In Barbara Gollackner’s life, designing objects is an ever-present motive—she spent most of her childhood in her family’s cabinet-making shop, studied in the fields of textiles, products, and furniture design and founded the Studio Barbara Gollackner in Salzburg, in 2018. She has created many practical objects, all representing a creative concept—and most recently, she has found the answer to a very important question.
As a designer, your work is very diverse, but how would you describe your artwork in three words?
Minimal, thoughtful, sustainable.
Your design collections include dessert bowls, tea sets, coffee cups and other collections related to food. Do you have a special connection with gastronomy?
Yes! I come from a family where food and family meals play a very important role. Two of my closest friends are chefs, and we’ve been working together in various projects, for many years. I really appreciate a good meal and I think we should never forget how high-quality food and a nice dinner with friends affect our wellbeing.
You presented the Wastewear dinnerware with Austrian chef Martin Kilga at Vienna Design Week 2021, which is special because it is made from food waste. What process preceded the design? What technical background was required? Can you tell us about this?
I actually started this project nearly three years ago and it was a constant experience of trying and failing—I’m a very experimental and open-minded worker, and I tried a lot of different techniques with this project. I ended up using molding, pressing and 3D printing.
Do you think this could be a solution to the problem of food waste in the future, or was it just a unique design concept on your part?
Both! It was a unique design concept on my part, but I truly believe this could be a solution, as if I myself came this far in my little studio, what could a big company achieve?
Can you tell us about the future plans of the studio?
In my day-to-day work, I make all kinds of products—ranging from jewelry to tableware to whole interiors. I love this variety, hopefully, I can continue this and keep on working on experimental projects like “Wastewear.”
Photos: Kathrin Gollackner