Liege’s Musée de la vie wallonne (Museum of Walloon Life) will house the exhibition JOUET STAR until 31 December 2016. During the summer months, the exhibition will include the large-scale open-air exhibit Nieposkromiona potrzeba frajdy (Irrepressible need for joy) which is the brainchild of the Krakow Ethnographic Museum. Many items from the exhibit were displayed at the 2013 International Design Biennial in Saint Etienne (they have also been shown in Paris, Brussels, Krakow and Warsaw.
The exhibition presents interactive urban mega-toys for children and adults, which are the result of a collaboration spanning several months between young Polish designers and craftsmen and women from the Krakow region. The objects on display in Liege were all thought up as representative of the effects caused when design and ethnography intertwine. The installations are reminiscent of traditional play areas, with examples being swings and carousels, but they also put us in mind of different children’s toys, such as windflowers. The designers derived their inspiration from the collections of the Krakow Ethnographic Museum, such as dowry chests, farming instruments, the traditional toys found in Lesser Poland or wycinanki, which are the paper collages so typical of central-eastern Europe. The objects created serve as a nod to both Polish decorative motifs and traditional techniques used in design, cutting or wicker weaving. They are the material expression of the notion that behind these ancient craft techniques is hidden an inextinguishable source of inspiration which combines contemporary design and applied art.
© Pierre Grasset Photographe
This exhibition will provide visitors with an opportunity to enjoy a joyful and interactive encounter with Polish culture !
The exhibition presents interactive urban mega-toys for children and adults, which are the result of a collaboration spanning several months between young Polish designers and craftsmen and women from the Krakow region. The objects on display in Liege were all thought up as representative of the effects caused when design and ethnography intertwine. The installations are reminiscent of traditional play areas, with examples being swings and carousels, but they also put us in mind of different children’s toys, such as windflowers. The designers derived their inspiration from the collections of the Krakow Ethnographic Museum, such as dowry chests, farming instruments, the traditional toys found in Lesser Poland or wycinanki, which are the paper collages so typical of central-eastern Europe. The objects created serve as a nod to both Polish decorative motifs and traditional techniques used in design, cutting or wicker weaving. They are the material expression of the notion that behind these ancient craft techniques is hidden an inextinguishable source of inspiration which combines contemporary design and applied art.
© Pierre Grasset Photographe
This exhibition will provide visitors with an opportunity to enjoy a joyful and interactive encounter with Polish culture !
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
>>> Musée de la Vie wallonne (Cour des Mineurs, 4000 Liège) – access
>>> 2 July > 31 August 2016 | Tuesday > Sunday | 9:30 > 18:00
>>> €5 | €4 (-26/65+) | €3 (children) | €1,25 (Article 27) | Free on first Sundays of the month
Information and booking: +32 (0)4 237 90 50 | +32 (0)4 237 90 60
Links
Jouet Star: http://www.provincedeliege.be/fr/mvw/expo?nid=9387
Musée de la Vie Wallonne: http://www.provincedeliege.be/fr/viewallonne
Musée ethnographique de Cracovie: http://etnomuzeum.eu/
Picture gallery
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Scheduled Arts 
