Turbo-functionalism

TURBOFUNCTIONALISM is a project at the intersection of design and performance, the main goal of which is to explore the functional and ergonomic capabilities of one of KLER's furniture pieces, designed by Szymon Nowakowski and Dorota Piechocińska, winners of the 2013 Vision of Rest competition.

The project also refers to Roland Barthes' concept of "the death of the author," related to a situation in which a work begins to function beyond the creator's intention – it becomes autonomous and begins to live its own life. Barthes coined his concept in reference to literature, yet it can apply to all fields of art, including applied art. A design product, in contact and interaction with its user, can completely change its purpose. During use, the furniture may begin to function in a very unexpected way, and its ergonomics, in contact with a living organism, takes on a new dimension. The performer working with the furniture/object will place it in situations for which, it seems, it was not created. In this way, the furniture will reveal its turbofunctional character.

The exhibition can be seen at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Opole until June 22 of this year.