BREAKING LODZ

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Design © Francesca Muratore Photography © Alexandra Galambová

Design © Francesca Muratore

Interviews © Marta Alemany

Photography © Alexandra Galambová

Text © Roger Samperio, Fanny Banor, Marta Alemany, Alexandra Galambová

Interviews © Marta Alemany

Translation Kamila Krawczyk Text © Roger©Samperio, Fanny Banor, Marta Alemany, Alexandra Galambová Translation © Kamila Krawczyk

Text editor: Roger Samperio, Fanny Banor, Marta Alemany Photo editor: Alexandra Galambová Text editor: Roger Samperio, Fanny Banor, Marta Alemany Photo editor: Olga Alexandra Galambová Production: Zajkiewicz, Fanny Banor Production: Zajkiewicz, Fanny Banor Meritorical Olga support: Olga Zajkiewicz Meritorical support: Olga Zajkiewicz

Project Coordinator: Olga Zajkiewicz

Project Coordinator: Olga Zajkiewicz

Art Director: Francesca Muratore

Art Director: Francesca Muratore

Project Director: Micha� Piernikowski

Project Director: Micha� Piernikowski

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

or by any means, or electronic or mechanical, including any storage and retrieval means, electronic mechanical, including photocopy or photocopy any storageor and retrieval system, without persystem, in without in writing from the publisher. mission writingpermission from the publisher.

Konsekwencje

08—18/10/2015

INDEX

PERSONAL REPORTS ...........................................................................................

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INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................

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PART 1

Map .............................................................................................................

Timeline ....................................................................................................

The new face of the city ............................................................................

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PART 2

Studio Rygalik ...........................................................................................

Karl Scheibler’s Power Plant ...................................................................

Joanna Rusin ............................................................................................

MS2 .............................................................................................................

EC-5 ..........................................................................................................

Book Art Museum ......................................................................................

�adne Halo ................................................................................................

EC1 ............................................................................................................

Pan Tu Nie Sta� .........................................................................................

Wi-Ma ........................................................................................................

Fab Lab .....................................................................................................

28 43 48 61 66 79 84 96 102 115 120

CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................

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PERSONAL REPORTS

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I love to meet people, get to know how their life is and what their goals and dreams are.

For me, the most important thing is when you are doing an interview and the other person opens its heart to you. That magical moment occurs when you just go with the flow in the conversation between you and the person interviewed. It is a kind of love at first sight. And I felt it. Having this dialogues with these artists gave me the chance to learn a lot about them. Then, writing the text I could understand better their works and how the city of Lodz influenced them. Indeed, my old vision of the city does not longer exist. Now it is time to rediscover the city and try to find my own inspirations.

MARTA ALEMANY

I had this kind of project in my mind already for a long time. It was a helpful experience and a pleasure to realise it for Lodz Design Festival. Meetings with designers, creatives and all other people were really inspiring.

Each place we visited was charming and had a specific atmosphere.

For me as a photographer it was interesting to see the differences between designer´s workspaces. It was an adventure, things were changing during the process and sometimes even though we had things prepared our improvisation was needed.

Anyway, I am proud of our work which we did from zero point in an extremely short time.

I would like to continue with that kind of projects in future.

ALEXANDRA GALAMBOVÁ

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SPAIN

SLOVAKIA

OLGA ZAJKIEWICZ POLAND

ROGER SAMPERIO SPAIN

As a person who has grown up in the times of transformation for the state system, I have seen Lodz in its most depressing, hopelessness times and a bad “PR”.

I have also seen some historical buldings being destroyed, left alone, many times I have heard people saying that there is nothing in this city. That’s why I love guiding foreigners through the historical parts and through all the miracles that are to be discovered.

Because they’re able to be truly amazed with all those things which I love since I can remember.

After hearing other people sharing the same belief in the city, and working for its glory, I couldn’t be happier.

I am the kind of person who enjoys travelling, discovering and meeting new people, especially if these aspects are related to Poland. The beginning of this project was also the beginning of my own adventure in Lodz. It seemed to be a hard task, and a big responsibility too, to collaborate in such a project being this city a complete unknown to me. Step by step, thanks to the personal enthusiasm of my colleagues and to all those amazing visits to all these hidden magical places, also kept by their amazing people, I consider myself fortunate for having enriched my vision of Lodz. I want to see this not like the end of the road, but like the starting point for something different. Lodz has many great surprises waiting to be discovered, and that is what I will keep in my mind.

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I lived this project as a treasure hunt and I was not disappointed.

Day after day, meeting passionate individuals sharing their enthusiasm about the city and their work helped me catch a bit of the spirit of Lodz. During this adventure I went from one place to another not expecting that each of them would release a bit of history and magic.

Indeed, this time travel allowed me to see the beauty of a town which is often falsely described as a beast.

FANNY BANOR

It could happen to love a city at first sight or to appreciate it after knowing it deeply. The last one was my case. In fact, I learned how to admire Lodz after many months spent living here.

To illustrate my relationship with this city, I maybe could use the same words of the writer Italo Calvino utilized to describe the city of Agaura in his “Invisible Cities”: “So I wish to describe Agaura to you, sticking to what I personally saw and experienced, I should have to tell you that it is a colorless city, without character, planted there at random. But this would be not true, either: at certain hours, in certain places along the street, you see opening before you the hint of something unmistakable, rare, perhaps magnificent…”

FRANCESCA MURATORE

Lodz is a city that doesn’t show off, but it needs to be discovered and understood.

Working for this catalogue I had the opportunity to break the surface and becoming familiar with the history of buildings, 10

FRANCE

ITALY

to listen to people that with passion preserve the past events of the city and lay claim the heritage of Lodz.

Meeting designers and, in general, people involved in the cultural growth of this place was artistic and, above all, human inspiration. Their foresight, perseverance and diligence in their work to improve this city have been a great lesson that I will try to use in the future.

As a conclusion for this work, and almost at the end of my stay in Lodz, to my surprise I can declare that this city has won over me, that I have discovered how much beauty there is in these old industrial buildings around the city and how much inspiring care is in its citizens to make it a better place. Because of this special energy, Lodz has absolutely taken a place in my heart.

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INTRODUCTION

�ódz, Lodz or the boat (as it is translated into English) despite the inexistence of a main river, is a city with much more to offer than just a tricky name to pronounce. Indeed, along the streets, the former factories of the 19th century textile empire are still proudly standing. Some of them are brilliantly rehabilitated, and the other ones are waiting in the shadow whereas the time is consuming them. The first contact with this central Polish town might not be labelled as love at first sight, but its unusual atmosphere will make you wonder.

Walking around the different neighbourhoods, you can observe bricks which beyond their neglecting aspect are rich in stories and history.

Over the decades, they have been the witnesses of the construction of an industry, its ascent and finally its decline, but they might now become part of a new impulse that was initiated in the city a few years ago. You cannot stop in front of these red walls and miss the chance to meet the past, the present and, inevitably, the future of a non-well known place. By navigating through the pages of this publication you can take part in our quest to understand how this ship was able to go through storms, not to sink and still appear like getting ready for its forthcoming journey. The words and the pictures have been combined to bring to light the unexpected and pleasant discoveries Lodz has to show. They are the results of enriching visits, researches and meetings with part of the talented people who, thanks to their creativity and involvement, seem to give back a bit of the missing wind needful for the sails of the boat, which is not willing to remain at the dock.

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PART 1 15

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Old factories transformed into artistic or cultural spaces Surface area involved in the transformation Former factories now reconverted as public/private spaces or remaining abandoned

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Izrael K. Poznanski's empire - Manufaktura and MS2

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EC1 power plant

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Franz Ramischâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s factory - OFF

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Adolf Daube's factory

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Markus Silberstein's factory

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Scheibler factory warehouses - Lodz Art Center

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Scheibler's power station

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Book Art Museum

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Ludwik Geyer's white factory

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Scheibler workers' homes

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Wi-Ma

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Lodz Thread Factory Stock Society

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Ferdynand Goldner's factory

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Juliusz Heinzl's workers' houses

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Karol W. Scheibler's headquarters factory complex

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Scheibler's fire station

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Karol W. Scheibler's spinning mill

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Scheibler's factory hospital

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Karol W. Scheibler's new weaving mill

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Winkler and Gaertner's factory

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Josef Balle's factory

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Ernst Wever's factory

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Juliusz Kindermann's factory

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Zygmunt Richter's factory

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Fryderyk Wilhelm Schweikert's factory

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TIMELINE

Infographic about the variation in the number of inhabitants being related to the most important industrial, political and social changes in the city until 2000.

Biggest development of industry

Development of cultural activities (universities, cinemas, etc.)

Development of AvantGarde

1820

Request from R. Rembielinski to create an industry

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1835

Rembielinski recruits immigrants for the factories

Oil lamps in the streets of the city

1839

1842

1851

1864

Opening of K. Scheibler’s factory

Opening of T. Grohman’s factory

The start of mechanical revolution in L. Geyer’s factory

1855

End of duties related to transactions with Russia

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1870

Gas lamps in the streets of the city

Lodz: promised land for thousands of villagers

1875

1880

1907

Opening of the cotton industry of Wi-Ma

Poznanski’s cotton factory

Implantation of the biggest cotton mill by K. Scheibler

1879

Construction of houses for the workers

by K. Scheibler

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1910

Installation of electric lamps in the streets of the city

62,3 % of the national textile production is in Lodz

Starting point for the first power plant in Lodz: EC1

1918

Beginning of First World War

Power plant in Art Nouveau in ul. Tymienieckiego

1930

Scheibler & Ghroman: the biggest Polish textile empire

Reunification of Poland after 123 years of division

Opening of the Modern Art Museum

End of Second World War

1948

1991

Communism.

Nationalisation of most part of the industry

Closure of Poznanski’s factories

Collapse of the factories after the communism

1993

Closure of Uniontex

Unemployed people reaches to 85 000

1991 Opening of the Book Art Museum within the villa Grohman, original from the late 19th century

2001 First significant cultural events in the city like Fotofestiwal, first festival of photography in Poland

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CULTURAL CHANGES IN THE LAST 25 YEARS

2006 The first Design Festival takes place. Opening of Manufaktura, the biggest rehabilitated post- industrial complex in Europe

2007 EC1: Starting point for its rehabilitation as a cultural space

2008 The activist group called Fabrikanska initiates cultural actions in OFF Piotrkowska / Opening of MS2

2009 Opening of Andel´s first design hotel in Poland / Starting point for the Lodz Film Comission

2010 New strategy of the city to promote it as a cultural place: new logo design with a unique alphabet

2012 Creative actions in the building of Wi-Ma

2014 Opening of Art Inkubator in Tymienieckiego 25

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PART 2 27

STUDIO RYGALIK

STUDIO RYGALIK INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Our environment is full of objects that seem to exist just for one purpose: feeding a need. Train structures, squared windows, iron doors, etc. They are everyday heroes in our physical environment that are not often considered as such. When Tomek Rygalik walks through the streets, he finds a lot of inspiration in all of those devices and objects. The sign of a building may have a lot of items than can inspire him as a straightforward solution to build a structure or to provide a function, even to solve a problem with the right ethical approach. He was the rebel who left Poland to find individualism in the times of rationalism ideology to escape from one way of teaching. Nowadays, he combines all his knowledge in his studio and maybe, in his life.

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Above: Studio Rygalik in Warsaw.

Exterior of the building.

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Above: Portrait of Tomek and Gosia Rygalik

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Longevity, resourcefulness and the fitting purpose are the keys to understand the psychology and the goal of their works.

Studio Rygalik makes things happen with minimal meanings and limited resources.

Tomek Rygalik and his partner, Gosia Rygalik, are currently settled in Warsaw, in a kind of service building. Tomek Rygalik defines its studio as a multidisciplinary practice in the field of design. They work with the product design industry for furniture and also with a big amount of compositions in an international way.

“We are somewhere in between design and art sometimes, but the core of practice is the product design.” He is also teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw running the PG13 platform.

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On the right: Whiteboard of tasks to do

Tomek was an architect student at the Polytechnic in Lodz. He was not the typical narrow-minded person and he got bored really fast with the traditional education in Poland. After two years of education, he decided to move to New York, where he discovered the field of design.

He jumped from a stubborn and squared education system to a free and liberal way of learning which was so different, and even, so extreme for him.

When he arrived to New York he discovered that everything around, not only architecture, was the convinced design of someone. “It was liberating, really exciting. It was about thinking big. You know, like in the song of Frank Sinatra: “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

It is up to you, New York New York.” He had a lot to prove. It was the moment to stand out. After graduating in Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute in New York, he becomes post graduated in Design at the Royal College of Art in London.

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On the left: Tomek Rygalik with his collaborators in his studio in Warsaw

For some specific reason, he has always found himself better in the industrial areas of every city where he has settled down. The rough edges of the buildings and the industrial architecture of the cities became a big inspiration for him.

He transferred these details into a common language alongside his out-of-touch designs. When he was in New York he felt better in Brooklyn, and when he was in London, the East area was for him.

“I’m sure that my background coming from Lodz has influenced me in the way that I am looking for this type of environment”.

Lodz is a special place for him because it is where he grew up, developed him as a person and influenced him the most.

His biggest goal? To get rid of the unnecessary: things should be as simple and long-lasting as possible without falling into disuse or becoming out of fashion.

These are the challenges. This is something he got from his childhood when people were trying to produce things to be able to solve problems. The fitting purpose was on his mind even when he was a child. For him, design is there as a problem-solving of the current necessities.

No more, no less. “Beauty is in this delight which comes from simplicity and longevity that goes with it”. He says.

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Above: Publications of the Studio Rygalik works Below: Portfolio of Studio Rygalik

Giving power to individuals is when creativity comes up. The generation born during the 90’s retains this challenge: being different. They do not have any reservation or they do not hang back in relation with the previous time. This is what he shows to his students and in his designs; a combination of freedom and hands on it, giving the possibility for personal growing, but with a touch of rationalism, mixed with a practical and problem-solving thinking. Do you guess why?

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Studio Rygalik was established in 2006 by Tomek Rygalik. He studied architecture at the Technical University of Lodz. He continued his studies at the Pratt Institute in New York and lately at Royal College of Art in London. He worked with several design companies in New York city, and in 2003 he joined the RCA staff. For the first two years, Studio Rygalik was run between London and Lodz. Since 2009 the Studio is settled in Warsaw. This is when Gosia Rygalik joined the team to become a partner in 2012.

She graduated from the Design Department at Warsaw’s Academy of Fine Arts. She also studied at the Danmarks Designskole and worked with a design studio in Copenhagen. Studio Rygalik develops a wide variety of comprehensive projects. The focus is on furniture, products and spaces. Their work was exhibited all over the world in places like Berlin, London, Milan, Munich, Tokio, New York, Valencia, Vienna, etc.

There are international publications about Studio Rygalik in magazines and written press. www.studiorygalik.com studio@studiorygalik.com (48) 535 355 445 Wilcza, 12a 00-532 Warszawa 40

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KARL SCHEIBLER’S POWER PLANT

KARL SCHEIBLER’S POWER PLANT UL. TYMIENIECKIEGO 3/7

The power plant of Karl Scheibler erected in 1910 on its Tymienieckiego factory complex, carries out a paradox: it is simply huge, but not visible. Its area of implantation is connected to Art Inkubator, a project of Fabryka Sztuki which gives the space and opportunity to young creative people to start their business and to grow up in their artistic field for a 2 years residence. The first impression that you have when entering the station is that time and history have simply denied to go on. It is the main difference with the other complexes in the city; it has not been restored, or at least, not completely. The main project designed for this area, and based on the Polish laws, is to keep it as such due to its invaluable historical heritage; most of its machinery is still 44

there waiting to be discovered. Because of its structural state, not every place is now available to be visited. However, it would be untrue to say that it is completely abandoned; a former worker is now taking care of the area. Listening to his experiences you can rapidly imagine that it has become very familiar to him and the tracks of nostalgic stories can be easily drawn. Precisely this building maintains beautiful elements belonging to Art Nouveau, such as the stained glass windows and the staircase covered with ceramic tiles. Additionally, several foreigners have been able to appreciate the magic within the edifice; one of them was John Malkovich, who once was fortunate enough to have a dinner in the engines room: the heart of the electric power plant.

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Way to electrict powerplant from LAC

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Example (1) of original equipment in the plant

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Bricks. Before and after the renovation

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Example (2) of original equipment in the plant

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Entrance connected to Art Inkubator

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Stairs in the main room of power plant

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Space in front of the plant

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Example (3) of original equipment in the plant

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The electric power plant from the outside

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Detail of the original machinery

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Example of architecture in the area

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Main room. Original machinery

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Oldest building in Lodz

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Ceramic tails. Entrance of the building

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The electric power plant from the inside

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JOANNA RUSIN

JOANNA RUSIN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Made of wool felt combined with other materials, her carpets have travelled all over the world. Joanna Rusin is known for how she is providing a new way of making carpets; an object that have been with us for a long time. Meanwhile the world keeps on talking about her designs, the stamp machines and her hands do not stop moving in her atelier in Lodz. Located in Scheibler’s factory, she did not betray the past of the former textile factory.

Before graduating at the Fabrics and Clothing Faculty at the Academy of Fine Arts of Lodz, she started to work in the carpet industry. She had the feeling that something brand-new was missing in that area that was just offering very conservative designs. “I had the desire to make something completely new, some kind of my own vision”, Joanna says. That was the moment when one of the most famous carpets came out: “the puzzle carpet”.

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Above: Logo of Joanna Rusin

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Above, on the left: Detail of the carpet Above, on the right: Joanna Rusin on her puzzle carpet Below: Machinery and tools used in her works

Everything started with the contest “Prodeco”, which was organised by Elle Decoration. The task was to interpret Polish industrial design from the fifties and the sixties. The theme was compatible with her previous ideas to combine different elements in the carpet and make it interactive. She invited Agnieszka Crop to this project and they made the whole collection together. They won the first prize: “it was like catching the wind into the sails”, Joanna remembers. They started to work together, first with tab carpets, with small wheels, holes and little runabouts. It turned out that the concept of carpet had changed forever: now they would have more than one use, not only the “lyingdecorative” function, but also they could be a source for interacting and playing.

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When she talks about these interactive carpets she becomes more alive.

“For me, the most exciting thing in designing is the concept of DIY – creating something which could be lately processed or changed by users. It is present in most of my works; projects are designed in the way to be easy to modify or to fix”.

However, she also does designs for the industrial market. The material she uses, generally, is the felt because it is very ductile and natural. “In most cases I work with the wool felt which is really easy to be processed.” She explains. Other materials do not offer the same possibility to her.

The accessibility of local material is a big help, and she had the opportunity to use the felt from Lodz. But when the production of it was interrupted, she started to look for it in other cities. However, she is clear about the self-conscious ethics: “I could resign from the material that is made under inhumane conditions, which is cheaper, and I choose the one which is made, for example, in Europe.”

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Above, left: Publications with her works

Above, right: Wool felt, material used in her carpets

Below: Pictures of her creations

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Above: Carpet. Work in progress Below: Examples of her works

She defines herself as an introvert person in her job, she does everything alone enclosed in her workshop, step by step.

Joanna is not so used to have frequent meetings. “I just admire this process when I am at the studio and I do things like a craftman. The biggest euphoria takes place when I come up with an idea and I find the perfect solution just right after. That satisfies my creative needs”. Joanna says with an enthusiastic expression. What inspires her is random, she “invents everything”.

For example, by visiting a place completely beyond her working area or even by the textiles she sees every day.

Joanna Rusin is aware about how the industrial past of Lodz has influenced her.

“I am functioning here and this “salt of the Earth” what is natural in Lodz, suits me”. She loves observing millions of threads in the textile machines.

She has been working for a long time with the carpet mill Dywilan which has a great influence in Lodz. “I could feel the typical vibrations of the industrial places in Lodz which were truly inspiring me. It is quite abstract but it is explained in my works”.

Then, she tactfully touches with the fingertips a coaster she made from wool felt with Polish folk prints. “I am experimenting with other textile products and more unique techniques but they are not connected with carpets. Maybe it’ll become something bigger soon”.

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Joanna Rusin is a designer working on the border of textile and design. Since 2004 she manages a design studio. She mainly creates unique interior designs and alternative carpets which inspire the imagination of their users. She graduated at the Faculty of Textile and Fashion of the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. In 2002 she received a degree from the studio of Innovative Interior Object, Carpet and Tapestry and Graphics and Painting. In 2010 she received a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage “M�oda Polska” for young outstanding artists. Her works are found in the collections of the National Museum in Warsaw, Museum of Textile in Lodz and Museum of Toys in Kielce.

She has taken part in over 90 national and international exhibitions and she has been awarded prizes in many design competitions. In 2004 Elle Decoration Magazine granted her the title of the Best Young Designer in Prodeco Competition.

For many years she has been collaborating with the industry as the main designer of Dywilan S.A. www.joannarusin.com info@joannarusin.com (48) 503728371 58

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MS2

MS2 UL. OGRODOWA 19

Muzeum Sztuki in Lodz is one of the oldest museums of modern art in the world.

It has a large connection with the avantgarde movement. The history of the museum started when, in the late twenties, members from the artistic group “A.R.” decided to gather works of the most significant avant-garde artists at that time.

This initiative was one of the first steps in the development of the future museum collection. Nowadays there are three buildings belonging to Muzeum Sztuki: Ms, Ms2 and Muzeum Palac Herbsta. Ms2 is the latest space inaugurated in 2008 which is located in a privileged area of the city, very close to the shopping centre Manufaktura. This institution of contemporary art and expression combines perfectly with its former history and past.

In its three floors, we can perfectly taste the harmonious balance between tradition and new inspiring forms of artistic expression. Every step taken through 62

one of these rooms, leads to a different topic although, at the same time, it is easy to find a connection between the pieces of art exposed, but also with the room itself.

In this sense, the place does not remain static; it is a dynamic museum where beyond the possibility to feel art, you can also interact with it by participating in the temporary exhibitions and the projects related to culture in terms of experimental videos and art performances, including workshops and educational activities. Indeed, you can rapidly realize that this museum is more than an exhibition area; the whole building constitutes a starting point for other artists who want to realise their projects.

At the end of our visit, it is good to remember that it can also be found a café and a bookshop there – a good excuse for meetings and friendly discussions.

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Entrance of the building

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MS2. Book shop

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View of the building from the street

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MS2. Coffee bar

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Logo of MS2

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MS2. Coffee bar

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Entrance of the museum from Manufaktura

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Intern. Stairs detail

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Brochures of MS2

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MS2. Ticket office

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Permanent exposition of Modern Art

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MS2. Ticket office

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MS2, inside. Installation

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EC-5

EC-5 ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN

When you enter the hotel you can touch a big old radiator completely clean.

Keeping on walking you can also see a big reception with designed furniture. If you look carefully, you will see the red bricks on the walls and some wires that are not covered. This building is not under construction. Past and present meet in Hotel Tobaco in a very unique way thanks to EC-5 studio who designed the interior.

Luiza Jod�owska, one of the interior designers, believes that it is not a good idea to pretend something: “When we are creating something new, I don’t like to make some new forms which are fake. In our projects we are always trying to connect the old elements with the new ones.”

Hotel Tobaco is one of the most representative projects of this studio from Lodz. EC-5 bases its work on architecture, graphic, industrial, interior and product design.

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Above: Hotel Tobaco.

Main entrance

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Above: Contrast between old and new facada of the building Below: Luiza Jod�owska interior designer of Tobaco Hotel

Currently the hotel is located near to the city centre of Lodz, surrounded by old factories and residential houses.

The building itself gathers a lot of history and, for that reason, the architects and the interior designers did not want to hide its past. This complex was in 1895 a huge textile factory being Karol Kretschmer its owner. A few years after the First World War, besides the devastation, the factory changed its function: exactly in 1932 this place became the headquarters for the National Cigarette Factory. Their products were known worldwide. Because of the communism breakdown the tobacco production was also knocked down. All these buildings were partly destroyed.

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Above: Tobaco Hotel.

Hall Below: Restaurant at the hotel

It was the moment to start from scratch.

A Polish company from Warsaw bought the building, changed all the distribution and prepare it for being rehabilitated as houses and offices. A lot of construction elements were removed and replaced by new ones. That specific building, where Hotel Tobaco is today was totally changed. EC-5 had the commitment to design the interior. Every wall had to be rebuilt once again from the beginning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The main idea was to leave as much elements connected with the history as possible. In all places where it was viable we tried to leave some items that could be connected with the industrial character of this building.â&#x20AC;? Luiza explains. As the red bricks are something very characteristic of Lodz because it was the material from which the factories were made of. Whereas there are other original equipments of the factories that are visible, such as lights or radiators, some kind of pipes, steel elements, etc. All of them are combined with the new colourful furniture and other modern forms.

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Above: Conference room Middle: Hotel Tobaco.

Restaurant Below: Reception room

Their goal was to find the way to leave an impression of the old cigarette factory on the future hotel guests and, at the same time, to create a place full of life with a very contemporary atmosphere.

“We decided to make a sort of compilation of the industrial elements and some kind of contrast with a modern interpretation of the 50’s and 60’s designs. Those were the brilliant years for the tobacco factory. It is also a very refreshing style and not a common inward style in Lodz”. She says. EC-5 wanted to create something original, different than the other hotels in the city.

They achieved it without losing the grasp of its industrial background.

Colours are everywhere. The essence of the tobacco factory is more visible in the basement of the building, for example in the restaurant. Yellow connects each area. Grey, blue, violet and green form the common dominant palette all over the hotel. Inside the rooms there are very bright hues as well as multicolour paintings and graphics, both perfectly combined.

“The idea was to make some kind of boutique hotel, so we haven’t any limitations.”

Says Luiza, starry-eyed, like remembering when she decided to locate every chair and table in its place.

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EC-5 is a team of highly qualified architects committed to the areas of architecture and interior design as well as graphic, industrial and product design. They offer support and guidance in every phase of the investment project, starting with interior arrangement concepts, high quality visuals, detailed plans and blueprints, assistance in the selection of materials and furniture up to project supervision and coordination. They also design interiors of flats, lofts, residential houses, commercials, service and office buildings, as well as conference and training centres and hotels. They are able to provide support in the selection of material and equipment, project supervision as well as organizing and controlling the work construction. In the list of their partners you can find, for example, Arche, Ptak outlet, Budomal and also Amplifon.

One of the most known project realised by EC-5 is Hotel Tobaco, in Lodz. www.ec-5.com projekt@ec-5.com (48) 668493035 ul. Kopernika 62 Lok. 14 90-553 Lodz 76

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BOOK ART MUSEUM

BOOK ART MUSEUM TYMIENIECKIEGO 24

You would not expect this late 19th century villa, of degraded appearance, to hide within its walls so many treasures.

Indeed, in the living room of the original owner, the industrial Grohman, you can now find unique hand-printed books of which a few copies have the privilege to be part of the most prestigious libraries, such as the Vatican’s one.

Passing through the exquisite ballroom, a door merges with the wall and opens on the stairs leading down to the house’s heart. In fact, the basement is propitious to the discovery of different printing tools from different periods of time kept in a good shape and still active. Through80

out this labyrinth you can meet the founders of the museum, Janusz and Jadwiga Tryzno, who are still actively working after many years of dedication to the art of printing. They initiated, in 1980, an underground printing house allowing artists and writers to keep their freedom of speech during Communism as long as the number of copies were under one hundred, thus giving the books the status of manuscript and avoiding the censorship. The museum opened in 1993 and with the passing of time nothing changed; it is a capsule where the passionate ones can make the old techniques meet the technologies of our time.

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Book Art Museum.

Studio room

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Typography machine.

Room 1

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Arkadiusz Rogozinski, our guide

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Typography machine.

Detail (2)

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Example (1) of the books produced in the building

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Typography machine.

Detail (1)

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Example (2) of the books produced in the building

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Typography machine.

Room 2

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Example (3) of the books produced in the building

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Typography machine.

Detail (3)

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Originial piano and concert room

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Example of tools used in the laboratory

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Wall of old newspaper.

Detail

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Furniture where metal typefaces are kept

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ﾅ、DNE HALO

�ADNE HALO PUBLISHING COMPANY

They want to be honest about what they do. They do not feel like they are in a “fairy tale”. They want to show children that the real magic is in everyday life because if they are able to focus on what is around them, they could find really amazing things.

That is the policy of �adne Halo: they only publish stories that are in the daily life.

We are talking about the Lodz based graphic studio and publishing house �adne Halo. A young couple who built up their studio at their own house. They have a delicate and well-designed apartment out of the hustle and bustle of the city, exactly as their books are. Joanna Guszta and Maciek Blazniak are not just the minds behind �adne Halo, but also a nice couple who join together their creativity to stimulate each other and in sync help the creative energy to run. 24 hours 7 days per week.

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Above: Books published by �adne Halo

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Above: Joanna Guszta holding Niemapa creation Below: Niemapa.

Illustrations

From the very beginning they were connected to Lodz and that is what they want to show to the world: they are really influenced by the creative energy of the citizens and of the city itself. In Joanna’s words: “Lodz has magnificent areas that are really atmospheric where you can feel the energy on the buildings. This is what inspires us a lot.”

Their words became true when Niemapa came out. The translation is “No map”, Joanna, Maciek and two moms are the authors. Inspired by the front page from an eighties’ map of the city, Niemapa is everything but not a map. They wanted to help the kids to get to know the city of Lodz in an easy and funny way. And they mastered it.

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On the left: Niemapa, map illustrated by Maciek Blazniak

Painted in a very simple but also really nice and joyful palette of colours, with a thick and high quality paper, it will not be easy for children to break it. There is no cartography of the streets; it is just a composition of places that shows some areas and the most important things that can be interesting for kids – and also for adults. Because for them: “The beauty of the city is not so obvious”. So, it is not a map for tourists, but it shows the magical places. Now they are planning to start a line of these “maps” of other Polish cities.

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“On Piotrkowska there is a fish shop which is very nice because the window is really small and the sign above is “Rybex”. We have always liked the appearance of this place so we put a fish shop in our book.” Joanna speaks abouts Lodz and its historical background. The print of the city is visible alongside any other �adne Halo works.

In their book Sklepy, to go shopping becomes an adventure with no ending. It is also a good example of how the urban structure of the city influenced their work.

What remains steadily on their creative process is the clout of the city buildings.

There is always a hidden green sprout waiting to be discovered.

“When we travel by train we watch throughout the window and we see some really chaotic public spaces.

Some destroyed buildings that make your imagination really work and rethink how it should look. What we could do to make it look better. The problems of the city are really challenging”.

And Joanna stared at the window in silence with a smile on her face.

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Above: “Shops”, the application for mobile phone inspired by a book of �adne Halo

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�adne Halo is both an independent publishing company and a graphic design studio in Lodz.

They publish unique stories combining high quality with Polish designs. Maciek Blazniak is a graphic designer, illustrator and the author of books for children. He studied at The Higher School of Art and Design in Lodz. In 2010 he established a publishing house for children and the graphic studio �adne Halo. His graphic design applications received several important awards including the “Red Dot Design Award”.

In the year 2011 Joanna Guszta joined �adne Halo. She has become also its co-founder. She studied sociology and politology at the University of Selesia in Katowice. She is the author of books for children, an occasional home-grown illustrator, combining textiles and paper. She organizes workshops, meetings and exhibitions to promote the independent publishing house for children. She also publishes online articles and interviews dedicated to illustrated books. www.ladne-halo.pl wydawnictwo@ladne-halo.pl studio@ladne-halo.pl ul. Srebrzynska 99/7 94-203 Lodz 94

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EC1

EC1 TARGOWA 1/3

This former electric power plant which was constructed in 1907, has amazingly combined its past with its present and its forthcoming future. The complex keeps its original name as one of the electric plants of the city. It also maintains its structure and a part of the equipment exactly as it was, but knowing how to take advantage of all its potential to completely develop new activities. Following this philosophy, several spaces of EC1 are currently used as conference rooms. Soon it will open a planetarium and a 3D Omnimax cinema which will be one of the most advanced in all Europe. It is remarkable to mention that it is currently running a project to develop, within the former plant, one of the biggest recording booth in the wor98

ld. However, this space will never forget its past; there are actually exhibitions directly focusing on it as the station that supplied power to the city up until the year 2001. This has been possible in co-operation with the World Arts Foundation. When all the areas of the complex will be ready, it will serve as a cultural space hosting workshops, art exhibitions and other various events.

Also nearing completion, in the east wing of EC1 it can be found a new Film Art Centre. Not less impressive are the fantastic views that can be taken from the buildings’ roof and the top of the remaining cooling tower, including the new train station which is under construction and will create new opportunities for Lodz to grow.

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EC1. Main entrance

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Inside. Example of the industrial structure (1)

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EC1 building

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Corridor linking two parts of the plant

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EC1. Art Nouveau Hall

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Inside. Example of the industrial structure (2)

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EC1. Art Nouveau Hall.

Roof detail

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Exhibition room and chill out zone

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Command room of the plant

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View from the top of EC1

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Command room. Detail of the equipment

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Construction of the new train station next to the plant.

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Example of the original machinery

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PAN TU NIE STAŁ

PAN TU NIE STAŁ TEXTILE-CLOTHING COMPANY

Sometimes it is better not to look back, and as in this case, to avoid getting ambushed in the past or in the what-could-have-been. Occasionally there is a reason to go back in time and to get inspiration from what was part of history. This is on what a young couple from Lodz came up with. They dogged up in those unnoticed objects from the communist period in Poland. All these perfectly designed objects, old illustrations, industrial designs made during this historical period that became their diamond in the rough. And this is how their love story with design began in 2006.

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Above: Sign of Pan Tu Nie Sta� in OFF Piotrkowska

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Above: Maciek Lebiedowicz, one of the founders of the brand Below: Example of things to be sold in the shop

It was in a special trade fair in Warsaw called “Przetwory” where Pan tu nie sta� took their first steps. Justyna Burzynska and Maciek Lebiedowicz just started selling their own products inspired by good Polish designs: t-shirts, jumpers, dresses. It turned out that they achieved an extremely favourable customer reception. People loved so much their stuff that, a few months later, they opened their first shop in the city of Lodz.

The Polish folklore unleashes their creativity. They try to make every single item special, but also offbeat. Their designs are inspired by all the elements that appear in the Polish culture: graphics, vocabulary and the everyday life. They add some humorous elements to them, also combined with old industrial designs and graphics.

But primarily they play with words. They pick up the ones that are a little bit into disuse, not typical and ambiguous. As is the case of the slogan “Dzia�ka – moje hobby”, which can be understood in several different ways in Polish.

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Above: Sign designed in the style of Communist period Below: Maciek showing their creations

“Simply: don’t step in the queue”. This is what Maciek answered after being asked about their name Pan tu nie sta�. Nowadays it is not so popular to use long sentences for a brand’s name and this is why they found it really interesting. Recalling his exact words: “This one turned out to be the catchiest. It’s very hard to translate it into English. We had a few translations but the name is too Polish.”

But not only their brand name is too Polish: Poland and Lodz´s culture are also present in the manufacturing process.

Around 95 percent of their products are made from beginning to end in Lodz: labels, sweaters, overprints and the sewing process. They put emphasis on their origin for everything they make. Their slogan is “Lodz to takie miasto w Polsce” (“Lodz is the city in Poland”). He thinks that people identify their brand with the city.

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Above: Corner for books present in the shop.

Pan tu nie sta� has three shops: one in Lodz, one in Warsaw and another one in Krakow. In each of them the track of Lodz is non-negotiable. At no moment they betray their local designs because of the location. The most famous shop is located in Off Piotrkowska; the area where all initiatives such as theirs can be realised. They think that they only fit in there: “I believe that this is an ideal place for our brand. We don´t suit with a shopping mall or any other place.” Where they chose to be located also defines their way of thinking: they do not like big chains, they like local things that can be identified as Polish and made in Lodz. Their next adventure will take place in Piotrkowska, in the shop Bardzo Rozsadnie, where a big amount of objects such as illustrations, books, notebooks, all designed together with other Polish artists, will be on sale.

“The city itself has a lack of aesthetics, but at the same time, it is really charming and many people love these scruffy bricks and old factories”, Maciek says. So for all the fashion and treasure hunters seeking for a fresh, alternative and Polish designs in Pan tu nie sta�, they can find what they want. Lodz is tangible in each sock, hat, scarf, dress, pullover, book, etc. It is almost impossible not to be captivated by just seeing their products. Be aware of that!

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Below: Examples of goods that can be found in the shop

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Justyna Burzynska and Maciek Lebiedowicz are the founders of Pan tu nie sta�. In 2006 they started to write a blog focused on promoting the good Polish design. In 2009 they opened their first shop in Lodz. One year later they got the award “Punkt dla Lodzi” which was the appreciation of their creative work. In 2011 they won two competitions and they were also awarded in “Must have” poll of Lodz Design Festival. In 2012 they won a prize in European Design Festival, and in 2014 they got the prize for “Best Shop Concept”. They participated in many other international exhibitions, for example in Berlin, Tokio, Stockholm, etc. Nowadays you can find their shops in Lodz, Warsaw and Krakow, but you can also order their products via e-shop. www.pantuniestal.com (48) 797 892 609 Piotrkowska 138/140, 90-062 Lodz 112

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WI-MA

WI-MA AL. PI�SUDSKIEGO 135

Widzewska Manufaktura is still the name of this complex erected in 1874,

by Julius Kunitzer along with Juliusz Heinzel. It is better known as Wi-Ma, a shorter way to refer to a place where the historical inheritance is clearly visible. Apart from being an important cotton factory, it was also the setting of one of the saddest episodes of the city, when a large group of workers were brutally repressed by the soldiers of the Russian Empire after carrying out demonstrations set aside to fight for their rights.

Fortunately, nowadays this former company has been able to find a way to prepare itself for the present time after a dark period. Indeed due to economical reasons the firm was forced to close and to sell elements of its legacy that were defining it as successful.

Therefore it is not the best place for visitors avid of old textile machines. Wi-Ma is now living a bright time that is clearly 116

more powerful thanks to the embrace of the new generation of Polish entrepreneurs, which are transforming the huge complex while respecting its bright past as a working space. One quick tour around the area can lead us to many interesting and different types of projects as the following examples: the conversion of old cars engines and bicycles into electric ones, designers, a theatre photographic, music, and animation studios, etc. And of course, we cannot forget about persons strongly connected to the location by working with textile. As the president/property manager Stanis�aw Zareba said, there were not so many opportunities for young people during Socialism. Mr. Zareba remembers how hard it was to realise its own ideas. That is why he tries to support ambitious people and artists. “Future is in your hands. You can change it whenever you want.“

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Main entrance to the area of Wi-Ma

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PEVT. Polish old car reconverted into electric

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StanisĹ&#x201A;aw Zareba, Wi-Ma president

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PEVT Logo

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Wi-Ma. View from the inside (1)

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Bajkonur. Concert room

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Wi-Ma. View from the inside (2)

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Wi-Ma. Space used for developing animation

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Mural on one of the walls of the complex

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Wi-Ma. Atelier to print on clothes

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One of the multiple entrances to Wi-Ma

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Wi-Ma. Examples of old photographic cameras

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Wi-Ma. View from the inside (3). Detail

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FAB LAB

FAB LAB WORKSHOP

Is there anything that you want to build?

Have you recently read how to create a robot and you do not know where you can do it? There is a place in Lodz where you can find all the tools to shape your ideas. In 2013 the first Fab Lab arrived to Poland, in particular to an old factory called Wi-Ma in the city of Lodz. As you will see, the place where it is located is not by chance.

Their laboratory is a sort of technological magical yarn. There is equipment everywhere; some are for building things and creating machines and other spaces are just for building these tools to create devices. You can also find a robot with wooden legs or a kind of pink melting aluminium machine. But everything is chaotically organised. The mess is justified.

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Above: Workspace in Fab Lab. WI-MA

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On the left: Interior spaces in Fab Lab

The idea of Fab Lab maker spaces is one worldwide idea connected to people who want to build places to create, to innovate and to do something together in an open space.

That is the concept of the Do It Yourself (DIY). And that is what Krzysztof Piech, Krzysztof Kalinowski and Marcin Zaród started to discuss three years ago in order to open this place for the local community in Lodz.

They organised some events to connect people around the country who shared this point of view. Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign they gathered enough money to start renovating the place of work and to adequate it to their different areas and projects.

They chose the old textile industry Wi-Ma to settle down Fab Lab, a place without barriers for creativity where talent is never inexhaustible. This big place embraces their purpose: “To be able to create crazy and big things without any restriction”. It is the fertile land for the creative industry in Lodz. “Wi-Ma has a kind of ecosystem that encourages our way to create.”

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Above: Gregory Belica (vice president) and Krzysztof Piech (founder and president)

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Somehow, Fab Lab promotes the idea of going back to the past. Gregory Belica, the vice president of Fab Lab, thinks that Lodz is a very specific place due to its history. After the communist revolution people had the need to find a way to create things by themselves. After the 90’s, Belica’s generation had to confront another situation: the aggressive capitalism. Everything was fast and easy: all the things were bought and trashed. “We have the great need to build something by our hands. To create something new. This is how started the Do it Yourself revolution in Poland”. Gregory claims.

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On the right: Workshop Fab Lab. Details.

The concept of being the builders also fits with their intention to be “an open laboratory of ideas”. They want to create a kind of ecosystem of prototyping where everyone shares its knowledge directly by using tools, not books. That means a sort of open academy without lessons: only ideas growing from hand to hand. Lodz is also characteristic because every day there are more organisations, start-ups that rebuild objects, people who renovate and do art, who create technical devices.

“Fab Lab just offers the chance to all this people to do it together or separately, but this is the right place for them!”. Gregory asserts with a mischievous look.

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Fab Lab in Lodz was the first worldwide concept of this kind in Poland. It started in 2013 thanks to thefounders Krzysztof Piech, Krzysztof Kalinowski and Marcin Zaród who started thinking about the project in 2012. Another important name in its foundation is Gregory Belica, the vice president. Their plan is to open an academy for people willing to invent and build new things, but that does not possess the necessary equipments or space to accomplish it. Fab Lab foundation offers an interesting working place in an industrial area; Wi-Ma, in Lodz. They organise events and workshops too. The main idea is to bring people together to innovate. www.fablablodz.org krzysztof.piech@fablablodz.org grzegorz.belica@fablablodz.org (48) 600 815 819 (48) 796 043 999 Al. Pi�sudskiego 135 92-318 Lodz 130

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CONCLUSION

Some people say that Lodz is the ugly duckling of Poland. It is an industrial city without a marvellous old town or streets full of colours.

Here everything is real and it is up to you, in case you are interested, to go further, to open your mind and to let your imagination run free.

But not everything is hard to see. The creative and vibrant minds are always trying to make something unique. Those are the ones who shine. Maybe you have to work on the city to find its beauty and to grasp its essence. It is not as easy as in other places. But this is the challenge, isn’t it?

All the interviewed in the publication agree that there is always something going on in Lodz. Talent is released as the city is doing it better and better. However, there is a common point in all of their fields, they all want to do something by hand. The communist background gave them a practice that they did not notice until they were adults.

They do not have fear, they just believe in themselves to transform their ideas into reality. And always with their own hands, with no limitations whatsoever.

Because in Lodz everything is possible.

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TO LEARN MORE We would like to recommend for further researches:

PUBLICATIONS: - Galeria Urban Forms : Wielkoformatowe murale w �odzi / Fundacja Urban Forms. [Ozorków] - �ódz : Ksiezy M�yn Dom - �ódzkie murale: Niedoceniona grafika uzytkowa PRL-u / Bartosz Stepien. - �ódz: Ksiezy M�yn Dom - �ódzkie neony: Zapomniane per�y wzornictwa PRL-u / Bartosz Stepien - Spacerownik �ódzki, Bonis�awski R., Podolska J., Biblioteka Gazety Wyborczej, �ódz, [2008] - �ódzki Fotospacerownik w czasie i przestrzeni, Brajter Stefan, Agora SA, �ódz, [2009] - �ódz, Przewodnik Fu:turystyczny z 1899, Marta Sk�odowska, Wyd. Urzad Miasta �odzi, �ódz, [2009] - Spacerownik �ódzki 2, Bomanowska M., Bonis�awski R.,Podolska J., Agora SA, �ódz, [2010] - Wydawniczy Micha� Kolinski, [2010] - Fundacja Urban Forms, [2012] - Wydawniczy Micha� Kolinski, cop. [2014]

ONLINE: - Kreatywna �ódz: http://www.kreatywna.lodz.pl - Magazine PURPOSE: www.purpose.com.pl - Statistical Office in Lodz: http://lodz.stat.gov.pl/en/

APPS: - Odkoduj �ódz: http://odkodujlodz.pl – Innowacyjny system informacji turystycznej [Made by MobileMS] 135

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THANKS

We would like to thank the people without whom this project would not have been possible: - Stanis�aw Zareba from Wi-Ma. - Arkadiusz Rogozinski from Book Art Museum.

- Andrzej Szkudlarek from ex Uniotex.

- Agnieszka Wojciechowska-Sej from Ms2.

- Micha� Kedzierski from EC-1.

Together with all the artists we interviewed: - Luiza Jod�owska from EC-5.

- Maciej Lebiedowicz from Pan Tu Nie Sta�.

- Tomasz Rygalik.

- Maciek Blazniak and Joanna Guszta from Studio �adne Halo.

- Krzysztof Piech and Grzegorz Bielica from Fab Lab. - Joanna Rusin.

Special thanks to Micha� Piernikowski and the whole team of Lodz Design Festival.

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