At this year’s Venice Design Week 2025, during the Light Selection exhibition, the Polish accent resonated particularly strongly. Aleksandra Mytnik and Katarzyna Serafin, young designers affiliated with the KEN University in Krakow, presented there their lamp LUMO – a project that redefines the relationship between object and user and opens the field to constant reinterpretation.
LUMO is not a lamp in the traditional sense. It is a system of modular elements whose final form is never closed. The user becomes a co-creator, deciding on the shape, the direction of the light and the configuration, thus constantly discovering new facets of an object that he or she apparently already knows. The lamp base is created from a rectangular sheet of black metal, subjected to laser cutting and appropriate bending. This process results in a structure that is easy to mass-produce, yet open to experimentation. It is complemented by two divided elements of the basic shape and rectangular light modules made using 3D printing technology from translucent resin. Built-in magnets allow the modules to be freely attached to the metal frame, making endless configurations possible. The key solution is to activate the light only when the module comes into contact with the base – a simple yet sophisticated mechanism that gives the design an interactive feel.
LUMO is an object that can be called a living organism of design. Its openness to experimentation means that it is constantly evolving and the user has a real influence on its form. The project has already been previously presented during the CONFIGURATIONS 2025 exhibition at the MiserArt space in Wrocław, and was also awarded a distinction in the first edition of the RE:Forma competition at Krosno Design Week. However, the presence at Venice Design Week is a special moment – it is the entry into the global design circuit and the representation of Polish design thought on one of the most important stages.
Aleksandra Mytnik and Katarzyna Serafin form a duo that consistently develops their design practice. They graduated with honours from the Faculty of Art and Design at the KEN University in Krakow, where they completed their studies with distinction, and are currently pursuing their Master’s degree in Art & Design. Aleksandra gained additional experience in Barcelona, studying at Llotja- Escola d’Art and Superior de Disseny, which enriched her perspective with an international context. Their work has already been presented at the Łódź Design Festival, where they were both finalists in the prestigious make me! competition, as well as in exhibitions as part of the Cracow Art Week KRAKERS in 2022 and 2025.
At the centre of their design thinking is openness, flexibility and user involvement. Mytnik and Serafin emphasise the importance of the relationship between object and human, as well as the conscious use of materials and technology. They believe that a well-designed object should combine functionality, aesthetics, simplicity and comfort – and it is these values that we find in LUMO.
design: Aleksandra Mytnik and Katarzyna Serafin
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