Baba Akcja are Zosia, Monika and Klementyna, aged 30, 26 and 25. They met and studied together at the Industrial Design Department of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. They established the BabaAkcja group and started to design in 2005. All three are fond of travelling and exploring the world, thus from the very beginning they designed their projects together whilst being located in different settings – Warsaw, Porto, Dublin, Jerusalem and Berlin. Therefore they usually discuss their designs via Skype. Parts of their projects are created in different countries so they often only see the final result in airports! Although it sounds complicated, their method of collaborating seems to work so far! Currently Zosia and Monika live and work in Warsaw and Klementyna in Tel Aviv. They are all involved in graphic and product design. http://www.babaakcja.com

Have you always wanted to be product designers?

Zosia: I think so, yes, but I didn’t know what it was exactly.
Klementyna: Not at all, it was a spontaneous decision!
Monika: Yes.I always wanted to do what my parents do! My Dad is a designer and my Mum is an artist. I was observing them throughout my childhood and dreaming about doing the same thing.

Sophia table lamp

How did you get to where you are today and would you do anything differently?

BabaAkcja: We worked hard and had a lot of dreams. But this is just the beginning, we have lots of plans for the future!

Who helped you along the way?

BabaAkcja: The institutions that sponsored us, friends and family who helped without asking for anything in return – they crossed their fingers for us!
K: I worked once for a 90-year old blind scientist who was still conducting research and experiments and was an extremely important person in his field. To be so sharp and full of energy despite age and health is very inspiring for me.
M: People with open minds.

Influences?

BabaAkcja: Other designers such as Marti Guixe, Front Design, Droog as well as everyday life around us.

"Walk on the Grass" flipflops

What is the biggest problem in Polish society today and what is the most positive thing?

Z: Our biggest problem and the most positive thing is our history.
K: Changes (economical, cultural, political) – It’s fascinating to watch the country constantly developing and changing, but on the other hand it produces a lot of problems.

Do you feel ¨Polish or European?

BabaAkcja: We feel both Polish and European.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

BabaAkcja: To each other on Skype!

What couldn’t you live without?

BabaAkcja: Skype of course – that’s how we design in BabaAkcja

Dream purchase?

"Floppy CDR" - Recordable compact discs shaped like 3.5'' floppy disks

Z: Our Red Dot signed product.
M: A Harley Davidson for my Dad!

Favourite movie?

Z: Any move with Robert Redford.
K: A lot of them, but I have recently seen “Waltz with Bashir” and it really made an impression on me, especially as I have been living in Israel for the last two and half years.
M: Too many! I’m a film festival addict! In the last three months – “Cafe De Los Maestros” – a masterpiece!

Favourite European city and why?

Z: Warsaw and Lisbon- I feel at home in both of them.
K: In Europe it would be Warsaw, because I miss it! Then Berlin and Moscow. I like all sorts of East!
M: Bialystok, small but cozy – it is my hometown.

Desert island book?

Z: The Bible
K: I would probably grab whatever there was on my bedside table, at the moment it’s Eduardo Mendoza.
M: You never know how long you are going to stay there! So I would choose “Hopscotch” by Julio Cortázar – you can read this book front to back, back to front, following the page numbers, or in any random order – it never ends!

"Babki" Sandcastle moulds shaped like boobs

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Z: The thing is, I’m trying not to see myself anywhere
K: I don’t plan, I like the fact that life is unexpected.
M: In five years… traveling a lot (maybe with my new born children, hopefully, haha!)

Can you run in heels?

Babaakcja: If necessary we can even jump!

http://www.babaakcja.com