UT Joint Academic Project with Embassy of the Republic of Poland

As a part of a joint academic project between the University of Tehran and Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tehran, students of the Industrial Design Department of College of Fine Arts were tasked to design a piece of furniture that would combine the elements of Iranian and Polish cultures and could be placed in an Iranian-Polish house. Their designs are now being displayed in Tehran.

While keeping up with modern trends, the designers aimed to revive the cultural heritage of both Iran and Poland by synthesizing elements of different esthetics. The rediscovery of so many commonalities like cultural symbols, narrative themes and specific sensitivities produced a surprisingly harmonious and innovatory blend that was translated into practical forms.

All students were invited to choose a tangible or intangible element in the cultural heritage of the two countries. Some of them became immersed in the Polish stories and myths through the literature, films, texts, artistic works, monuments and tales. They extracted elements of Polish cultural heritage that could inspire a furniture, but also be linked to some phenomena in Iranian culture. Each project has been conceived on an element, a history, a monument, a craft technique or a trace belonging to the culture of each country. Each object or story chosen by the students was analyzed and transformed it into furniture design evoking distinctive emotions.

Young designers prepared 11 projects. Five of them have been produced by Behman Design company with the sponsorship of Embassy of the Republic of Poland.

In this project, young Iranian designers set out on a quest to showcase the richness of two cultures in
a new way.  Abundant in motives, colors and – above all – symbolism, Polish and Iranian art provided much of the inspiration, while up-to-date technology allowed them to create original works of applied art: design-intensive, high-end furniture.

During 2020 the students struggled not only with ideas and materials, but also with the pandemic situation which  interfered with the learning process, inhibiting their access to knowledge and interactions with their tutors. Despite the headwinds the project has been successfully finalized. We are all the more  pleased to invite you to appreciate its fascinating results.

Link to the website of the exhibition containing an online catalogue with a full description
of the project and the furniture and a virtual tour around the display:

https://www.gov.pl/web/iran-en/exhibition-of-furniture-inspired-by-iranian-and-polish-cultures