“More light” competition

Through its competitions, the Starak Family Foundation wishes to honour creators who are able to shape bold ideas into unique objects that give character to the space around them. We are interested in the narratives embodied in the objects created, the stories about their meaning, the tradition of creation, the search for perfection and the craftsmanship of their fabrication.

 

The Foundation intends to make the implementation of such projects possible. Projects that comprise original, unique works that are handmade or partly handmade using the technique and materials proposed by the creator. The works should be characterised by: an original concept, a non-trivial artistic premise and exceptional aesthetic values; but at the same time, they should be a direct response to the competition task. A project is to feature a work that has never been publicly displayed and has not received any awards.

 

Works can be inspired by the space and history of the palace in Obory, a Baroque manor probably designed by the prominent 17th-century architect Tylman van Gameren. It is a place marked by the macro-history of the country, the micro-histories of its successive owners and also by the presence of the legendary House of Creative Work of the Polish Writers’ Union, which used to host prominent figures of our culture for many decades. This history has been reflected in the reconstructions of the palace, in the changes to its functions, in the decorations and the materials used for making them, while at the same time, it has left no traces on the belongings or furnishings inside the house. We perceive the absence of such traces in this place (which is otherwise full of historical layers) as a creative potential for the competition participants, but more in a metaphorical and conceptual sense rather than in a literal one.