculty of Textiles and Clothing and the Faculty of Graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. She ran the Mamapiki clothing brand (2009-2016). Currently, she deals with photography, painting and design. Since 2021, she has been co-creating the Photo Department of Pracownia Wschodnia, where she implements versatile projects based on analog photography techniques.
Paulina Mirowska – visual artist and activist. Born in 1987 in Warsaw. A graduate of the Faculty of Multimedia Communication at the University of Arts in Poznań, majors in Photography and Graphics and Visual Communication. She has been working in the Studio of Photography at the Faculty of Graphic Arts of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw since 2011. She actively participates in independent group and individual activities, combining and developing the issues of analog photography, sculpture, graphic arts and self-publishing. Furthermore, she is a co-author of many social events and installations. Using her knowledge, she is socially engaged by various artistic activities. She is a member of the Grupa Jest collective, the Pracownia Wschodnia Association and the printing studio PHU Sitex www.paulinamirowska.eu, www.pracowniawschodnia.pl, www.grupajest.blogspot.com, www.phusitex.blogspot.com
The description uses extensive fragments of the text by Kasia Rysiak and Paulina Mirowska.