SĀR – a place created from scraps of design from around the world.
Photos: Ada Gruszka
There are places on the map of Warsaw that cannot be found in popular design guidebooks. One will also not recognize them by the signboard, because there simply is none. If by any chance you indeed find the place, it will be like entering a world that you do not wish to leave. A place where space-time is governed by simple laws, welcoming atmosphere and objects to discover, see and ultimately buy. This experience will transfer you to sunny Ahmedabad, Bangalore or Mumbai. The place is called SĀR – created from scraps of design, from different parts of the world. It is run by Julia Piekiełko – an artist, painter and former agent of film controllers in India, and her partner, Piotr Niemyjski – a cinematographer of Fear of Heights, Foreign Body, Wyrwa or Japanese films such as like Arc, Mitsubachi is enrai or Gukoroku.
Anna Domin: You have created a magical place incorporated with artistic craftsmanship from India, applied arts and design. Upon entering we lose our everyday life a bit and move into your world, strongly marked by experience and the road you have traveled. So maybe in order to understand what SĀR is, let’s go back in time and dive into your story, which is a bit like a good movie script…
Julia Piekiełko: The reference to the film is actually quite accurate, because we both come from the film industry, although from different parts of it. For us, this story is a combination of many aspects that made ours here and now. It is difficult to find the beginning today, but the fact that I lived in Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra, has a big impact on how this place looks and what objects can be found here.
It’s 2013, you live in Krakow, studying at the Academy of Fine Arts and working in a gallery … You are just getting information that the Film Polska production company is looking for someone to act as an agent for Polish performers on the Indian film market and in a moment it turns out that this person is you …
Julia: Yes, it is quite accurate, regardless this story is told in a very short way. At that time, the opportunity presented itself, and I knew I had to try it. I had a chance to do something new, get to know Indian culture from up close. I went to India sometime in November 2013 or 2014…I don’t remember exactly. I worked for 8 years as an agent of cinematographers from around the world for the Indian market, which is unusual and of course not limited only to the world of Bollywood productions, well known in Poland … And, what can I say, thanks to my work in the film industry, I met not only India, but also Piotr.
Piotr Niemyjski: I was working in Poland at the time, it was quite a difficult period in my life and I remember that this internet conversation with Julia was so far from what was happening at my place and suddenly everything was at my fingertips – a job offer in India. It’s winter here, and the sun was shining as if from behind her…
Julia: I was looking for a cinematographer for a specific director and I remember that someone recommended Piotr to me. My job was also to match the right operator to the specific requirements of the director. Contrary to how it may look from the outside, it was a very important process of finding the right person. Good selection was a guarantee that the project would come to fruition without any problems along the way.
So you went to India, Piotr?
Piotr: No, in the end I didn’t go, I didn’t take the job. In Poland, the shooting set is 30-40 days, in Japan, where I also work sometimes, it is 120 days, …India is a contract of at least 6 months, and even a year – at that time I couldn’t afford to leave Poland for such a long time, but Julia and I stayed in touch. Sometimes we talked, both professionally and later privately. A year and a half later, I was working on a film in Japan. I really wanted Julia to come to me, but the day before her flight they closed everything, a pandemic broke out.
Julia: On the other hand, I made a decision at the beginning of that year that I would return to Poland in June. I had tickets to Japan bought, everything planned. It was supposed to be such a journey before returning. Of course, I hadn’t considered quitting the agency at the time, but eventually I did. Covid shed an unexpected light on the situation. I had to decide what to do next: do I sit there and wait… Or leave – if the agency doesn’t make money, I don’t make money either. The total lockdown has had a huge impact on the film industry there.
Piotr: After returning to Poland, Julia had to go into quarantine. The hotels weren’t working, I had just bought a small apartment and I was going to Japan, so she stayed with me… And that is how it all started.
…And here begins your shared story and also the history of SĀR, a place that was born out of longing for India and probably also from passion for art, design and craftsmanship.
Julia: I missed India so much. It was winter, dark, just like now. I was looking for a way out of this and together we were wondering what could be done. I remember that various ideas of importing high-quality clothes appeared at that time. Anyway, earlier I imported clothes from India for my friends. I took notes, jotted down my thoughts, and I think somewhere in our conversation it came out that maybe since I have contacts, we know many artists, it’s a good idea to show this India from a completely different side, the one a bit undiscovered and underestimated by us – Europeans.
Piotr: From the beginning, we wanted this place to be in opposition to what we know as the India Shop. This place has a completely different aesthetic, although it is inspired by India.
Julia: We wanted to show this other side of Indian culture – I got to know simple Indian spaces there, this modern, minimalist style of India. We wanted to present here only such things that are unique, sometimes made in only one copy, at the same time of the highest quality, created by someone specific. Behind each of these items is a larger story.
The road from idea to implementation seems very distant, in the end you had to find the perfect place, create your brand, and renew contacts with suppliers or artists. It seems to be a process that is not so much time-consuming as even discouraging. How much time has passed from the very idea to its implementation and opening this place for all those who are looking for unique things?
Julia: In retrospect, not much, probably less than a year. I knew that if not now, then never – it was probably part of my agency nature. Piotr is very calm and likes to think things through several times.
Piotr: That’s true. Julia quickly moves to action, I’m rather splitting hairs. It took us a while to find the perfect place. We were already a bit discouraged when we came back from vacation to find what turned out to be the perfect place with huge potential with amazing space and light.
This is how SĀR was created, which although resembles a gallery, is actually more of a showroom or a concept store, because everything that is here can be bought. However, SĀR is probably something more … And it is probably worth explaining the name itself, because architects probably associate it with the Association of Polish Architects – SARP.
Julia: SĀR means essence or soul. The inspiration for the name was the book under the same title “Sār: The Essence of Indian Design” written by Rashmi Varma and Swapnaa Tamhane, Canadian Indians. An album that actually shows 200 items that define Indian design and craftsmanship. Then I started looking even deeper. It turned out that in addition to the fact that SĀR is the essence, it is also the name of the process of “how?” … But it can also be a soul, something sucked out of something, some kind of action rather than just a word describing a thing. I like it – it fits the space of our concept store.
However, SĀR is not only India, after all, we can also find brands or items of artists from various parts of Europe, also from our country, such as Agnieszka Bar glass, Pani Jurek lamps, which can be ordered from you, or even Toino Abel baskets from Portugal. Who of you is responsible for the selection for SĀR, what is the key that we can follow when thinking about this place?
Julia: We decide together. First of all, we need to feel these things, that they fit our concept and also that they fit into the whole collection of things, they somehow connect with each other. Most of these products are premium items, made of high-class materials, strongly supported by craft tradition and history. We want to show that Indian design can function with something that is completely modern, with Mrs. Jurek’s lamps or with furniture from the 19th century from Mr. Andrzej.
Piotr: … and also for security reasons, we cannot limit ourselves to deliveries from one country only, because we saw what was happening during the pandemic. To tell the truth, Julia certainly has a greater share in this selection than me, but, for example, furniture was my choice.
The SĀR collection consists of specially selected items and brands that create a whole. Most of them are utility items, corresponding to a specific daily activity.
Julia: We do not divide these things due to their origin or style, but because of the ritual. All the things that are here belong to specific groups related to a given ritual. And, for example, “Thread” is everything made of thread or woven, sets of plaids in the very rare Sujuni technique, created in Ahmedabad. Towels, our Ajrakh tablecloths, Runaway Bicycle clothing, a woven lamp and Toino Abel baskets. The next rituals are Meditation, Old Soul and Table. Of course, we also have old, Polish furniture and Pani Jurek lamps – they are outside the category of rituals, but they are on sale at Mostowa because they fit into the aesthetics of the place and our ideas about SĀR.
Piotr: Actually, there are also Julia’s works outside the categories, but we can’t imagine this place without her paintings and sculptures. They complement this place and also blend in perfectly with all the objects.
SĀR is also a lot of products created with this place in mind, and also available only from you, original collections that cannot be found anywhere else.
Julia: We are lucky enough to actually have a collective collaboration with several artists, such as Mandy Pang and her pottery, Moon Jars, and black pottery Holders and Pourers that were created especially for SĀR for the meditation zone. We also created incense for SĀR in cooperation with the AUURA brand by Ewa Darczuk. It is also a project that started a friendship and is a reflection of my Mumbai memories – the fragrance of Frangipani or CHAMPA is part of many beautiful Indian legends and stories, while OUD is a well-known, very exclusive ingredient in many perfumes. It is definitely important for us that each product is made by hand or using old craft techniques, because this is exactly what we want to celebrate here.
Piotr: Julia is a very creative person, she finishes one project and already has another one somewhere in her head. In the near future I’m leaving for a few months to work on a film for a Japanese director, which will be shot in Thailand and I’m already wondering how many new things will be created during that time.
Julia: Yes, I can’t stop, I feel dissatisfied when I don’t act. I also like to take care of every, even the smallest detail, but I also like to see the effect, and have a plan of steps. This is also probably a habit from working on films.
Meeting with you always means a lot of stories about things, techniques and beauty that is experienced in peace and quiet, because your concept store is also calming, and that is what we often lack these days. Although it is located on the tourist Mostowa Street, it is not easy to find here if you do not know the exact address.
Piotr: We don’t have a sign on purpose… At first we wanted to operate only online, but from the beginning we knew that it wouldn’t be good for us.
Julia: The more that these items have their own history. They are also very sensual, you have to see them. So we wanted to create a place like this, a bit hidden, where you will come to pick it up, to see it, but it will not be a place for random people. Of course, if such people end up here, it’s very nice. Our Instagram account has the exact address, door code, and most people come to us that way or through friends’ recommendations.
I must admit that your Instagram account sar_warsaw arouses curiosity, videos and photos are made with great attention to even the smallest detail and show how beautiful things can be found here …. Now I think that it shouldn’t surprise me, since you both worked, and you, Piotr, are still working on films…
Julia: Yes, it’s largely Piotr’s work, although we’re actually working on it together. We want to show not only the product, but how it behaves, arranges itself, for example, in the case of rugs. We wanted to show them in motion, this flexibility that defines the technique.
Piotr: Certainly, the advantage is that we can do a lot of things ourselves. On the other hand, Julia also needs time to paint and create. I’m actually on set all day, so it’s not easy either, but it’s definitely fun to see how people react to the place.
Julia: We are also working on opening an online store, giving the opportunity to order things to those who, for example, cannot reach us. This is the next stage and goal that we have set for ourselves … But there are many more ideas in our heads.
So I don’t think I need to wish you more ideas, instead many fruitful collective projects.