You graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, where you chose the Gobelin Tapestry and Carpet Studio. At present you design carpets and cooperate with Joanna Rusin. Together you have won, among others, an reward for young designers - "Prodeco 2004". Why have you chosen carpets?

I have to admit that at the beginning of my studies I didn't plan to become a designer. Painting was my passion, and I planned to dedicate myself to it in the future. I chose the Gobelin Tapestry and Carpet Studio by accident, this wasn't a well-thought-out and conscious choice. In the Studio, we were encouraged to develop a free and individualized approach to designing, bearing in mind what we'd learnt about the history of carpets.

I soon realized that I could implement my unusual ideas to a practical field, such as carpet design. What became the essence of my designing was the attempt to discover a different point of view, in a way, give a new life, a new function to an existing object. In the meantime, I was went through a phase of being fascinated with oriental carpets, which presented beliefs and rituals by means of symbols and colours (e.g. in Asia people believe that a hand-woven carpet has a soul).

You previously dealt with artistic textiles - how is designing textiles different from designing carpets?

Indeed, I also graduated from the Department of Decorative Printing Design. The difference between designing a textile and a carpet boils down mainly to the difference in their functions. The artistic textile has a decorative function, whereas a carpet has to fulfil a functional role too - hence the restraints in applying certain ideas to a functional object.

One also has to take into account technological conditions which force the use of certain means of expression. However, the truth is that today, in the age of new technologies and unusual solutions, what used to be closely linked with typically artistic (gallery, museum) activities, now are used for mass-produced, functional products. For example, looking at fashion textiles, we can observe the use of different techniques (print, embroidery, appliqué, perforation), which a few years ago were reserved only to artistic textiles. In a way this is symptomatic of blurring the lines between art, design and crafts. That's why a functional product often has the features of a work of art.

You're cooperating with industry so you can compare working with other companies with being self-employed. Which of these two gives you more satisfaction?

Being self-employed gives you a sense of independence and allows you to get involved in a wider range of activities. It gives you the possibility of unrestrained creative work, doing niche projects, which are not accepted by industry. I'm responsible for everything - to some extent I need to be a manager, a producer, and finally a salesperson. I also have a direct contact with clients, and they have an impact on the design process. This requires a lot of involvement, certain personality traits, but the end effect may be very satisfactory. By contrast, things look differently when we work with other companies. Most frequently that boils down to doing a series of projects which will then be verified by the market.

Working within industry entails a number of limitations, both technological and financial, and also the pressure from the employer who is mainly focused on profits. One needs a lot of know-how, good intuition, experience, and it isn't easy to reconcile one's artistic ambitions with clients' expectations. Working for industry is one way of shaping the market and enhancing the recipients' awareness. These are two separate ways, but, in appropriate conditions, both of these working styles may bring lots of satisfaction.

You took part in trade fairs abroad - what are your recollections of that experience? Did those trips affect the development of your career?

It's definitely very important to promote one's work at prestigious trade fairs and design exhibitions. Thanks to them, there is a chance to find new buyers for one's products. It's difficult to succeed without being active, but frequently participation in such events entails financial limitations. The obstacles are often the costs of prototypes, technological improvements or advertising.

At the trade fairs, we did some networking, our products were quite popular, but the clients aimed at lowering the purchase cost significantly, and so that didn't translate to a direct financial success. The trips and the participation in the fairs had a positive impact on my career (press publications, invitations to subsequent trade fairs, exhibitions and competitions). They were also a chance to establish numerous contacts and get commissions from individual clients.

In June, you and Joanna Rusin got an invitation from the Silesian Castle of Art and Enterprise in Cieszyn. You organized a workshop for children there, with whom you designed and made carpets. What were the children's reactions such playing?

Yes, we conducted such a workshop - it was the first time we handled such a large group of children [laughter]. The main point was to show children what it means to "design" something. We wanted them to notice that each object - a carpet as well - has to be designed first. The children were given the task to come up with an idea for their own carpet and to make it from different materials.

The children were from different age groups - the younger ones often needed parents' help. And what impressed us most was this cooperation between the parents and children. The parents got very much involved and we could see that they had real fun designing. The children had lots of questions and ideas how to make their carpets. I know that some time after the workshop an exhibition was organized to show the works that were created, and the photos from that event can be viewed at the Castle's website (http://www.zamekcieszyn.pl).

Speaking of children - how did the idea for toy carpets come about? These carpets have become something easily recognizable.

Well, yes, it all began with the "Prodeco" competition. This was our response to the topic "A Creative Interpretation of the Style from the Golden Years of Polish Design (the 50s and 60s)." We came up with the ideas for avant-garde carpets that we made them of felt (Cars, Drops), and which users could finish up using multiplied elements.

Our goal was to show an object which already exists, but from a different perspective - not only a decoration, but also a new function. A carpet doesn't have to be traditional, serious, but it could also involve fun.

This way we discovered new and surprising values, new functions. We had lots of ideas, for example, a squeaking carpet, which squeaks when people walk on it. I hope we will carry out many of those projects.

And what are your plans for the nearest future? Joint projects or working alone?

I'll certainly carry out my own projects, but Joanna and I understand each other very well with regard to designing and, as you mentioned, we share some works in the form of carpet puzzles. Our quest is similar. Recently we "transferred" carpets into the third dimension [laughter] - we made a 3D carpet. We'd like to follow that path. I'm also planning to focus more on the promotion of the works that already exist. The first exhibition is planned in Bratislava, then the next one, which will be devoted to lace, in Liberec.