design

Beca Alcorta is a Berlin-based self-taught sculptural artist with a MA in Psychology, infusing her pearlescent, corals-like creations with what she knows about the human psyche and gothic aesthetic influences. In the exclusive interview, we delve into joy of working with randomness, adaptive and maladaptive illusions, never-before-felt hopelessness, and more.

“I believe that I can open the closed doors of your soul.” Polina Revunenko, Ukrainian metalsmith and designer, unveiled a sliver of her magical inner realm for us in an interview. In her jewellery collections, she uses a special casting technique, which makes the resulting jewellery appear molten and crudely wrought, reminiscent of some sort of mediaeval or druidic cult insignia.

The Czech ceramist and designer Johana Hnízdilová was always drawn to working with clay and making palpable art. Having studied illustration, she eventually abandoned screens for her passion, creating and finding purpose in manual craftsmanship, staying true to her own words: it is the needs of spirituality in today's rational world that I respond to in my work.

Anna Rusínová's pieces are reminiscent of amazing hybrids between fantastical marine flora and fauna or ancient artifacts wielding unseen powers. The Czech jewellery designer walked us through her chance life path to jewellery, imbuing custom pieces with the energy of their wearer, Ama pearl divers and more.

Shoshka took us on a walk through her inspiration garden. Or, more precisely, a seashore. Besides costumes and scenography, her main interest lies in one-of-a-kind jewellery made from found objects such as wild animal bones and teeth, snail shells or remnants of marine life paired with precious metals or freshwater pearls.

“I know I'm making beautiful things but self-doubt can be a powerful confidence killer.” Enter the world of Zdeněk Vacek, a high-end jeweller, goldsmith and co-founder of the envelope-pushing Zorya brand. In the below interview, Zdeněk introduces his new eponymous label, reveals what is his “seed of peace” when creating, and how jewellery can defy entrenched social rituals.

In a future world under the lizard rule, humans are no longer around to bow down to them. In cooperation with the brand Křehký for the Křehký Mikulov festival, annually showcasing the finest Czech glass, porcelain and wood design, we've envisioned a fragrant and lush post-civilisation world where free-roaming agamas socialise around the prettiest remnants of human activity. Welcome to another Swarm Production creation – Tomorrow's Heirlooms.

In her thesis installation Erebo, Anna Jožová turns to the ongoing mass extinction and ecological disaster. By exploring the interplay of various materials in geological time, the Prague-based artist warns of the looming approach of the eponymous Greek god of darkness, who, according to myth, was at the beginning and end of the universe, and whose return has never been closer.

Plody Erlanu, the new Czech ceramic design studio led by David Střeleček, blurs the line between utility and aesthetics. Having established themselves with their cutting-edge vision brought to reality and now reaping the first fruits of their labor, this is one brand to certainly keep your eye on. Dive into today’s interview to learn about Plody Erlanu’s mission, approach and plans for the future.

Oskar Zięta introduces the glossy, otherworldly apparitions made of polished steel coagulating to life in the family-run Zieta studio. These mirrors/objects with bionic silhouettes are made to resemble glimpses of the natural world in which they are often put on display, nearly merging.

What makes for a great font? What to look for in one? And do we even need new types? The duo behind Heavyweight, the renowned Prague-based type design service, answer these and other questions to the letter, offering a unique and well-founded perspective into the field of typography even for the uninitiated.

The objects Audrey Large crafts carry an ever-evolving aspect and aim to challenge our perception of surfaces. Exclusively for SWARM Mag, the French, Rotterdam-based artist wrote a series of in-depth insights about her most loved and intricate bodies of work, heavily influenced by American researcher Jane Bennet who centers her investigations around “vibrating matter”.

Czech digital artist and VR/AR format pioneer Michael Rosa is the talent behind our very first and incredible Instagram face filter titled, surprisingly, HEAVENLY BODIES. Rosa was kind enough to lift the curtain a little on his creative aims and processes in an exclusive interview. HEAVENLY BODIES available now for your pleasure, go play!

Czech Jewellery maker Ondřej Stára takes us on a tongue-in-cheek, gamified journey of a stark naked hero searching for magic artifacts in the woods. These include a bejewelled jockstrap, a roman sword bearing emojis, a flippable ring with various phallic symbols and more. Follow the hero's journey in a video in the article and learn more about him in the interview with the artist.

“Things that we don't see, master or know about worry us.” Brussels-based Naomi Gilon's artistic practice took a sharp turn after she discovered ceramics. The gnarly results of this transformational run-in draw on car tuning, science fiction, monsters or pop culture.

Trying their hand at predicting and outlining a future youth subculture aesthetic, German artist Ines Hanf presents their vision of a 2090 graphic and design trend, rooted in medieval sentiments filtered through black and death metal.

Following is an excerpt from the National Letters anthology compiled by Marek Nedelka, founder of Letter Books, which shows how the development and preserving of original writing systems, languages and alphabets helped to mould nations and set down their identities.

Dalibor Knapp's typographically and conceptually unique book painstakingly catalogues the echoes of colonial power structures in contemporary digital environment.