RAYA STEFANOVA
Living Soil is the graduation work of Raya Stefanova, who spent the last four years at the Academy of Design in Eindhoven, specialty Man and well-being in the class of Studio Formafantasma. In her work she focuses more on the careful study of a topic, rather than the production of a specific product. The latter is a carrier of her message and her idea to transform the status quo. So her work often goes beyond purely functional formats to provoke reflection.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I was born in Kazanluk and graduated the Eindhoven Design Academy. It was a natural path to take as my parents are also designers.
Do you remember what you dreamt of becoming when you were a child?
Designer.
Is there anyone in particular who has influenced your professional development?
The environment, in which I’ve lived, along with the people, books, events, music that are part of it.
How would you describe your work?
A keep a humanitarian approach to my work, or at least this what I strive at.
Tell us more about your work process:
I still don’t have a certain stereotype that I follow. You could say that I am in the process of searching, constantly experimenting and trying new things and everything is a bit chaotic, so it’s still impossible to put it in a frame.
Who are some of the other Bulgarian designers whose work you admire and follow?
I try to follow everything new related to the local cultural scene, even though I’m not always based in Bulgaria.
What is the professional achievement you are most proud of?
As I graduated recently, so far my biggest achievement is the successful graduation and in the four-year frame of the program, which is a rare thing for the Academy students. Otherwise I was very nicely surprised to see my project Living Soil featured in a photo session of Kinfolk magazine.
What is your dream project?
Not one, but many and various. But since my first year at the Academy I dream of making something related to the design education in Bulgaria, something that I will enrich the overall understanding and perception of design, one that will influence the young creatives and those around them.
What are some of your most recent plans and projects?
I work on several personal projects, but think more about collective work and collaborations.
What do you expect from your Milano participation?
Composites is a collective presentation and this is how I look at it. I think it is highly important for Bulgarian product design to be presented here and to be put against the international context of this important event. It will be useful for the participants, and hopefully for the Bulgarian audience as well.
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