MD Lab

Laboratory of Mindful Design
Wroclaw Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Faculty of Interior Architecture and Design (PL)

Dominika Sobolewska / visual artist, exhibition designer, curator
Sebastian Sobótka / programmer, artist and designer
Ivan Juarez  visual artist, exhibition designer, illustrator
Michał Majewski / architect, designer of spaces and socially engaged activities
Ola Bigańska / interior & exhibition designer

Name of the course: Designing Interactive Spaces and Objects
Department of Interior Architecture
Full-time MA studies, years: I, II
Number of students: 16 people on average per semester

How do we perceive design? How do we act? What is our goal? 

The present reality, full of new technologies and intuitive tools and the increasing popularity of innovative forms of communication has created new types of space, time, identity, duration, and availability.
This state of affairs forces us to rethink the obligations of design itself, concentrating its efforts on blazing new communication trails in the human-environment relation. Design of today opens new perspectives, creating new spaces for empathy, criticism, speculation, performative actions and social missions.
We design not only architecture, interiors, products, accessories, but also systems, collective thinking and design processes themselves. What does this mean in practice?
Properly arranged ‘designing’ of design, considering the dynamics of civilizational and cultural changes, can be a driving force in shaping new lifestyles: social behavior and patterns.
Therefore, it will not be an exaggeration to see design as a powerful tool for redefining customs, identities and for promoting Social Innovation.
Actions carried out within the Mindful Design Lab are a tangible attempt to prove this thesis. The Laboratory is a platform focused on critical practices, interdisciplinary research and comprehensive teaching to generate innovative art & design solutions.