Habitat

Habitat is Katarzyna Józefowicz’s monumental sculpture composed of stacked pieces of miniature furniture. It ties into the idea of home – as directly referenced by the etymology of the title, habito being the Latin verb meaning “to reside” – and to the formation of liveable space. Yet, even upon first contact with the piece, it is evident that Habitat is not fit to live in and that calling it a miniature home would be erroneous. Constructing the piece, Józefowicz performed a unique transposition in which architecture becomes sculpture, with the essence of the exchange being rooted in a rejection of categories such as durability and utility, two premises at the foundation of European architecture. Paper, which the artist uses to make the individual elements, stands in direct opposition to these two qualities.

The concept behind Habitat evokes the idea of the home as an emotionally-imprinted dwelling space and a living, well-functioning machine: an architectural shell filled with items that people regularly interact with. In Józefowicz’s piece, the home is devoid of order, with the paper furnishings completely taking over the space. In the everyday setting, furnishings are practically transparent; we notice them most when they are either lacking or overly abundant, or when their form or malfunctions perturb us. Józefowicz’s work was also influenced by the feeling associated with an excess of things. The artist compared the furniture she was making with a wall unit, which is composed of several modules and is practical in theory. Wall units, which became very popular in Poland in the 70’s and 80’s, are an example of the standardisation and uniformity of design where apparent functionality displaces aesthetics and individuality. “I had this hideous wall unit in the room and I couldn’t get rid of it because it was a rented flat,” recalls the artist.

Józefowicz’s sculpture can be treated not only as an attempt to tame form, which shapes a space physically and emotionally, but also as a critical commentary on the stereotypical perception of the home as an expression of its inhabitant’s taste. It is also a reflection on Modernism’s – and especially its socialist embodiment’s – dehumanisation of residential architecture, its formalism, extreme utilitarianism and aesthetic homogeneity.

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