A futuristic vision of craftsmanship

Born in 1975, Oskar Zięta is an architect, artist, and process designer, as well as the CEO of Zieta Studio. He holds a doctorate from the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zürich, where he worked as a research assistant at the department of CAAD (Computer Aided Architectural Design). At ETH and as part of his own company, founded in 2010, he carried out research, development and implementation of steel stabilization technologies such as FIDU and 3+. He is the author of the iconic PLOPP stool (2008) and other inflated steel projects on the verge between sculpture and functional objects. Zięta’s creative activity has been recognised with the most important awards in the field of design, including Designpreis der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Award, Red Dot and Audi Mentor Preis. His works are in the collections of the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich, the Pinakothek in Munich and the Pompidou Center in Paris.

Craftsmanship represents the close relationship between man and material. I derive this concept from the work and experience of my father Jan and my grandfather Bolesław, who crushed steel with their own hands and heavy tools. In my work I use more sophisticated methods of processing. I am a blacksmith 4.0 who carves data, materialising it in the form of sculptures that give the impression of being subtly shaped by forces of nature.

We use many technically advanced machines, but none of them has yet replaced human work. Moreover, these machines need people to operate them. I start all my projects with a piece of paper and I make the sketches myself. I draw many times a day because this is the best way to communicate my thoughts and ideas to myself.

Our studio consists of a team of designers, graphic designers, steel processing technicians and many others. We make a lot of models by hand, create drawings, and often seek help from gifted craftspeople in finishing our objects. I also surround myself and am friends with many artists, who motivate me and broaden my horizons.

I suppose I can say that excellence doesn’t exist. We constantly strive for it, we develop new ideas and resolutions, it drives us, but if I knew what perfection is, what would there be left for me?