Newspaper of ECoC Wrocław 2016

September – October 2016

32 PAGES Among the 30 authors, many creators and journalists: Olga Tokarczuk and Mykoła Riabchuk, Theodoros Terzopoulos and Kostas Georgakopulos, Marek Fiedor and Marzena Sadocha, Piotr Oszczanowski and Krzysztof Candrowicz, Walentyna Węgrzyn and Andrzej Kosendiak, Filip Springer and Roman Kołakowski

H

uge outdoor performances and hundreds of events created by the residents of Wrocław and Lower Silesia. Full concert halls and theatres, thousands of visitors at vernissages and debates, exhibitions and meetings with writers, artists and outstanding architects. Already over two million people from Poland and

FREE COPY

Great theatre and the extraordinary cultural autumn in Wrocław

abroad participated in 650 events of the first half of the year of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016. Ahead of us, yet another six months full of culture and unique artistic events in the capital of Lower Silesia.

This time, the ECoC Newspaper, with words written by eminent creators and journalists, announces

the most cultural autumn in the history of Wrocław. The greatest event will be the Theatre Olympics “The World as a Place of Truth”, during which we’ll see several dozen performances and meet the greatest masters of theatre from around the world. But there’ll also be room for lovers of good literature (Angelus Award, Bruno Schulz. Festival, In-

ternational Short Story Festival), cinema (Masters of European Cinema, Wim Wenders retrospective, American Film Festival), visual arts (e.g. “The Wrocław Europe” exhibition, photography festivals), as well as lovers of great, diverse and ambitious music (Wratislavia Cantans, Avant and Asymmetry festivals).

The European Capital of Culture

doesn’t slow down, doesn’t allow rest after the hot summer, and for the next three months will be filled with artistic events which simply cannot be missed. We’re waiting for you! Enjoy reading and see you in September and October in theatres, at exhibitions, screenings and concerts of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016.

photo: Tomasz Woźny

Jan Pelczar introduces autumn film festivals and reviews p. 10 Rafał Zielinski and Robert Chmielewski announce musical emotions at the capital of culture p. 19-21 Angus Kidd on cooperation with ECoC and amazing exhibitions p. 24 Leszek Kosiorowski travels with ECoC Wrocław 2016 to the cultural Lower Silesia p. 28

photo: Adama Hawałej/PAP

Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało on the power of the word and storytelling page 14

photo: Krzysztof Zatycki

Exclusively for the ECoC Newspaper:

Jarosław Fret announces the great Theatre Olympics in Wrocław page 3

photo: BTW Photographers Maziarz Rajter

No. 5

Peter Brook talk about Grotowski and their performances pages 4-5

Theodoros Terzopoulos

Theodoros Terzopoulos: Theatre Olympics in Wrocław for freedom and the richness of cultures

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cates the role of tradition, and at the same time encourages the drive to search and experiment on the theatre stage within the framework of contemporary dynamics, constructive multicentralism and polymorphism.

There are many theatre festivals in the world, but most of them are similar in form. Just like everything else in the contemporary world, where diversity and cultural richness are being lost.

Theatre Olympics is more than a festival: we do not only present the best performances, but also achievements of the masters of the 20th century theatre and all that is original and culturally diverse.

I am very happy that the host of the 7th edition of the Theatre Olympics is Wrocław, a city located in the heart of Europe, a forge and intersection for many cultures. I’ve been coming here for several years and I see how Wrocław transforms from the city of culture into a European city of culture. The motto of this year’s Theatre Olympics, “The world as a place of truth”, is an encouragement for us all to come back to earlier questions about the theatre and to pose new ones.

photo: Francesco Galli

The author is a director, professor in many art schools, and since 1993 the chairman of the International Committee of Theatre Olympics. He was born in 1945, studied at Kostis Michailidis theatre school, he was the director of the Drama School of the State Theatre of Northern Greece in Thessaloniki. In 1985, he established Attis Theatre in Delphi. He directed tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, as well as plays by eminent contemporary European writers. He worked in may theatres abroad and cooperated with outstanding actors from across the world. For 30 years, his Attis Theatre have performed almost two thousand times at international festivals in Greece and abroad. His working methods were taught in theatre schools and classic philology departments around the globe. He wrote several books describing his methods. In 2012 his book In the Labyrinth. Theodoros Terzopoulos Meets Heiner Müller was published in Wrocław, and the next one will be published on occasion of the Theatre Olympics.

photo: Johanna Weber

We live in a network society where the notion of human contact and communication has been drastically redefined.

Telecommunication and the Internet are in the foreground.

National cultures have been included into the digital circulation and they’re threatened with loss of identity.

It would seem that closer contact and better communication between countries should build harmony and favour peaceful coexistence, but what happens is completely opposite: it is distrust and uncertainty which grow. Globalization strains and even destroys that which is local.

Theatre loses its stable points of reference, roots and national characteristics. It is robbed of the relationship with the place, and the borders between national cultures become fluid. The character of contemporary theatre, its functions, goals and its future give rise to many questions.

In the context of this dead end that globalization drives us into, as well as massacres and both intentional and unforeseeable damages and losses it causes, the 7th edition of the Theatre Olympics is an encouragement to speak freely, it advo-

Chairman of the International Committee of Theatre Olympics

Theatre Olympics: Delphi 1995 – Wrocław 2016 Theatre Olympics is an international theatre festival presenting achievements of the great theatre artists from around the world, aiming at restoring the importance of contemporary theatre. The initiators of the Theatre Olympics were Greek director Theodoros Terzopoulos and Greek Minister of Culture and actress Melina Mercouri (originator of the European Capital of Culture). They established it, together with the founding committee, in 1993 in Delphi. So far, six editions of the festival have been organized.

Members of the International Theatre Olympics Committee are: Theodoros Terzopoulos (Greece), Tadashi Suzuki (Japan), Robert Wilson (the United States), Wole Soyinka (Nigeria),

Tony Harrison (United Kingdom), Ratan Tiyam (India), Nuria Espert (Spain), Giorgio Barberio Corsetti (Italy), Georges Lavaudant (France), Antunes Filho (Brasil), Jurgen Flimm (Germany), Choi Chy-Rim (Korea), Liu Libin (China) and Jarosław Fret from Wrocław.

The motto of the 7th edition of the Olympics will be “The world as a place of truth” – a paraphrase of the title of a text by Jerzy Grotowski. Creators presented in the main programme are those who have transformed the theatre of the 20th and 21st centuries: Eugenio Barba, Peter Brook, Romeo Castellucci, Jan Fabre, Valeri Fokin, Heiner Goebbels, Krystian Lupa, Tadashi Suzuki, Theodoros Terzopoulos and Robert Wilson.

The history of Theatre Olympics YEAR

CITY / COUNTRY

MOTTO

08.1995 04-06.1999 04-06.2001 05-06.2006 09-11.2010 11-12.2014 10-11.2016

Delphi / Greece Shizuoka / Japan Moscow / Russia Istanbul / Turkey Seoul / South Korea Beijing / China Wrocław / Poland

“Tragedy” “Creating Hope” “Theatre for the People” “Beyond Borders” “Sarang: Love and Humanity” “Dream” “The world as a place of truth”

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Theodoros Terzopoulos Tadashi Suzuki Yuri Lyubimov Dikmen Gürün Choi Chy-Rim Liu Libin Jarosław Fret

Jarosław Fret, curator of theatre programme of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2015 and the director of the Grotowski Institute in conversation with Grzegorz Chojnowski, head of Radio Wrocław Culture

Masters will show that theatre is a place of truth, and the world should be one too The Olympics was, obviously, created by Greeks – Teodoros Terzopoulos and Melina Mercouri, Minister of Culture of the time – and the first edition was organized in Delphi in 1995. And the first motto was “Tragedy”. Then it was Japan and “Creating Hope”, and then following cities and mottos. For Wrocław, you proposed “The World as a Place of Truth”.

There is more than one truth, nowadays, as it has always been…

That’s the reason for my provocation. Theatre is a place of composed, repeated, multiplied truth. Unfortunately, it is still “the truth with adjectives,” but theatrical truth is powerful, if it’s exposed here, presented critically. We reach the truth through theatre, we test ourselves. But for sure theatre doesn’t carry only one truth and it is not given forever.

There is also more than one theatre.

Will this diversity be visible during the Olympics?

I often repeat the thought that the importance of Polish theatre in the history of world theatre stems precisely from its diversity. I’m interested in the culture of theatre, and not spectacle or show. What is presented as a performance, comes precisely from many different aspects, methods of cultivating the culture of theatre. It’s impossible to invite everyone, but we’ll present a few milestones during that month. But I didn’t want to create a situation in which we would watch performances by such masters as Peter Brook, Romeo Castellucci, Eugenio Barba, Robert Wilson, Pippo Delbono, Jan Fabre, Valery Fokin, Eimuntas Nekrosius and Krystian Lupa in festival cluster, a few a day. I have spread more than a dozen of those performances over four weeks, in this way creating a kind of autumn theatre season. Wrocław seems a great place to present the theatre of great masters in this way also in the future. In the Grotowski Institute, we’ve been trying to do it for several years.

So the masters will come, apart from those you mentioned, also Teodoros Terzopoulos and Tadashi Suzuki. What will they show?

The latest performances, the best?

It varies. Barba brings a premiere performance The Tree, co-produced by the European Capital of Culture and the Grotowski Institute. Brook will show Battlefield, also co-produced by us – it premiered only a year ago in Paris. The Trial, prepared by Krystian

photo:Tobiasz Papuczys

This title is already present in the activities of the Grotowski Institute. It was the motto of a festival we organized in 2009, the Year of Grotowski, and of a series of master residencies. It is a part of a quote from one of Jerzy Grotowski’s books: “The world should be a place of truth”. The culmination of the text is a philosophical thought of the author that we are born to the world, a place of truth, to be tested. I have perversely selected this title to suggest that something as unreal as art – including theatre, often perceived as the art of illusion – is indeed the place of truth, and the world should “only now” become one.

Lupa in Polski Theatre in Wrocław, is also a co-production with the Theatre Olympics.

To say the truth, I left the decision what to bring here to the creators. And so Tadashi Suzuki will bring The Trojan Women, a performance he renewed on occasion of the Olympics. The Trojan Women premiered in 1974 – it was a unique fusion of Japanese No theatre with European theatre traditions with their ancient roots. And Robert Wilson will simply appear on stage in the Beckett’s monodrama Krapp’s Last Tape.

Will we have a chance to meet the masters?

From the inauguration till the end of the Olympics, there will be meetings on the big stage at Wrocław Puppet Theatre, at noon.

Theatre from around the world is one thing, and the other is Eastern Line, a review of Central-Eastern European theatre. Is such a separate path necessary?

For this section we invited theatres which – in our opinion – wouldn’t be have a particular creative line they present without the tradition of the Laboratory Theatre, questions stemming from Jerzy Grotowski’s work. Those are ten groups which owe to the Grotowski Institute their residencies, and sometimes even ground-breaking moments in their work. Those theatres identify with their geography, they accept the phrase Eastern Line, as they are aware of being here, from Petersburg, through Warsaw, Wrocław, Prague, Bratislava, Belgrade, Sophia to Athens. And in this part of Europe we still think differently about theatre.

Teatr ZAR will present a premiere performance?

In the main section we’ll present Medies and our previous performance Armine, Sister, and in Eastern Line a triptych Caesarean Section, which was created as a kind of response to the tradition of the Laboratory, and took shape during travels, but also in

the legendary Brzezinka. Teatr ZAR is not the Grotowski Institute, but it’s difficult to imagine it without the Institute. And our latest, multilingual performance Medies, we prepare with the actress Simona Sala, three Muslim singers from Cairo, Teheran and Istanbul, and actors/singers from ZAR. It will be a musical performance?

Most of all, but words will also be present, a text by Dimitrios Dimitriadis, an amazing Greek poet. We’ll talk about Medea outside of time, outside the myth. We do not stage Euripides: we’re interested in the universal, but also very particular, contemporary problem of rejection. The impossibility to cross the border which we are ourselves, which we create with the line of our body. Medea is a great figure of exile. But it won’t be political theatre, but rather a very intimate touch upon an internal border which cannot be crossed. At present, Europe defends itself against immigrants, against Medea, in fact not knowing what it defends itself against. The problem is not diagnosed, we don’t understand it, but at the same time our politicians already know how to deal with it, using fear as a tool.

Since we talk about crossing borders, how do you understand the slogan ”More than Theatre”? It is the name of the section of the Olympics devoted to the art of people with disabilities.

Those performances were selected by four curators. I invited them to co-create the entire section, which also consists of a series of meetings and workshops implemented since December 2015. We didn’t include this section in the Olympics with a sense of social mission. It will turn out that often the art from the area of “More than Theatre” shames the so called main section with its depth. It is a true culture of theatre, and not a show or curiosity created for effect.

The time of the Olympics, i.e. autumn, was probably the inspiration for the project Dziady. Recycling. But I don’t mean lighting candles, remembering and honouring, but a story on memory which is present in all cultures in the world in various ways.

It is a separate project intersecting with the Theatre Olympics. Together with professor Leszek Kolankiewicz, we were wondering how to present in contemporary times the complexity of Mickiewicz’s idea presented in his theatrical and spiritual arch project, i.e. Dziady [Forefathers’Eve], but most of all how to talk today about the fundaments of culture, which in our understanding are based on the relationship with our ancestors. The relationship mediated in discourse or symbol, but also a direct one – present. And so during the Dziady Festival we’ll show not only adaptations of Mickiewicz’s text, but also, for the first time, full rituals of candomble and vodou. There’ll be discussions and remixes of outstanding performances: from Grotowski’s Acropolis to The Dead Class by Kantor. Also, together with the National Forum of Music, we’ll invite for a concert. Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 we’ll meet Moniuszko’s The Ghosts, and drummers from Haiti and Brazil will perform with Polish jazzmen. There will be a special film programme.

Lower Silesian Theatre Platform is an artistic exchange within the region. A fulfilment of a dream which hasn’t been fulfilled for years.

We managed to invite all the most interesting theatre phenomena from Lower Silesia. From big town theatres to independent groups. With a ticket for the price of 2016 groszy (20,16 PLN), the viewers will be able to create their own paths within this section, and although it’s impossible to see all forty presentations, we assume that in

this way we’ll invite them to broaden their image of the theatrical variety of Lower Silesia. And I hope that this project, started on occasion of the Theatre Olympics, will be continued in the future, even after the European Capital of Culture Theatre Olympics includes also acting, directing and critics’ workshops, as well as conferences and a forum on the European theatre perspectives. 2016 is a time to discuss theatre?

The main question I ask myself nowadays is how it is possible that the place and meaning of theatre nowadays, well into the 21st century, is so different from that of just 1970s. We, creators of theatre, want to think about it as a domain with great culture-creating power. It was like that then, but it isn’t now. It doesn’t mean that we’re fighting a losing battle, I don’t believe that.

And you became enchanted with theatre as a young boy? With what kind of theatre?

When I felt the chemistry for the first time?

Watching, together with my father, The Dead Class, and then Wielopole, Wielopole

by Tadeusz Kantor on TV. I remember how, being twelve at that time, I stared into the TV set with my mouth open, understanding nothing. My father, a baker, also didn’t understand anything, but we both watched those performances in awe. Now, on occasion of the Theatre Olympics, thanks to a cooperation and the efforts of Archicom from Wrocław, the old bakery at Witolda Street will be renovated and partly opened as one of performance venues, so I have a personal reason to be glad and I would like this place to remains with us, with the art of theatre, forever.

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the actors through Cieślak, who was in a way an embodiment of his thoughts.

Could you tell us a bit about the relationship between Grotowski and Cieślak? The relationship between the director and the actor? Why did Grotowski need an actor and a man such as Cieślak?

You cannot talk about Grotowski using traditional references. At that time, Grotowski was a director, because he had a team, creating performances which he directed. But when you use the word “director” it’s difficult to escape traditional references, which have nothing to do with the original working method of Grotowski. As a result, you cannot analyse Grotowski’s attitude towards Cieślak in terms of a regular relationship between the director and the actor. You can only speak about Grotowski – Cieślak in a given historical moment, in a particular situation. But the very important thing was that from the very beginning Grotowski was interested in two complementary aspects of theatre. The first was theatre as a performance – theatre in the traditional sense: as a performance played by a group of people for the audience consisting of a different group of people. And Grotowski decided that he had talent in this area, that he was interested in it, that it was the work he did then. And even though he created very peculiar theatre, he was realizing performances, which were a result of his creative imagination and for which he needed actors. Therefore, Grotowski as an artist had his own world of images, visions, and sounds. Just like a composer has his music, and a painter – his own shapes and colours …

The second aspect is that Grotowski from the very beginning, you could say from the day he went to Moscow and started working on Stanislavsky’s system, was interested in personal development of humans. So Grotowski’s work on the one hand was in the

On the one hand, I create a professional theatre workshop, and on the other – I attempt to implement a model of community, which can be an example of a different way of life and functioning in the world – says the famous director Eugenio Barba, who in the 1960s was Jerzy Grotowski’s assistant Eugenio Barba: Rebellion means we oppose something, do not agree to something and do not accept a given situation.

As a consequence, we seek and want to implement a well-defined alternative. I don’t mean going into the streets and protesting loudly, although perhaps sometimes it is indispensable. But for me, rebellion is most of all related to trying to stay coher-

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Could you tell us about Cieślak’s work on Mahabharata? Why did you invite him to cooperate? What did you expect?

When Grotowski and Cieślak worked on The Constant Prince, they were not blindly faithful to the original. On the contrary, it was just a raw material, allowing the actors, and especially Cieślak as the central character, to eliminate all theatrical elements of storytelling, narration, drama, to reach something ultimately personal and show it to the audience. … Constant Prince was a pretext, a material helping Cieślak to reveal himself – to in a way open his body and show to the public what’s inside.

Mahabharata was something completely different. Mahabharata is a great work, one of a kind, and its deep internal meaning is revealed through a variety of forms, the basis of all epic poems and myths. On one level you have what can be called a naïve story.

And because the listener and the spectator follow this simple story, they can relate to the characters on a basic level. Gradually those characters become deeper, and the viewers – through their contact with them – reach another level, which you can call the level of mythical meaning. On this level they begin to realize that it is not only about the characters but also about themselves. So the actor who performs the myth has to use all his intelligence, his skills, his entire sensitivity, to through himself serve something which is not of himself – which exceeds him. However, those two level are not that different, and when I started working on Mahabharata I knew that I would be able to do it only if I gathered actors who not

Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski durin of

Theatrical rebellion against… theatre

ent in what one thinks and what one does.

My rebellion is an opposition to changes which took place in contemporary theatre.

However, I don’t organize protests, I don’t fight those changes, but I consistently create and continually direct my own theatre.

That’s how I understand rebellion in theatre.

Martyna Kasprzak: You’ve been directing Odin Teatret for fifty two years. Does the vision of theatre which guided you over half a century ago is still valid, or were there any changes?

area of theatre, and on the other – in what he himself currently calls art, i.e. art as a vehicle. In other words, theatre is a vehicle, which allows for developing spiritual, personal experiments.

photo: Adam Hawałej PAP

Peter Brook: I first heard about Grotowski from a friend, when we were starting our own experimental work in London. He said: “There’s this unique man in Poland, he does very interesting things, you should meet him”. I met Grotowski some time later. And instantly we became friends, as it turned out that we had many common interests and issues in our work. When I talked to Grotowski, I had the feeling that his work has very practical character, it is not a theory but something truly going through a body.

That’s why I asked him: “Would you like to come and work with my team at the Royal Shakespeare company?”. At that time, we were beginning to work on a performance titled US, on Vietnam war, and I thought it would have been very interesting for our actors to begin their work with a new, important experience. Grotowski said yes, he would be glad to come. We selected a room away from the theatre, to create completely new surroundings. One day the actors arrived. Grotowski was already there, and he looked very serious. And he said something sounding very strange to European actors: „Leave all you have behind the door. Don’t bring with you any bags, newspapers, pipes, cigarettes, no unnecessary items. Enter the practice room barefoot and almost naked”. It was enough to put the actors in a new state, full of attention and focus. Entering the room, they saw for the first time a beautiful figure, wonderfully built and with expressive features – it was Ryszard Cieślik. Their eyes met his modest and sharp look. And then Grotowski sat at a table in his black suit and shades. He wasn’t moving. He just said: “Observe the instructor!”. In English, the word „instructor” sounds rather funny, as it’s associated with school and traditional discipline. But in this case, the instructor was Ryszard and actors observed him carefully. … One could say that Grotowski reached

Inside Grotows

photo: Francesco Galli

“Grotowski’s work on the one hand was in the area of theatre, and on the other – in what he himself currently calls art, i.e. art as a vehicle” – the legendary director Peter Brook talks about his meetings with Ryszard Cieślak and Jerzy Grotowski and his vision of theatre.

Eugenio Barba: Many things have changed, but the core of my motivation remains the same. The difference is that when I was beginning, I had nothing apart from a few young people who hadn’t been accepted into theatre schools. My endeavours and energy were then focused on gaining knowledge, expanding skills, preparing first performances, and also looking for a place to work. I also paid much attention to searching for and recruiting new audience. Those were very specific problems, different from those I encounter today, when I direct a large and highly regarded institution, which is the Scandinavian theatre laboratory Teaterlaboratorium Odin Teatret. My current problems concern economy, group dynamics and motivation of my co-workers. I search for new situations in the team, which would allow to question and break actors’ routines. This helps me to avoid habits, automatic reactions and stereotypes, which in time lead to erosion of teamwork.

But still, regardless of those changes, the core of my motivation remains the same.

Using theatre I create an environment where there is, as I describe it, a particular code of rules and behaviours, different from those used outside the stage world.

As a consequence, on the one hand I try to create a professional theatre workshop – a workplace, where participants need to concentrate on their craft. On the other hand, together with my actors I attempt to implement a model of community which can be an example of a different way of life and functioning in the world. Those are issues I still work upon. Working conditions have changed with years, but the motivation remains the same …

You mentioned that Odin often tackles the problem of the dark side of history, which is full of injustice and problems of the oppressed. What’s the source of this interest?

Eugenio Barba: Our whole life is filled with information coming from newspapers and television. News services inform

about numerous attacks and problems with refugees. As a consequence, many people’s knowledge is limited to what they’ve seen and heard in the media. As a director, I always face a choice. I could try to brighten this image of the world and not take this negative information into account. I would then create a performance which would bring the audience relaxation and the experience of something funny, light, full of life and brightness. But then I could say that I have an obligation to face this situation and as a result I create a performance which makes the audience reflect …* *A fragment of a conversation between Martyna Kasprzak and Eugenio Barba. The full interview will be published in October in „Didaskalia” theatre magazine.

Eugenio Barba Italian director, one of the most important personalities of 20th century alternative theatre, creator of the Scandinavian theatre laboratory Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium Odin Teatret. Between 1962 and 1964 he was the assistant of Jerzy Grotowski in the Laboratory Theatre. Author of numerous books on theatre. Holder of the honorary doctorate at the Warsaw University.

Title and lead from the editor

ski’s World only possess a very particular set of skills, but who have what most actors don’t have, that is: the desire to serve truth which can be revealed only as a result of intense work.

Work directed at the same time at personal development of the actor and outside, to the viewer.

Because Ryszard no longer worked directly with Grotowski, we were wondering if we

the look into himself and to look of a king who – no matter how intensely he refers to his secret knowledge, to his understanding of the world around him – at the same time maintains contact with the world. Just like the actor who is in contact with his audience, when he tells them a story … *

Theatre Olympics “The World as a Place of Truth” 14 October-13 November 2016 More than Theatre 22-27 October 2016 More than Theatre centres around theatre presentations with the participation of artists with disabilities from Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Poland, a series of meetings with artists “Breakfast in Process”, an exhibition of Jan Rosołowski photography “The Scream of Existence” and a concert by Na Górze.

The presentations are a culmination of the project “More than Theatre” implemented at the Grotowski Institute since December 2015.

Curators: Jana Pilatova, Justyna Sobczyk, Magdalena Hasiuk, Anna Zubrzycki..

22 October

26 October

at 17:00

Protected Species

Performance by Rafał Urbacki and Anu Czerwiński History Centre Depot, ul. Grabiszyńska 184 at 19:00

Simulante Bande

Spektakl Teatru VerTeDance i Teatru Archa Academy for the Dramatic Arts (PWST), big stage; ul.

Braniborska 59

27 October

at 17:00

at 17:00

Enough till Dusk

Performance by Compagnie de l’Oiseau-Mouche Polski Theatre, Świebodzki stage; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20c

Tisza be-Aw

Performance by Teatr 21 (Poland) History Centre Depot, ul. Grabiszyńska 184

Simulante Bande

Performance by VerTeDance Theatre and Archa Theatre Academy for the Dramatic Arts (PWST), big stage; ul.

Braniborska 59 at 19:00

Protected Species

Performance by Rafał Urbacki and Anu Czerwiński History Centre Depot, ul. Grabiszyńska 184

During the Theatre Olympics, on 12-13 November, the latest performance by Bouffes Du Nord Theatre will be presented, directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne, co-produced by the Grotowski Institute – Battlefield, based on Mahabharata.

could work together. We liked each other, I admired his work, we were good friends, and we remained close because of Grotowski. … I asked him if he wanted to take part in that adventure. We was eager to, and when my work begun to gain shape, it became clear that there is a part, very difficult one, which would be perfect for him: the role of the blind king. In a way because the blind king needs this kind of double vision:

Genghis Khan

*A fragment of Krzysztof Domagalik’s conversation with Peter Brook Entirely Sensitive, [in:] Peter Brook: With Grotowski. Theatre is Just a Form, edited by Paul Allain, Georges Banu and Grzegorz Ziółkowski, prepared by Grzegorz Ziółkowski, The Grotowski Institute, Wrocław 2015.

Peter Brook

ng the University for the Exploration f a Theatre of Nations, Wrocław 1975

One of the greatest masters of theatre, opera and film directing in the world, author of books on theatre, including With Grotowski. Theatre is Just a Form (2007). Winner of many prestigious awards, holder of the honorary doctorate at the Poznan University. He was born in 1925 in London, where he directed this first play before the age of 18. Since then, he realized over eighty performances in London, Paris and New York. In 1971, he established in Paris the International Centre for Theatre Research, where he directed, among others: Timon of Athens (1974), The Cherry Orchard (1981) and Mahabharata (1985), in which two Polish actors played: Ryszard Cieślak and Andrzej Seweryn. His assistant was Krzysztof Warlikowski.

Title from the editor

Theatre Olympics “The World as a Place of Truth” 14 October-13 November 2016 MAIN SECTION

15 October at 18:00

The Trojan Women

Tadashi Suzuki | Suzuki Company of Toga IASE Hall, ul. Wystawowa 1 at 19:00

The Temptation of Quiet Veronica

Krystian Lupa | Polski Theatre in Wrocław Polski Theatre, the Jerzy Grzegorzewski Stage, ul.

Gabrieli Zapolskiej 3 at 20:00

Life between Heaven and Earth

Liu Libin | National Theatre in China Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, big stage; ul.

Rzeźnicza 12

21 October at 20:00

The Tree

Eugenio Barba | Odin Teatret The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30–32

Medies

Simona Sala i Jarosław Fret | Teatr ZAR The Grotowski Institute, Laboratory Theatre Hall; Przejście Żelaźnicze

22 October at 20:00

16 October at 18:00

The Trojan Women

Tadashi Suzuki | Suzuki Company of Toga IASE Hall, ul. Wystawowa 1 at 20:00

Life between Heaven and Earth

Liu Libin | Narodowy Teatr w Chinach Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, big stage; ul.

Rzeźnicza 12

18 October at 20:00

Masquerade: Recollections of the Future

Walerij Fokin | Alexander Theatre Wrocław Opera, ul. Świdnicka 35

19 October at 19:00

Masquerade: Recollections of the Future

Walerij Fokin | Alexander Theatre Wrocław Opera, ul. Świdnicka 35

20 October at 21:00

Medies

Simona Sala and Jarosław Fret | Teatr ZAR The Grotowski Institute, Laboratory Theatre Hall; Przejście Żelaźnicze

The Tree

Eugenio Barba | Odin Teatret The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30–32

Medies

Simona Sala i Jarosław Fret | Teatr ZAR The Grotowski Institute, Laboratory Theatre Hall; Przejście Żelaźnicze

Go down, Moses

Romeo Castellucci | Societas Raffaello Sanzio ATM Stage in Bielany, ul. Dwa Światy 1; Bielany Wrocławskie

23 October at 18:00

Medies

Jarosław Fret | Teatr ZAR The Grotowski Institute, Laboratory Theatre Hall; Przejście Żelaźnicze at 20:00

The Tree

NG Performance Eugenio Barba | Odin Teatret The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30–32

Go down, Moses

Spektakl NG Romeo Castellucci | Societas Raffaello Sanzio ATM Stage in Bielany, ul. Dwa Światy 1; Bielany Wrocławskie

Max Black, or 62 Different Ways of Supporting the Head with an Elbow and a Hand

Heiner Goebbels | Konstantin Stanislavsky’s Electrotheatre, Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, big stage; ul. Rzeźnicza 12

24 October at 20:00

Max Black, or 62 Different Ways of Supporting the Head with an Elbow and a Hand

Heiner Goebbels | Konstantin Stanislavsky’s Electrotheatre Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, big stage; ul.

Rzeźnicza 12 at 21:00

The Tree

Eugenio Barba | Odin Teatret The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30–32

25 October at 19:00

The Tree

Eugenio Barba | Odin Teatret The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30–32

Vidomi

23 October

at 17:00

Enought till Dusk

Performance by Compagnie de l’Oiseau-Mouche Polski Theatre, Świebodzki stage; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20c

Tisza be-Aw

Performance by Teatr 21 History Centre Depot, ul. Grabiszyńska 184 at 19:00

Vidomi

24 October

at17:00

Genghis Khan

Performance by Monster Truck Theatre, Polski Theatre, Świebodzki stage; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20c

25 October

at 19:00

Genghis Khan

Performance by Monster Truck Theatre Polski Theatre, Świebodzki stage; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20c

All performances in adapter for people with disabilities. Selected performances will be presented with audio description. More information: http://www. theatreolympics2016. pl/nurty/wiecej-niz-teatr

Theatre Olympics “The World as a Place of Truth” 14 October-13 November 2016 The Grotowski Institute Programme Mauzer

in Warsaw, CeTA Hall, ul. Wystawowa 1

16 October

at 20:00

Ewangelia

Mauser

Pippo Delbono | Compagnia Pippo Delbono ATM Stage in Bielany, ul. Dwa Światy 1; Bielany Wrocławskie

Theodoros Terzopoulos The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30–32

27 October

21-22 October

at 20:00

at 19:00

Armine, Sister

Lear

Jarosław Fret | Teatr ZAR Stara Piekarnia, ul. Księcia Witolda 62-70

Roberto Bacciego i Teatro Era Stara Piekarnia, ul. Księcia Witolda 62-70

Vangelo

Pippo Delbono | Compagnia Pippo Delbono ATM Stage in Bielany, ul. Dwa Światy 1; Bielany Wrocławskie

24-25 October

at 21:00

15 October

at 20:00 The directors will also participate in a series “Truth and Truth Only”, consisting of presentation of the artistic credo and conversations with invited researchers, co-creators or artists friends, devoted to a variety of issues driving their creativity. More information: www.theatreolympics2016.pl/nurty/nurt-glowny

Protected Species

Vidomi

Performance by CHOREA Theatre History Centre Depot, ul. Grabiszyńska 184

at 20:00

Armine, Sister

Simulante Bande

Performance by CHOREA Theatre History Centre Depot, ul. Grabiszyńska 184

26 October Jarosław Fret | Teatr ZAR Stara Piekarnia, ul. Księcia Witolda 62-70

Tisza be-Aw

Mauser

Theodoros Terzopoulos The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30–32 at 18:00

Happy Days

Maja Komorowska and Adam Ferency | Drama Theatre

Krapp’s Last Tape

Alessandro Curti | Teatr ZAR The Grotowski Institute, Laboratory Theatre Hall; Przejście Żelaźnicze

5

the Polski Theatre in Wrocław. It was 1968.

In 2015, on the Market Square in Wrocław, an effigy of a Jew was burned. The police intervened. One the side of Wrocław Market Square, there is the former building of the Jewish Theatre, on the other – the Quarter of Four Denominations.

Those two faces of Wrocław – revolutionary genius of the artists and the burden of history – create its potential and reveal Europe in a nutshell. At the times when in Poland debates about immigration, Wrocław has been the capital of immigrants for years (1500 Roma people living here – the biggest community in Poland). In the times of discussions on multinational identity, Wrocław wants to be proud of it. This image of the city should be especially emphasized during the celebration of Wrocław as the European Capital of Culture 2016 – a title showcasing values strong and important for Europe.

“Theatre as a place of truth” is a general slogan. Giving voice to dead theatre heroes, we become responsible for their words. We are obliged to use them only to illustrate matters as important as those brought up in their works. Yes, theatre – as Grotowski says – is a place of truth. But what does it mean today?

From “Apocalypsis cum figuris” by Grotowski to “The Trial”

by Lupa, or theatre in Wrocław

A place of truth and scandal, city of revolution and a map to be drawn Wrocław is a city of revolutionaries who – not always understood at the beginning of their paths – in the end were becoming great symbols of the Polish culture. Wrocław is also undoubtedly the capital of theatre.

Not only because of its theatrical history, but mostly because projects important for the Polish stage are still created here, those undermining the established order and forming new qualities. Associated with the work of Jerzy Grotowski, Henryk Tomaszewski, Krystian Lupa and Tadeusz Różewicz, the theatre Wrocław developed a unique artistic background, which gives power to present activities.

Thanks to Grotowski, the art of acting was revolutionized, thanks to Tomaszewski – movement, thanks to Różewicz – the drama form. Lupa is constantly expanding our theatre consciousness, broadening its limits in ways which seem impossible, but art starts beyond the impossible. Wrocław is a city of revolutionaries who – not always understood at the beginning of their paths – in the end were becoming great symbols of the Polish culture. It’s here where Grotowski was – from the mouth of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński – stigmatized by the Catholic Church for the legendary “Apocalypsis cum figuris”. The Cardinal called the performance “a true vileness”. It’s here that Tomaszewski, experimenting with contemporary dance, revolutionized the pantomime. After the premiere of “Przyjeżdżam, jutro” [I arrive, Tomorrow] in 1974 the reviewers wrote: “It finally happened: Tomaszewski exposed his actors. Nudity was acting – pure, without signs of eroticism. Sometimes wonderful – engaging with modesty, sanctifying the image”. And here Różewicz, the “amoral nihilist” suffered attempts at censorship by outraged circles of the Home Army for “Do piachu” [To the Ground], by Church for “disgusting” “Białe małżeństwo” [Marriage Blanc], and by theatre circles for the avantgarde “Kartoteka” [ The Card Index].

The author, not bothered by the attacks, have deconstructed poetry and remains the greatest revolutionary of the dramatic form.

A form which liberates the character from acting, the action from the need of solution, and the language itself – from functionality.

Wrocław undoubtedly is a city of scandal, a training ground for modernity and a map to be drawn (vide the recent issue of “Śmierć i dziewczyna” [Death and the Maiden] per-

6

formance in the Polski Theatre). This is one face of the city.

A history which doesn’t burden The other one is history. A history which doesn’t burden with stuffy Polish spirit, not present here in the past. Between enticing Berlin and traditionalist Krakow, in postGerman buildings, on post-German streets, there lives a population of immigrants, for whom the past is most of all a fuel for art.

After the war, Lower Silesia was supposed to

A voice from the centre of Europe

be the area of the biggest Jewish settlements.

Survivors of the Holocaust didn’t want to go back to their pre-war homes, as they encountered there only ruins and graves, but they were also afraid of the reactions of the Polish society. The recovered lands were to provide an alternative, they were perceived not only as undestroyed, but most of all providing an opportunity for a new start and lack of conflicts. The prisoners of Gross-Rosen camp decided to settle here. In 1947, eleven thousand Jews lived in Wrocław. This community quickly developed cultural activities: the Es-

Marzena Sadocha

tera Rachela Kamińska Lower Silesian Jewish Theatre was established – in the ruins of a German cinema, financed by money collections and donations. In the following years, the Jewish population in Lower Silesia lowered radically. Pogroms, antisemitism and the policy of the authorities led to emigration – the project of the New Jerusalem collapsed. Although everyone was new there, and though seemingly equal, some turned out to be “better”. The theatre building was taken away from its users, with no compensation. Today, it hosts the Chamber Stage of

Theatre Olympics “The World as a Place of Truth” The Theatre Olympics will begin with a celebration of Wrocław and Lower Silesian Theatre, and its limitless genres. For five days, on all stages in Wrocław, not only in theatres, over 30 performances will be presented, among others from Bielawa, Legnica, Wałbrzych, Jelenia Góra and Wrocław. The programme will include plays for children and adults, repertoire plays and independent theatre productions; there will also be circus and outdoor performances. For 2016 groszy – as this is the price of the pass – each viewer will be able to create his own, unique programme.

The Lower Silesian Theatre Platform Petushki]

A performance by Jacek Zawadzki Olimpia Port housing estate; boulevard by ul. Marca Polo

16 October 2016

at 14

Wallstrasse 13

Świebodzki Train station, waiting room I; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20b

Droga śliska od traw. Jak to diabeł wsią się przeszedł [A Road Slippery with Grass]

A performance by the Modjeska Theatre in Legnica Polski Theatre, Świebodzki stage; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20c

Mauzer

at 10:00

A performance by Bente Kahan Foundation The White Stork Synagogue; ul. Pawła Włodkowica 7 at 17

A performance by Theodoros Terzopoulos The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30-32

Performance for children by the Wrocław Puppet Theatre The Wrocław Puppet Theatre, big stage; pl. Teatralny 4 at 15:00

A performance by Avatar Theatre Foundation Świebodzki Train Station, waiting room I; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20b

at 17:00

15 October Czarodziejski flet [Magic Flute]

Królowa śniegu [Snow Queen] according to Petr Nosálek

Performance for children by Zdrojowy Teatr Animacji in Jelenia Góra Academy for the Dramatic Arts (PWST), big stage; ul.

Braniborska 59 at 17:00

H(2)0

A performance by Teatr Strefa Otwarta Świebodzki Train Station, waiting room I; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20b

Pustka. Pustynia. Nic [Emptiness.

Desert. Nothing]

A performance by the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre Polski Theatre, Świebodzki Stage; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20c

Egzorcysta [The Exorcist]

A performance by Ad Spectatores Theatre The Grotowski Institute, CaféTHEA; Przejście Żelaźnicze at 18:00

Obcy z Mons [Stranger from Mons]

A performance by Ad Spectatores Theatre Ad Spectatotes Theatre (the Mieszczański Brewery); ul.

Hubska 44-48 at 19:00

Kuszenie cichej Weroniki [The Temptation of Quiet Veronica]

A performance by Polski Theatre in Wrocław Polski Theatre, Jerzy Grzegorzewski stage; ul. Gabrieli Zapolskiej 3

Obrócona w pył [Turned into Dust]

Samobójstwo synchroniczne [Synchronic Suicide]

A performance by Ad Spectatores Theatre The Grotowski Institute, CaféTHEA; Przejście Żelaźnicze

Zbrodnia i kara [Crime and Punishment]

A performance by Stanisław Melski and T.A. Teatrum The Wrocław Puppet Theatre, small stage; pl. Teatralny 4

Pokolenie wszystko [Generation Everything]

A performance by Kolektyw Twórczy Pawlacz Polski Theatre, practice room 205; ul. Zapolskiej 3 at 18:00

Paternoster

A performance by the Wrocław Contemporary Theatre Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, attic stage; ul.

Rzeźnicza 12 at 19:00

Po “Burzy” Szekspira [After Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”]

A performance by the Capitol Music Theatre The Capitol Music Theatre, main stage; ul. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego 67

17 October

at 17:00

Takaja

A performance by Stowarzyszenie K.O.T. Teatru Małego The Wrocław Puppet Theatre, small stage; pl. Teatralny 4

Kontrabasista [Bassist]

at 18:00

Mały książę [Little Prince]

A performance by Jerzy Szaniawski Drama Theatre in Wałbrzych, Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, big stage; ul. Rzeźnicza 12

A performance by MASKA Theatre, The Wrocław Puppet Theatre, small stage; pl. Teatralny 4 A performance by Integration Theatre Arka Integration Theatre Arka; entrance from Świdnicka 28

Uciechy staropolskie, czyli renesans na wesoło [Old Polish Delights]

A performance by Mały Theatre The Ossoliński Institute, courtyard at 19:30

Moskwa – Pietuszki [Moscow-

Cynkowi chłopcy [Tin Boys]

Jest z nami Poeta [The Poet Is with Us]

A performance by Teatr wśród książek Municipal Public Library, branch 23; Bulwar Ikara 29-31

18 October Drut Minkowskiego [Minkowski’s Wire]

A performance by Andrzej Ficowski Polski Theatre in Wrocław, Świebodzki stage; pl. Orląt Lwowskich 20c at 19:00

Karskiego historia nieprawdziwa [A Short Untrue Story]

A performance by the Cyprian Kamil Norwid Theatre in Jelenia Góra Polski Theatre, the Jerzy Grzegorzewski stage; ul.

Gabrieli Zapolskiej 3

Inka

A performance by the Integration Theatre Arka Integration Theatre Arka; entrance from Świdnicka 28 Insenso

A performance by Alexandra Kazaou

Świebodzki Train Station, waiting room II; ul. Orląt Lwowskich 20b at 20:00

Moja Bośnia [My Bosnia]

A performance by Teatr Nie-Taki Foundation, The Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio; ul. Na Grobli 30-32 A performance by Teatr Kombinat The Wrocław Puppet Theatre, small stage; pl. Teatralny 4 A performance by Cloud Theater New Horizons Cinema; ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 19a-21

Pożegnanie z Bogiem [Farewell to God]

A performance by Everest Production The Capitol Music Theatre, Ciśnień stage; ul. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego 67

19 October

at 19:00

Liżę Twoje serce [I Lick Your Heart]

at 20:00

A performance by the Capitol Music Theatre The Capitol Music Theatre, main stage; ul. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego 67

A performance by Układ Formalny

Organized by: The Grotowski Institute. Partner: Polski Theatre in Wrocław

Matka Courage krzyczy [Mother Courage Shouts]

photo: Natalia Kabanov

Krótki zarys rzeczywistości [Short Outline of Reality]

Krystian Lupa Ojcze nasz [Our Father]

Will events planned by the European Capital of Culture become an important voice from the centre of Europe? “I believe that from theatre stages we still hear the most clearly stated questions about multicultural identity, tolerance and a shared sustainable vision of open society” – said Jarosław Fret, director of the Grotowski Institute, curator of theatre programme and head of the board of curators of ECoC Wrocław 2016. There are great names in the programme of the Theatre Olympics: Tadashi Suzuki, Theodoros Terzopoulos, Robert Wilson, Eugenio Barba, Peter Brook and Romeo Castellucci.

There will be projects of the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre and “Dziady. Recykling” festival (the latest stage adaptations of the drama as well as remixes of past realizations). There is also the Lower Silesian Theatre Platform combined with Polish Theatre Showcase – an initiative joining various stages and theatres. The names of Różewicz, Kajzar and Karpowicz are recalled by the competition wtw://zones_of_contact 2016, organized by the Wrocław Contemporary Theatre.

Also extremely interesting is the idea of the “Unfinished Palace” project, realized at Świebodzki Train Station, described as “the place which witnessed the biggest migration of population in the last 200 years”, which is to be transformed into a place of “artistic discussion on migration, moving borders, sources of culture, human yearnings and the European identity” (Stephan Strouks’ project). We will also have: Odin Teatret residency (finishing with a premiere by Eugenio Barba), Eastern Line (presentations of young, independent theatre from CentralEastern Europe) or the project Excluded Voice culminating with a spectacular finale (“cooperation of socially excluded groups with professional artists”).

The ECoC theatre programme was also built on the basis of projects already established in the region (The Stage Songs Review, Showcase of the New Theatre for Children, Przegląd Nowego Teatru dla Dzieci, Solo Performance Theatre Meeting in Wroclaw), in accordance with ideals for years presented by the Grotowski Institute.

We can only hope that the invited artists, repertoire theatres from Lower Silesia and Wrocław creators will feel in the most accurate way the pulse of modernity which can be heard here. And will prepare in Wrocław more than one bomb, full of its own truth.

The author is a graduate and PhD student of journalism at the Wrocław University and the secretary of the editorial office of “Notatnik Teatralny”. Since the 2010/2011 season she’s the dramaturg at Polski Theatre in Wrocław. She received several distinctions for her play in drama competitions.

The text was published in the special supplement to “Tygodnik Powszechny” entitled “Wrocław. Destination Capital of Culture”.

Lead and title from the editor

For several decades of the last century, Wrocław was closely associated on the theatre and festival map of Poland with Polish contemporary drama.

The reason for that was the Festival of Polish Contemporary Plays, which every year provided residents of the city with an opportunity to see the most interesting performances of Polish post-war drama. Unfortunately, the festival was abandoned, and after about a dozen years, other cities became the main centres for new drama. Thanks to the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 and the project of the Wrocław Contemporary Theatre ZONES OF CONTACT 2016, Polish contemporary drama will appear in Wrocław once again.

We’ve named Helmut Kajzar, Tymoteusz Karpowicz and Tadeusz Różewicz the patrons of “ZONES OF CONTACT 2016”. October performances as part of Patrons’ Days are described by Marek Fiedor, director of the Wrocław Contemporary Theatre

Polish contemporary drama in Wrocław again

Between 1 and 6 December, we’ll be able to see here the most interesting realizations of new Polish plays from the last two seasons. But, differently than in the past, it will be almost exclusively new, premiere works.

Competition, Readings – theatrical fuel

Zone of Karpowicz Tymoteusz Karpowicz deserves our attention not only as an author of original and innovative plays – irrational, poetic, and at the same time deeply rooted in the political reality of post-war Poland – but also as a follower of a very specific ethos of the artist, a kind of philosophy of art, which becomes a tool for cognition. His attitude, his determined strive for “the impossible” is fascinating in its radicalism and uncompromising nature. In the essay Art as Risk, he wrote: “Honesty in drama is simply risk which the author meeting the public undertakes at his cost, and not at the cost of the public. … Honesty is a question asked by the author not to the world (how easy it is to question the world), but to himself. The biggest group of sadistic ignoramuses harasses humanity by examining it, coming out with complicated questions, to observe from the position of a pseudo-teacher how the examined sweat”. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Is it not a position often assumed by contemporary theatre in relation to the viewer?

Zone of Różewicz

photo: BTW Photographers Maziarz Rajter

The first step taken by the Wrocław Contemporary Theatre towards reestablishing the presence of new Polish drama in Wrocław was a drama competition, as a result of which in our theatre we staged plays by Lidia Amejko and Malina Prześluga, as well as five other works presented in June in the form of performative readings. It’s also worth mentioning that “Dialog” monthly published five plays submitted for the competition. What singles our competition out from other such events in the country is the fact that we organize it to use its results, i.e. to stage the plays, so they can become a repertoire “fuel” for our theatre. And secondly: we invite for it not only well-established playwrights, but also people who haven’t previously written for theatre, i.e. poets, prose writers, screenwriters, actors and performers. In that way, we want to draw new authors to theatre. Because for us, the ultimate idea is to stimulate dramatic writing in order to search for new forms of expression, a new, original theatrical language.

It is also a reference to the long and rich drama tradition in Wrocław and the Wrocław Contemporary Theatre.

In our theatre, in the 1960s and 1970s, dramas by Helmut Kajzar, Tymoteusz Karpowicz and Tadeusz Różewicz were staged. At that time, works by the Wrocław writers were the most innovative and experimental theatre phenomena, they were a proof of the creative risk taken by their authors. And they also formed the programme profile of the Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, implemented by two directors: Andrzej Witkowski and Kazimierz Braun. Those plays were also staged during the Festival of Polish Contemporary Plays, received awards there and were widely discussed.

It is not by accident, then, that to refer to this tradition, we established Helmut Kajzar, Tymoteusz Karopowicz and Tadeusz Różewicz the patrons of ZONES OF CONTACT 2016 project, and that the October Patrons’ Days [6-9 October 2016] will be devoted to them.

We believe that the creative strategy of our patrons still has the power to inspire. The strategy based on remaining open to the surrounding reality, but at the same time trying to capture its sense and shape it using an individual, unique language, a new form. The strategy to take artistic risk – even for the price of rejection. We’re convinced that the three Wrocław creators can be interesting for contemporary viewers and inspiring for contemporary writers in many ways –

actors do, Warsaw celebrities, observing themselves with painful admiration. It is in a way a disease”. Today, in the era of growing pressure to determine explicit identity definitions, in the era of fear of otherness and strangeness, the experience of Kajzar’s “other” is painfully valid.

ZONES OF CONTACT 2016 PATRON DAYS 6-9 October 6 October, Thursday at 19.15 Tadeusz Różewicz: An Atttempt at Reconstruction – preview 7 October, Friday at 19.15 Tadeusz Różewicz: An Atttempt at Reconstruction – PREMIERE, dir. Paweł Miśkiewicz

8 October, Saturday at 17.00 – Tymoteusz Karpowicz: Purchase with Delivery, dir. Marek Fiedor [performative reading] at 19.15 – Tadeusz Różewicz: An Atttempt at Reconstruction at 20.00 – Tadeusz Różewicz: The Card Index, dir. Marcin Kalisz [coproduction with Teatr Ludowy from Kraków]

9 October, Sunday at 18.00 – Helmut Kajzar: The Star, dir. Krzysztof Czeczot [radio transmission]. PREMIERE 24.09.2016. at 19.15 – Tadeusz Różewicz: An Atttempt at Reconstruction

More: www.wteatrw.pl/index.php/2016-strefy-kontaktu most of all through their texts, but also through the uncompromising and consistently independent creative approach.

Zone of Kajzar The works by Helmut Kajzar, apart from the problem of consumption enslaving men, dehumanisation of life and social manipulation, often undertook the topic of violence. In the past, we perceived violence only as political oppression; today, we experience other, perhaps even more enslaving forms of it – dictatorship of ideas, attitudes, fashions, established aesthetic, political and intellectual

The three Wrocław creators can be interesting for contemporary viewers and inspiring for contemporary writers in many ways – most of all through their texts, but also through the uncompromising and consistently independent creative approach.

narrations. Today, we yield to violence out of free will. Or rather because of lack of will. Kajzar opposed such modelling of man: he wanted a community of free “sovereign” individuals, who do not surrender to the herd Instinct of the mass.

And more broadly: he wanted to see community as a social and cultural pact, and not a metaphysical or national one. At the same time, he was reluctant towards any collective mythology: „I can’t stand it any longer… this dreaming. Students’ theatres, professional theatres, they tell me about this dreamy, mythical superstructure of national phobias … our dramaturgy most willingly deals with how the Pole looks like. It’s very similar to what

Tadeusz Różewicz, the most widely recognized of the three, remained at the same time perhaps the most independent creator in post-war Poland. He described the experience of the 20th century human in an acute and original way – he showed how deeply history and politics enter human life, how they influence and shapes people’s consciousness and their behaviour also in other aspects of life.

And at the same time his entire oeuvre was a proof that the creator, no matter what he says, is most of all… a creator.

And with this comes an obvious responsibility: “New art is created as a result of discovering new form, new expression, new language and syntax, and not as a result of even the most noble declarations, becoming involved in the only legitimate political views, signing letters and protests, or confessing that we are full of the most noble humanitarian and humanistic feelings. A committed creator is a creator committed to the fight for a new form”.

Those words, written by Tadeusz Różewicz for the 60th anniversary of the Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, became the motto of ZONE OF CONTACT 2016. And in particular, the motto of the drama competition, as we sent those words to the invited authors as an ideological message and a challenge. i wyzwanie do podjęcia.

Marek Fiedor The author is general and artistic director of Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, lecturer at Acting Department in Łódź film school, and a theatre director. He graduated from Theatre Arts at the Jagiellonian University. As a director, he realized 40 performances, among others in Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław, Warsaw and Łódź. His performances received many awards at festivals across Poland. He is the winner of Bohdan Korzeniewski award, and was nominated wirce for Polityka Passport.

Lead and subheadings from the editor

7

Photography Never Dies Exhibition

Krzysztof Candrowicz, curator of Photography Never Dies, and Maciej Bujko, artistic director of TIFF Festival – two events in the visual arts programme

Tom Stayte

­ orld photo W the photo Wrocław

into eight chapters. We’ll see icons of world photography, as well as contemporary artistic projects, prints from private archives and photos from social media. Photography is an unusually open and egalitarian medium, and that’s why the exhibition juxtaposes projects by established artists and curators (including Erik Kessels, Catherine Balet, Volker Hinz and Francesca Seravalle) with pictures

from photo collections and the Internet. Regardless of the death of traditional, analogue photography, the process itself of documenting and preserving the fixed image has survived. Even though photography undergoes constant transformation, nowadays it experiences the peak of popularity. Technology might change, but the idea and practice of photography definitely doesn’t die out.

Recently, we’ve celebrated the 100th anniversary of Stefan Arczyński, a photographic icon from Wrocław. He needs no introduction, but in the European Capital of Culture 2016 there are many artists whose work is worth reminding and whose photographs should be exhibited.

Does Wrocław like photography?

Maciej Bujko: Stefan Arczyński is a very important persona of Wrocław photography, but obviously not the only one. Photography in Wrocław was often created on the border between arts and new media, and it was always its advantage. Let’s mention for example Natalia LL and Jerzy Olek. And the present day is also very interesting. For many years Ośrodek Postaw Tworczych [Centre for Artistic Activities]

Can we say that the photographic community here is distinct? Is there anything that at the same time singles out and links the artists who come from here?

M.B: It is difficult to describe the interesting and stylistically varied Wrocław photographic community. This domain develops quickly here. Also thanks to the creative atmosphere of the city, which can be sensed for example in Ur, where many artists, curators and producers meet.

This autumn brings new occasions for such meetings: on 1 September TIFF Festival begins, and on 17 November the exhibition Photography Never Dies is opening – two events invigorating photographic life in the city and the

8

Maciej Bujko

Catherine Ballet

Cortis and Sonderegger

It will be a symbolic story of the birth of photography, its evolution and values inherent to the medium. The project has a form of a metaphorical illustration of the history of photography during the 177 years of its existence. But the exhibition is not a study or a historic or encyclopaedic analysis, but most of all a reflection on the role of photography in our life.

The presentation will be divided

between 17 November 2016 and 8 January 2017 location: Wrocław Main Station Gallery, ul. Piłsudskiego 105 detailed information: www.photographyneverdies.com

has been a centre for interesting creators such as Filip Zawada, Krzysztof Solarewicz, Karolina Zajączkowska and Paweł Starzec. A part of this community is also Miejsce przy Miejscu, run by Łukasz Rusznica – a curator and photographer.

For years Wrocław has had a special position on the artistic map of Poland.

region. Which artists will we have a chance to admire?

M.B: As far as this year’s edition is of TIFF is concerned, you cannot lump all the artists together, as we will see diverse personalities from around the world.

From Arianna Aracara and Luca Santese from Cesura, creating a project out of

of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 – in a conversation with Paulina Butlewska.

TIFF Festival

graphy in graphic invited artists who talk about photography as a medium and approach this subject in a metaphoric way. Those projects discuss photography itself, and answer the question what photography is and how it changed during the last 177 years. We’ll present works by Francesca Seravalle, Catherine Balet and the duo Cortis and Sondergger, whose oeuvre is a cross-sectional interpretation of the whole history of photography. There will also be artists showing, in a very symbolic way, what photography is and what it has always been. And the most important project: the work of Erik Kassels hidden in the chapter “Immortality of photography”. It will be a strong punchline.

would of course like to talk about all of the projects, but TIFF Open is too big: sixteen exhibitions and over thirty events during the festival.

And Photography Never Dies?

Krzysztof Candrowicz: To create the exhibition Photography Never Dies, I have

The festival was established in Wrocław in 2011, and its purpose from the very inception has been to activate photographic art in the city and the region. With every year TIFF is becoming a more and more important artistic event, gaining also international renown. It is constantly accompanied by the idea of exploring and experiencing photography anew. The 6th edition of the festival will be organized under the motto “River & Roads”, which is described by the organizers in the following way: “Being

on the road, mobility, emigrations, immigrations, imagined trips, rivers and roads… All the places we visit, we dream about, or which we have to leave. But also those where we escape, where we hide. Contemporary world is not permanently fixed to one location, because the possibilities offered by contemporary times or situations into which it forces us make mobility a mass activity. As a result, things that in the past the majority of the society could see only in the photos taken during excursions into faraway places,

today are available to everyone”.

That’s why the 6th TIFF Festival is organized under the motto “Rivers and Roads”.

Exhibitions in the main programme are divided into three thematic lines, which focus on observations of new realities of photographers (“Immigrations/ Emigrations”), traveling to nonexistent realities through the medium of photography itself (“Imagined excursions”) and presentations of new photography made during travels inspired by TIFF Festival (“On the Road”).

Ania Cywińska. It started_1

If photography isn’t dying, what will it be like in the future?

Krzysztof Candrowski

archive photos found in Detroit, to Munemasa Takahashi with his charitable “Lost & Found”, consisting of amateur photographs saved from tsunami, and CatMackiewicz, Polish publicist and prime minister in exile. We will also present hundreds of photography publications, for example Zines of the World, consisting on three hundred zines, and an entirely new element of the programme, TIFF Open, an open section of the festival, during which we’ll show four selected projects by Alicja Brodowicz, Marcin Fajfruk, Mateusz Kowalik and Mateusz Skory. As part of the main programme, we’ve sent on the road Łukasz Rusznica, Jon Cazenave (Japan), Łukasz Filak, Aleksandra Gach, Alicja Kielan and Ania Orłowska from Lower Silesia. We have also invited Agnieszka Pajączkowska and her Lower Silesian Travelling Photographic Studio. I

K.C.: The title of the exhibition itself – Photography Never Dies – is a huge metaphor.

It is obvious that everything passes, it is undergoing transformation and disappears.

This title means both hope and punchline of this story. The story which doesn’t search for the answer to the question what photography will be like in the future. I would like this issue to remain open.

between 1 and 11 September 2016 detailed information: www.tiff.wroc.pl FB www.facebook.com/festivaltiff

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Cinema changes life.

In the European Capital of Cinema Between September and December, we’ll see in Wrocław all the most important European films of the last 30 years.

Add to that the American Film Festival, the whole oeuvre of Wim Wenders and Shakespeare in film...

1997, Warsaw city centre. A woman meets a man. They broke up a year earlier.

Now they want to discuss something. The evening ends in the cinema. They want to see if all the praises about the Lars von Trier film are justified. After the screening of Breaking the Waves at Muranów cinema they talk again. The winner of Grand Prix at Cannes in 1996, awarded the European Film Award the same year, makes a big impression on them.

“After the showing they started to talk, they got back together, and finally they got married.” This is an overheard story recounted by Roman Gutek, the director of Muranów, distributor of Breaking the Waves and other films by von Trier, and later also of the New Horizons.

“It is a film which has changed people, which stays with us,” he sums up. “The best of von Trier’s films,” he then adds, a satisfied cinephile who made his assessment.

2016, Wrocław city centre.

Once again, over 100,000 viewers at the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival. Before some films, on the big screen we see the well-known face of Roman Gutek. From outside the frame, he talks about his backyard, childhood games, his gang and his fascination with Winnetou. Then we see a headdress and Roman, who sits in the cinema. A slogan appears: “Cinema changes life”. It’s an advertisement for the Kids Film review, which in September will be shown, among others, in the New Horizons Cinema in Wrocław.

Roman Gutek mentioned the story about the film screening which actually changed lives when I asked him about his favourite winner of the European Oscars.

The European Film Academy agreed for Wrocław to become in December 2016 the European Capital of Cinema. The capital of Lower Silesia will be the second city in Poland, after Warsaw, to host the awards. Every other year the ceremony takes place in Berlin – the home of the Academy, and in between they are hosted by various cities in different countries. The only gala which Gutek attended took place

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in Riga. The winner in the capital of Latvia was Ida. “We were all very happy. It reminded me of the joy when in the first edition of the awards the winner was a film by Krzysztof Kieślowski. A Short Film About Killing won the first European Oscar in history.

On December 10th, in Wrocław, the 29th gala of the awards will be organized, a highlight of the European Capital of Culture. In the week preceding the gala, the New Horizons Cinema will present films nominated for the award this year. The titles will be known in November. There is a chance that creators will meet the audience on occasion of those screenings. On the day before the gala, December 9th, there will be a screening of a film by the laureate of the Life Achievement European Film Academy Award.”

From Wenders to European American Dream We could already admire the Masters of European Cinema in Wrocław during the New Horizons Festival. But the autumn retrospective of Wim Wenders’ films will be even richer – it will last from 22 September to 11 December. The master doesn’t have too much time: he is showing his latest film in Venice, and then returns to the studio to edit the next one. But he will certainly appear in Wrocław for the gala of the European Film Awards. We don’t know if he comes here earlier. And that’s why, a day

after the EFA gala, on 11 December, a special screening of his film Pina will be organized. Some of the films will be presented during the American Film Festival, as this year, on occasion of the European Capital of Culture, one of the retrospectives presented during AFF will be “American filmmakers in and on America.”

For the opening, we’ll see the latest work of Jim Jarmusch, i.e. Patterson, and then Europeans in America. A special selection was prepared by Marcin Giżycki, the author of the book “Wenders Go Home! European Films on America and their Reception in the States”. He quotes there, among others, Jean Baudrillard: “Perhaps the truth of America can only be seen by an European.”

“Some left fascinated with American nature, others with ideals of freedom and unlimited space. Some were drawn there by the ‘American dream’. Most of them came back to Europe after making one, perhaps two films, but each of those works was a very interesting image of America.” says the programme director of American Film Festival, Urszula Śniegowska. We’ll see films ranging from Zabriskie Point by Michelangelo Antonioni (Śniegowska: “One of better depictions of America”) to von Trier and his Dogville (“He never visited the States, but he regarded the country very critically”).

During a meeting with the audience of the New Horizons Festival, Agnieszka Holland revealed that one of her favourite

films is Lions Love (…and Lies). In October, this film will be presented during AFF, and its creator, Agnes Varda, will most probably meet the Wrocław audience to talk about her personal, para-documentary analysis of free love.

“She has good recollections of her visit at the New Horizons Festival. She will come if everything goes well.” reveals the director of AFF. A possible hit can be Punishment Park – a para documentary by Peter Watkins, probably never previously shown in Poland before, on an alleged labour camp created for revolutionary youth in 1969.

“During this year’s AFF, we will also complete the retrospective of Orson Welles’ works. This time we’ll see, among others, The Trial with Anthony Perkins and a very rarely presented TV film The Immortal Story, in which Welles also plays one of the main parts.” says Śniegowska.

Oja Kodar from Croatia was also invited to the festival. A film by Welles in which she starred, F for fake, will be shown. The creator’s last partner, accompanying him for the final 24 years of his life, will remember the outstanding filmmaker in Wrocław.

Starring Shakespeare Two of Welles’ films realized in Europe are Othello and Falstaff. They inscribe into yet another cycle organized by the New Horizons and the European Capital of Culture this autumn. On occasion of the

400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, British Council prepared a set of film adaptations of the Stratford master and films inspired by his works. In Poland, the full review is organized in Wrocław.

“We have scheduled the presentations during the Theatre Olympics in such a way that the film by Peter Brook will be screened alongside his performances. Which means a bigger chance to meet the master in the New Horizons Cinema. If his health allows it.” says Roman Gutek.

British adaptations of Shakespeare aren’t always classic. “We’ll present a lesser known work by Roman Polański, Macbeth, and Peter Greenaway will return with Prospero’s Books. We will also show Derek Jarman’s films. The Angelic Conversation is a total experiment, very close to my sensitivity.” says the director of the New Horizons.

Jan Pelczar Author is a film journalist. He hosts original film programmes in Radio RAM, he’s a publisher and editor of news services at RAM and Radio Wrocław. He presents film premieres, and talks with the creators, for example during the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival.

He graduated from Polish School of Reportage.

Film festivals and reviews in the programme of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 September-October Wim Wenders – a retrospective 22 September – 11 December

7th American Film Festival 25-30 October 2016

Wim Wenders – German director, screenwriter, producer and photographer, one of the most outstanding masters of the European cinema, winner of the Golden Lion for The State of Things, Palme d’Or for Paris, Texas and the prize in Cannes for directing Wings of Desire – will have his retrospective at the New Horizons Cinema. Wenders is famous for his poetic, melancholy style, which works perfectly both in feature films and documentaries. Together with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog, he was a member of the movement of young creators who reformed German cinema and introduced it to European screens. 36 films by this European masters will be presented in the New Horizons Cinema.

Details at www.kinonh.pl. Tickets available online and in ticket offices.

As Wrocław is the European Capital of Culture this year, the programme of the festival pays particular attention to the relationship between the old and the new world, mutual fascinations and links between European and American cinema.

European filmmakers in America. As the title of the review suggests, it will present over a dozen cult films realized by European creators in the US. Herzog, Dumont, Antonioni and Varda – in America they all searched for what’s absent in their home countries: Indians and Indian reservations, mobile houses and gigantic campers, truck drivers’ bars and dusty motels, the unique small-town mentality and exotic New York or Californian bohemia, and most of all landscapes out of westerns and highways across deserts.

Wenders in America. A special example of a European who devoted a large portion of his oeuvre to the analysis of the US is Wim Wenders. During AFF, six of his films will be

presented, a part of a retrospective of the work of the German director.

Welles in Europe. Since the 1950s, Orson Welles, one of the greatest geniuses of cinema, directed his films in France, Italy or Yugoslavia, combining private investments and minimizing expenses for film sets and costumes. In this way, his masterpieces of film trickery were created, such as Othello or Falstaff, Kafka’s The Trial and many television productions, for example Immortal Story.

Many of them included – as co-screenwriter and actress – the person of Oja Kodar, who will be a guest at the Orson Welles’ retrospective.

Festival passes available from 19 September and full programme of the festival will be announced on 12 October.

Shakespeare Lives in Film 14 October -14 November On occasion of the Shakespeare’s Year, the 400th anniversary of his death, British Council and the New Horizons Association invite for a review of British adaptations of the great

playwright’s works, accompanying the Theatre Olympics in Wrocław. The programme will include stylistically varied adaptations of more and less known works: from huge productions with stars to independent films – both the Derek Jarman’s experiments, the original Macbeth by Roman Polański, as well as the classic adaptation of the comedy Much Ado About Nothing by Kenneth Branagh starring Emma Thompson.

More information at www.kinonh.pl.

European Film Awards 6 September -10 December 2016 A review at the New Horizons Cinema will encompass 28 films, winners of the European Film Award, as well as a selection of those nominated in 2016.

The review will begin with: A Short Film About Killing by Krzysztof Kieślowski from 1987, Landscape in the Mist directed by Theo Angelopoulos from 1988, Open Doors by Gianni Amelio and Riff-Raff by Ken Loach from 1990.

More information at www.kinonh.pl.

“The Wrocław Europe” will be an attempt to transport us to distant times of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), a very difficult period in the history of Europe.

It was one of the cruellest armed conflicts and it marks the end of an era. Renaissance ideals, faith in the power of knowledge and human capabilities was brutally interrupted and abandoned.

Blaze, pestilence, robberies, pogroms, poverty and death touched and were experienced by a substantial part of our continent. In an era when life and its salvation became the core value, there shouldn’t have been room for flourishing of arts. It is no accident that Cicero said that „when canons roar, the Muses are silent.”

Therefore, it is a mystery to us that it was in Wrocław, at a time when you could actually hear the clang of arms around, and residents anxiously observed the state of the fortifications guarding the security of the capital of Silesia, where we find remarkable evidence of flourishing arts of all kinds, including literature, music and art. There was something special about this city, since one could find here

– in these tragic and dangerous years of the war cataclysm – respite and joy of communing with art.

Bartholomew Strobel – a unique artist Our exhibition has its main characters.

And very unusual ones. They remind us of the, somewhat forgotten today, links and relations between Silesia, in the 17th century belonging to the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Habsburg monarchy, and Poland. The first is the early Baroque painter, one of the greatest artists who ever worked and lived in the Polish Republic – Bartholomew Strobel.

His religious works were widely admired in Toruń, Włocławek, Frombork and Grodzisk Wielkopolski, and made him one of the leading painters of the time of the Counter-Reformation, the creator heavily involved in the dissemination of new iconographic themes in Polish art of the first half of the 17th century. He earned his fame also thanks to portraits of our nobility and aristocracy. Nobody else was able to depict the charm of the physiognomy proud aristocrats, as suggestively as him capture images of our Sarmatians and townspeople of Toruń, Elbląg or Gdańsk. Also his drawings still captivate us with their erudition and unusual artistic form. Although the work of this artist is known, no one ever paid him the homage of a monographic mu-

seum exhibition. Our project is therefore a pioneer.

Why did we recall Strobel? The reason is simple – because few remember that this talented artist was born in 1591 in Wrocław and spent more than 40 years in this city. When around 1634 he left Silesia and he went to the Polish Republic, he was already a fully formed and highly experienced artist, surrounded by fame and privileges. He was the court painter of the bishop of Wrocław and the Habsburg emperors. Also the Polish king and the duke of Saxony spoke highly of his talent. He was surrounded with respect and trust of the Wrocław elites.

Both Catholic and Lutheran. His friendship with the eminent poet Martin Opitz lasted long after he had left Wrocław.

For us, a particular pretext to remind Wrocław the works of Bartholomew Strobel became his most impressive and extremely mysterious painting – Feast of Herod and Beheading of St. John the Baptist, which is kept today at the Prado Museum in Madrid. This ideologically and artistically impressive allegorical panorama, in which one can find numerous confessional and political allusions to the situation in Europe at the time, allows for various interpretations. An intriguing theme in the history of the origin and meaning of this work is its relationship with the ambitious canon and dean of the cathedral chapter of Wrocław Nikolaus von Troilo (1582-1640), who substituted bishop Karol Ferdynand Vasa (1613-1655), remaining away from Silesia.

photo: W. Rogowski

Karol Ferdynand Vasa – the Wrocław bishop

Piotr Oszczanowski The author has a post-doctoral degree in art history, he’s an author of many publications on modern art. He’s a member of many institutions, including the Association of Art Historians, International Council for Curators of Dutch and Flemish Art (CODART) in Amsterdam, Societas Humboldtiana Polonorum, as well as boards of museum and municipal institutions. Since 2014, he’s the director of the National Museum in Wrocław.

And it is this representative of the ruling dynasty in the Polish Republic which is the second hero of “The Wrocław Europe”. He was the son of King Sigismund III Vasa and Constance of Austria, brother of King Jan Kazimierz Vasa and half-brother of King Władysław IV. Already in his youth, he was selected by his parents for priesthood. At the age of twelve, in 1625, he was elected the bishop of Wrocław and Duke of Nysa and Opole and Racibórz. In 1640 he obtained the dignity of the bishop of Płock.

Despite receiving the episcopal dignity and exercising it for most of his life, he never received the proper ordination.

But he was a very serious candidate for the Polish throne, and only the interests of the dynasty made him renounce this honour and give way to his brother Jan Kazimierz.

Although Bishop Karol Ferdynand only four times personally stayed in the Wrocław diocese – in 1637, 1642, 1650, and from 6 June 1652 to 7 January 1654, he was fully religiously and the politically responsible for the state of the Silesian Church. He governed it in the difficult

photo: Krzysztof Wilczyński

Extraordinary proof of the flourishing of arts.

In Wrocław Bartholomaeus Strobel, Daniel and the king Cyrus before the statue of Baal; from the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw

„The Wrocław Europe” First exhibition in the history of museology presenting works of Bartholomaeus Strobel (1591 –1647) – a painter working in Wrocław in the 17th century and perceived as one of the greatest artists of Central Europe. The character of bishop Karol Ferdynand Vasa will also be remembered, a unique patron of art, thanks to whom the 17th century Wrocław was a special place on the cultural map of Europe.

The exhibition is built around two thematic lines. First of them is the work of Strobel and his followers in Silesia. Second topic is the activities of the Wrocła bishop Karol Ferdynand Vasa (1613-1655) –

brother of the king of Poland Władysław IV, nephew of the emperor Ferdinand II, grandson of the king John III of Sweden – as the patron of art. His funds and donations (especially precious objects of the artistic craft) covered churches and monasteries in Poland (Warszawa, Wrocław, Płock, Nysa, and Vilnius). The works presented at the exhibition come from Polish museum and church collections, as well as foreign collections. The catalogue published with the exhibition includes essays on painting, goldsmithery, costumology, literature, and music from the time of the Thirty Years’ War. The curator of the exhibition is Ewa Houszka.

20 September – 31 December 2016 Exhibition at the National Museum in Wrocław Details at: www.wrocławskaeuropa.pl times of the Thirty Years’ War and the period of reconstruction and reform of the Catholic Church, which followed this European cataclysm. Our exhibition will recall and present for the first time to the public this unusual character –it will highlight his organizational and political achievements, activities aimed at reforming the Catholic Church in Silesia, his passions and the effects of his artistic patronage. Bishop Karol Ferdynand Vasa devoted a part of his considerable wealth to church foundations, some of which are preserved in the vaults of Wrocław and Płock cathedral and in the collections of the monastery of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. His great passion for music is also worth remembering. This prince is generally overlooked in the presentation of the history of the Vasa dynasty, he remains “hidden” in the shadow of his wellknown and admired brothers.

100 works of art from around Europe At the exhibition “The Wrocław Eu-

rope” we’ll present over 100 works of art and art craft products made available from numerous Polish and foreign museums, as well as borrowed from many churches and monasteries across Poland, and Silesia in particular. Many of these artefacts were previously restored, some were even discovered in the course of preparation for the exhibition and will be presented to the public eye for the first time. The exhibition thus will not only present great works of Bartholomew Strobel and his workshop, but also the works of other artists, including Martin Luterbach, Wilhem Hondius, Tobias Kramer, Hans Rieger, Hans Christian Bierpfaff and Johann Pfister. I invite you to the National Museum for this unusual exhibition.

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Why Wiesław Myśliwski and Olga Tokarczuk lost by penalty kicks is revealed by Mykola Riabchuk – the head of the jury of Angelus Central European Literary Award

Angelus Means a Messenger

I felt certainly honored to join the jury – the team of bright and shrewd literary critics who made their annual judgements on the new Angelus laureate. I was really happy to cooperate with the city authorities whose commitment to various cultural and academic projects I knew before and highly appreciated. My initial bewildering and hesitation stemmed from very personal reasons. I just did not feel I was qualified enough for such a position. Not only that I was no match for the late Natalia Grobanevskaya, an ex-Soviet dissident and really a legendary person, who led the Angelus jury in 2006-2013. I was no match to anybody within the jury since I shifted from literary criticism to all kinds of political journalism and academic analysis for the reasons I still cannot properly rationalize.

Of course, you can never forget how to swim if you have ever learned it. Old habits die hard. And I still cannot avoid some metaphors in my scholarly writing. Nor can I eschew the discourse analysis when dealing with any political text or event.

The basic instruments still have been in use. So I dared for a comeback, even though I perfectly knew that it would be a challenge. And it was.

The most important books The stipulated goal of the Angelus award is two-fold. First, to distinguish the superb books by the Central and East European writers that address “the most

crucial contemporary issues and force us to reflect and expand our knowledge about other cultures”. And secondly, to reinvigorate the centuries-old traditions of the city of Wroclaw as a place where various people and cultures meet and productively interact.

The award is international as the books from 21 country can be qualified for

photo: Mirosław Koch

Back in 2014, when I was offered to head the jury of the Angelus literary award, I was astounded. Not so that I knew nothing about the project; to the contrary, I knew it perfectly well from its very inception in 2006, when a good friend of mine Yuri Andrukhovych became its first winner. I admired it – both the grand vision and its talented implementation. It was something I desperately wished to have in my own country. But I knew that the project was absolutely unique, so my jealousy could be soothed a bit and resentment tamed

amined by the experts, and 14 semi-finalists are chosen for further consideration and for the selection of 7 finalists. The procedure becomes increasingly tougher as it involves more and more debates among the members of jury. At this stage, a mere ticking of entries is definitely not enough: each book should be neatly analyzed, and arguments to be found to per-

Swiatłana Aleksijewicz, triumfatorka Angelusa w 2011, późniejsza noblistka (2015) z wieloletnią przewodniczącą jury Natalią Gorbaniewską

the competition. At the same time, it is national in sense that all books should be either written in Polish or translated into Polish, within the year preceding the nomination. Each publishing house is entitled to submit only one book by a Polish writer and one by a foreigner.

None the less, the Angelus committee receives 60-70 books every year. Half of them are NOT mentioned eventually by any single member of the jury. Which is a likely proof that some publishers are not responsible or critical enough in the selection of their Angelus entries.

The other half, however, is closely ex-

suade the colleagues that this is exactly the book which deserves more than the other(s) to be pushed forward. The final debate, on the very eve of the theatrical, “Oscar-like” ceremony of the awarding, may last a few hours, and end up by a very tense ballot voting when 9 members of jury are almost equally split among the two leading candidates.

Literary Champins League All the time, we face a difficult, sometimes a painful choice, since all the finalists usually deserve the award – in their

Angelus 2016 This year’s gala of the eleventh, special – on the occasion of ECoC Wrocław 2016 – edition of “Angelus” Central European Literary Award was planned for 15 October.

The award will be presented at the Capitol Music Theatre – a check for 150 thousand PLN (the highest literary prize in Poland) and the Angelus statuette by Ewa Rossano. It’s also then that we’ll learn the winner of the award for the best translator. A few days earlier, the laureate of the Natalia Gorbaniewska Readers’ Award (she was the head of the jury for many years) will be revealed.

The book will be selected by

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own way and style. How to substantiate the vote? Should it be the work of outstanding artistic quality? Should it correspond with the stated goals of the Angelus award? Should it be innovative, special, specific, unique, unforgettable? Yes, of course! But what if several books meet all these criteria? All the seven? Any finalist is a star, and all of them represent a bright

internet voting out of seven titles qualified for the finals (the final seven will be revealed at the beginning of September).

14 books have reached the semifinal of this year’s award: Maciej Hen, Solfatara,Wydawnictwo W.A.B. Ola Hnatiuk, Odwaga i strach, Kolegium Europy Wschodniej Anna Janko, Mała zagłada, Wydawnictwo Literackie Petr Krištufek, Dom głuchego, transl.

by Olga Stawińska, Książkowe Klimaty Renata Lis, W lodach Prowansji. Bunin na wygnaniu,Wydawnictwo Sic! Wasyl Machno, Listy i powietrze.

Opowiadania pograniczne, transl. by Bohdan Zadura, Wschodnia Fundacja Kultury „Akcent”

constellation, a celestial concert. It makes a great joy to observe them together, as a single team. They provide an excellent proof that the literature of Central East Europe – of small “non-historic” nations, sqeezed between Russia and Germany, – does exist. And compete, quite successfully, with other world literatures, includ-

ing their former imperial masters.

One may really appreciate the wisdom of the Angelus co-founders who included both Russia and Germany into the region, and entitled the prose-writers from these countries to participate in the competition. So far, they have not been among the winners, which is certainly not the result of any bias but just of a simple fact that there are no “minor literatures” in the region, and there are no “great literatures” that can take their “greatness” for granted.

Like in a sport, the excellence in fine arts should be proved all the time, persistently. I dare to compare Angelus to a champion league. The Polish champions may compete here quite successfully but not necessarily win. Sometimes, when it ends with a draw, they lose just by penalty kicks – as it happened to my favorite Wiesław Myśliwski or Olga Tokarczuk.

If the phenomenon of the Central East European literature does exist, it can be determined probably by the common history – the common experience of the imperial and totalitarian past, and of its eventual overcoming. The burden of history is perceptible in the books of most Central East European writers. Actually most of the Angelus winners dealt with their national past. And most of today’s semi-finalists are deeply immersed into the history. It looks as an omen, a stigma, a sign of the traumas that require a thorough psychological therapy. And literature seems to provide the remedy, as in a classical psychoanalysis – by talking and listening to.

As a head of the jury, I have two dreams. One of them, rather modest, is to see a Polish laureate of Angelus in the nearest future. And the second dream, more ambitions, is to see all our laureates winning eventually the Nobel prize. Except, of course, for Svetlana Aleksiyevich who has already done it.

Mykola Riabczuk The author is a prominent Ukrainian writer and public intellectual, the President of Ukrainian PEN-center, author of many books, four of which were translated into Polish – Od Malorosji do Ukrainy (2002), Dwie Ukrainy (2004), Ogrod Metternicha (2010), and Ukraina: syndrom postkolonialny (2015)

Winners 2006-2015 Uładzimir Niaklajeu, Automat z wodą gazowaną z syropem lub bez, transl.

by Jakub Biernat , Kolegium Europy Wschodniej Katia Petrowska, Może Estera, transl.

by Urszula Poprawska, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego Kristina Sabaliauskaité, Silva rerum, transl. by Izabela KorybutDaszkiewicz, Wydawnictwo Znak Ziemowit Szczerek, Tatuaż z tryzubem, Wydawnictwo Czarne Małgorzata Szejnert, Usypać góry.

Historie z Polesia, Wydawnictwo Znak Alvydas Šlepikas, Mam na imię Maryté, transl. by Paulina Ciucka, Kolegium Europy Wschodniej Cristian Teodorescu, Medgidia, miasto u kresu, transl. by Radosława JanowskaLascar, Wydawnictwo Amaltea Varujan Vosganian, Księga szeptów, transl. by Joanna Kornaś-Warwas, Książkowe Klimaty

2006 – Yurii Andrukhovych Dwanaście kręgów (Czarne, transl. by Katarzyna Kotyńska) 2007 – Martin Pollack Śmierć w bunkrze – opowieść o moim ojcu (Czarne, transl. by Andrzej Kopacki) 2008 – Peter Esterhazy Harmonia caelestis (Czytelnik, transl. by Teresa Worowska) 2009 – Josef Škvorecky Przypadki inżyniera ludzkich dusz (Pogranicze, transl. by Andrzej Jagodziński) 2010 – Gyorgy Spiro Mesjasze (W.A.B., transl. by Elżbieta Cygielska) 2011 – Svetlana Alexievich Wojna nie ma w sobie nic z kobiety (Czarne, transl. by Jerzy Czech) 2012 – Miljenko Jergović Srda śpiewa o zmierzchu w Zielone Świątki (Czarne, transl. by Magdalena Petryńska) 2013 – Oxana Zabuzhko Muzeum porzuconych sekretów (W.A.B., transl.

by Katarzyna Kotyńska)

2014 – Pavol Rankov Zdarzyło się pierwszego września (albo kiedy indziej) (Książkowe Klimaty, transl. by Tomasz Grabiński) 2015 - Serhiy Zhadan Mezopotamia (Czarne, transl. by Michał Petryk and Adam Pomorski)

Since 2009 „Angelus” Central European Literary Award (in the amount of 20 thousand PLN) is also given to the translator of the foreign-language book which received the main prize in a given year. If the winner is a Polish writer, the jury will select the best translator.

The Natalia Gorbaniewska Readers’ Award (since 2014)

2014 – Pavol Rankov, Zdarzyło się pierwszego września (albo kiedy indziej) (Książkowe Klimaty) 2015 – Lucian Dan Teodorovici, Matei Brunul, przekład Radosława Janowska-Lascăr (Wydawnictwa Atut i Amaltea)

A great literary feast approaches. Quotes on Bruno Schulz

In 2012, on the 120th anniversary of the birth, and 70th of the death of one of the most eminent European prose writers, in Wrocław a literary festival was established, which the originators created not only as a form of commemorating the writer and reminding of the works of Bruno Schulz, but most of all as a great literary feast. The festival, whose 5th edition is drawing near, is international, and so apart from meetings and discussions devoted to Schulz, it has also become an occasion to discuss Polish-Jewish-German-Ukrainian relations and how they are depicted in literature and art.

The greatest writers in Wrocław cinnamon shops It has turned out at the very beginning that Wrocław is a perfect place for the celebration of Schulz – a cultural city of the borderland, and now also the European Capital of Culture and UNESCO World Book Capital.

Bruno Schulz remains one of the most often commented upon, adapted, translated and read Polish writers in the world.

He is also a symbol of the tragic history of Jews and a witness of the darkest episode in the history of Polish-German-Jewish relations. His work remains one of the biggest literary events in the world, not only his published works, but also ceaseless inspirations which follow. One can’t also forget about his life history – ironic

on one hand, and on the other, classically tragic in its ruthlessness. His artistic works are a different matter, and their contemporary story (for example the discovery and then mysterious transport of his frescos from Drohobych to Yad Vashem) is a point of departure for reflections not only aesthetic, but also on political and social relations between those four nations. And so the person of Schulz is a point where various elements intersect and become entangled on many levels: works of art and biography, history, ideology, religion and politics. Since 2012, thanks to discussions, meetings with authors and sessions with specialists, Bruno Schulz. Festival has been bringing closer to the public

the complex figure of the excellent writer, who has transformed the way we think about literature and art. Artists, writers, academics, philosophers, sociologists and historians who visit the festival every year help us to understand not only literature,

art and history, but also the whole world around us, and perhaps they even write some prescriptions for the future here in Wrocław… There is no figure, in literary and any other sense, better suited for such activities than Bruno Schulz.

5.

Bruno Schulz.

Festival 11-16 October, Wrocław This year programme includes, among others: * a meeting with Serhiy Zhadan, the winner of Angelus 2015, and his concert with the group Sabaki in space; * Schulz concert of “Little Instruments”; * a meeting with Martin Pollack; * a panel discussion on reading with Justyna Sobolewska, Grzegorz Jankowicz and Ryszard Koziołek; * a panel discussion devoted to the person of Józef Roth (among panellists, Małgorzata Łukasiewicz and Elżbieta Jogałła); * a panel discussion on Emil Cioran with the participation of Ireneusz Kania, Marek Bieńczyk and Nicolas Cavailles; * a panel discussion on the book Henryk by Wojciech Karpiński; * meetings with seven writers nominated to the Angelus Awards in 2016; * traditional slam and traditional urban game.

They said during Bruno Schulz. Festival: Tomasz Różycki, poet: Cinnamon Shops was obligatory reading in high school, which – I admit – I read and I was dazzled, enchanted and delighted. I had the feeling that this man wrote everything I could ever want to say in my life and that literature could end with Bruno Schulz. But it’s not like that, of course.

Albert Schreyer, a pupil of Bruno Schulz and klezmer: Handicraft classes conducted by Schulz were always very loud. He would ask us to be quiet and then we would say: “Tell us a fairy tale, professor”. And he did it willingly, although he pretended to complain: “You don’t need fairy tales, you’re 14 already”. But then he would sit on the carpenter’s workshop, with his side to us, and looking at the wall he would begin his fairy tale. His imagination was limitless.

Translating Schulz, I decided to fight the generally established ideas about him – most of all that he’s a great but unreadable writer

photo: Max Pflegel

Yurii Andrukhovych, cult Ukrainian writer, winner of the Angelus Award:

Paweł Huelle, writer: What would happen if Schulz survived the Holocaust? It would be wonderful.

If he didn’t leave after the war to Israel, Sweden or America, and would remain in the coarse socialist Poland. Obviously, he wouldn’t publish then, those weren’t the years for it, but perhaps in 1956 something would come out. But how would his Messiah look like then?

I don’t know if finished after the war or written anew, but I think that if Schulz survived the Holocaust, we would have to write it … again. I can imagine the Messiah Schulz would write in a canteen at the Polish Writers’ Association at Krupnicza in Kraków, he writes, eats some soup … obviously he writes by hand in some notebook. And so this is the question: what would be this Messiah by Schulz after the Holocaust?

Ryszard Krynicki, poet: Bruno Schulz’s language is extremely modern. And that’s the main feature of his prose writing. His poetic language, an echo of which can be still heard in Polish poetry.

Konstanty Gebert, feature writer: Bruno Schulz is still so important, because he represents a whole range of Jewish Austro-Hungarian intellectuals.

He, Kafka, Mahler, Freud – the list is long – who had one leg in some Jewish identity (no matter how distant and transformed), and the other in Polish identity (no matter how distant and transformed), German, Ukrainian or Hungarian, with German language, as it was the language of the cultural world, with their head in the clouds.

They had a completely new idea about identity: identity doesn’t mean I implement what I’m given, but that I select from the richness of the world and I transform. This idea for identity scared Europe so much, it had to kill them.

Wojciech Bonowicz, poet: You have to escape Schulz, free yourself from him every day, because his strength is so big, it threatens with incapacitation. But I feel close to him as the one whose words study undefined regions.

Krzysztof Varga, writer and collumnist: Schulz inclined towards fetishism – you can see it clearly in his prose and drawings from the Book of Idolatry – and masochism. But of course his masochism was very subtle.

13

Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało on super visions and dreams during the International Short Story Festival

“What you don’t tell doesn’t exist” “The more I say it, the more I love him”. It’s easy to find solemn statements on the power of story-telling in colloquial language. It is indeed one of the founding books of the Mediterranean culture, in the part devoted to creation, that talks about the word being the prime mover. It was first, it announced phenomena, facts and things. The world was secondary.

At the same time, the word had the power to create reality: “it became flesh”.

And as the civilization was developing, the word has not lost its value, on the contrary: it has become more and more influential. Totalitarian regimes wanted to circulate their own narratives and dominate or drive other ones away. Politicians keep forcing on us their own dictionaries.

They are aware that to accept and integrate somebody’s dictionary means to accept that person’s way of thinking and – as a consequence – to submit to their vision.

The word is also one of the basic media on the Internet. We read and write more and more.

For eleven years… during the International Short Story Festival, we have researched not only other people’s dictionaries and visions from across the world, but also languages and methods of constructing stories. And also cultures from which they derive. But most of all, we willingly submit to those visions during readings, which each year, in original languages, take place in various parts of the city: in cinemas, theatres, galleries and museums. We attempt to revive the archetypal method for transmitting

stories. Oral culture is our culture. In the times when we send our avatars with cameras not only underwater and into space, but also to a museum or a stadium, we are interested in a direct experience: a meeting between the author and the reader.

Performative reading. What happens between the sender and the receiver in real time. And the world created in this way.

Our translators translate… the texts, so we can read them simultaneously in Polish. Nothing is lost – we receive the message comprehensively. We experience melodies and structures of the language: a Chinese writer whispers, the German pulls off a performance, the British lady puts on airs. The text is personified, it is personal. Presented in context.

And the experience during the festival – is absolutely unique. Because it all happens only once, here and now. With no possibility of rewinding and replaying. What you lose – it is lost. What you gain – it is yours.

The readers who become listeners/spectators, receive high quality, high-proof literature. The festival’s well tried method of selection is based on repeated testing by translators, editors, and finally the curators of the festival. Apart from direct meetings, it is the most important, core part of our work. And selection is a basic activity in the fluid modernity. Globalism means pluralism and maximum content without limits. It is a stream which never stops flowing. Curators and critics are qualifiers, they function as a sieve. Those we trust can show us directions, save our time.

The International Short Story Festival has its themes, each year it attempts to

become a small monograph, a thorough discussion of one entry or topic. We study it during panel discussions, which are always interdisciplinary precisely to confront languages and paradigms of various academic domains. And then, we also confront different tools and dictionaries.

We observe discussion as a work of art, and at the same time we search for common ways of thinking, and we pose important questions.

This year’s topic is… the history of the future. As part of the competition, we receive stories on private visions of the future – the best ones will be included in an anthology and printed. The panel discussion between futurologists, art critics and curators will be accompanied by the magazine “Super Visions”. It will include texts written by critics from different domains: literature, theatre, visual arts. They will be our seers, they will write prophetic texts. They will play with us the game of “what happens next”, what happens tomorrow, in five or in twenty years.

We have asked for texts for that magazine several Polish writers and academics, and we have divided them into three sections.

One will be devoted to utopias, i.e. dreams. Another to dystopias, which means dark visions of the future, and the third on retrovisions, i.e. nostalgic, disgraced, but nevertheless beautiful films, books and ideas. This year, each panel discussion will be accompanied with a futuristic work of art – it will be a point of departure. Because writers – and more widely – artists, give meaning to our chaotic bustling. It will be their celebration. And ours.

Selection is a basic activity in the fluid modernity.

Globalism means pluralism and maximum content without limits. It is a stream which never stops flowing.

12th International Short Story Festival 6-9 October 2016

14

Prize for Irish Literature and Dylan Thomas Prize).

There will also be writers from Poland: Jacek Dehnel, Andrzej Muszyński (winner of the Festival prize in 2012), Łukasz Orbitowski and Wit Szostak.

From the Czech Republic, Marek Šindelka will come, whose collection “Zostańcie z nami”, translated by Anna Wanik, will be published this autumn by Wrocław-based Afera publishing house. Swiss prose writer Peter Stamm is known in Poland from his novels “Agnes” and “Siedem lat” (published by Drzewo Babel), although he also writes excellent short stories.

Stamm was nominated to Man Booker International Prize, and in 2014 he won the prestigious Friedrich-Hölderlin-Preis. The

festival will also host writers from Israel and – for the first time – from Finland.

The motto of this year’s edition is “History of the future”, which also inspired the review of film adaptations, just like the texts submitted to the competition under the slogan “2 May 2018, four in the morning, Bydgoszcz”. The winner of the main prize (5000 PLN) will be announced at the beginning of October. There will also be awards in the competition for the best translation: this year from English, German and Czech. The programme will include panel discussions and events for children.

Details and the whole programme available at: www. opowiadanie.org

Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało

photo: Krzysztof Zatycki

This year the festival will be organized in the historic building of the newly opened Pan Tadeusz Museum, and authors from Poland and abroad will present their premiere texts, including a strong female representation: Liliana Hermetz (winner of the Conrad award for her novel “Alicyjka”), Dominika Słowik (author of renown debut novel – “Atlas: doppelganger”), Zyta Rudzka, Iza Klementowska (“Szkielet białego słonia”), Małgorzata Rejmer (“Bukareszt.

Kurz i krew”) and Austrian Anna Weidenholzer, who studied in Wrocław, and the great British prose writer Lucy Caldwell (winner of, among others, Rooney

Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało The author is a poet, writer, art critic and feature writer. Her texts have been translated into nine languages. She cooperates with many magazines. She was the host of “Hurtownia książek” (a programme on books on Polish Television). She published over a dozen volumes of poetry, essays, books for children and novels. Nominated for Gdynia Literary Award. A member of the programme team of the International Short Story Festival and editor of Short Story Laboratory.

Dancing in the air, 3D interactive animations, a multi-level stage, the highest class multimedia projector, space sound and the main character: the building of the National Forum of Music, which becomes alive and learns.

It’s just a fraction of attractions awaiting the spectators of the “Alchemy of Light” performance, which we’ll witness on 3 and 4 September on Wolności Square.

“Alchemy of Light” is an extraordinary multimedia performance combining contemporary visual arts in the form of 3D mapping with live lights, music, singing and dance. This year, it will tell the story of the power of music, how it influences culture and life in the city, of diversity, mixing cultures, passions, in-

spiration and the freedom of creation.

Intense emotions await everyone who visits the square in front of the National Forum of Music. There’ll be dancing in the air, trance sounds of drums and energetic choreography. The NFM building will undergo a surprising metamorphosis and outstanding animations will alternate with music and actors’ performance in a live set.

The multilevel stage will be used by musicians, acrobats, dancers, parkour practitioners and street artists. Construction machines will be included in the narration of the show. The creators

also decided to create a fully interactive animation reacting to the dancers’ moves.

The building of the National Forum of Music will be the leading character of the performance. Designed to resemble a sound box, the building will function as a music machine that learns the rhythm and sounds from humans and eventually starts creating on its own. The machine-building will receive sounds, process and “imitate” everything that is happening around it.

The audience gathered on Wolności Square in Wrocław will take part in the

story of music – one of the most important manifestations of human culture and the pillar of art. The creators of the spectacle want to show that music can be not only heard but also seen.

“The Alchemy of Light is our original project where we use light and modern techniques of visualization in an unconventional way. The objective of the project is to show the urban architecture in a completely different way, but also to present a specific story which connects with the location of the show,” says Marcin Marzyński, press spokesperson of TAURON Dystrybucja, the creator and

patron of the event. The co-orgaizers of the “Alchemy of Light” are TAURON Dystrybucja, the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 and the National Forum of Music.

The last year’s “Alchemy Of Light”, organized outside Wawel Castle in Kraków, won TOP EVENT 2015 and MP POWER AWARDS 2015 contests for the best event and the best visual setting. .

Website: alchemiaswiatla.pl.

Admission to the event is free.

photo: Organizers’ materials (TAURON Dystrybucja)

“Alchemy of Light” at Wolności Square

15

What’s on in Wrocław! The calendar of the SPECIAL PROJEKTY PROJECTS SPECJALNE BEGINS

ENDS

FIELD

NAME

LITERATURE LITERATURA

LOCATION

TICKETS

DETAILS

Main Station Gallery

Visual Arts

Catherine Balet. Looking for the Masters

wroclaw2016.pl/looking-for-themasters

07-01-2016 01-12-2016

New Horizons Cinema

Film

Adapter.

Cinema Without Barriers

fundacjakatarynka.pl; adapter.pl

09-01-2016 30-11-2016

“A-i-R Wro Programme: residency of Mathilde Lavenne”

Wrocław

Visual Arts

wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje , facebook.com/airwro

Wrocław Contemporary Museum

Performance

Mariyia Hoyin residency at the Contemporary Museum

wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje , facebook.com/airwro

02-09-2015 05-01-2017

10-01-2016 31-10-2016 09-02-2016 30-09-2016

Photography

09-05-2016 30-09-2016

Paper

09-06-2016 26-09-2016

Artistic Glass

18-06-2016 04-09-2016 23-06-2016 04-09-2016 26-06-2016 02-07-2016 11-09-2016 01-08-2016 01-09-2016 05-08-2016 01-10-2016 10-08-2016 2016-09-08

A-i-R Wro Programme: Yuji Hamada – Japanese Photographer in Wrocław “Master and Student” Residency at Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki Zdrój / BarBara the Museum of Papermaking

paid

free

free

ul. Na Niskich Łąkach 2a

wroclaw2016.pl/podworze

Visual Arts Visual Arts

Krzysztof Gierałtowski. Polish Individualities

Visual Arts

Zdzisław Nitka and conTEXTs of Expression

Arteko Gallery, Donostia San Sebastian (www.artekogaleria. com) TEST Gallery, Warsaw

19-08-2016 02-10-2016

Visual Arts

20-08-2016

Visual Arts

23-08-2016 22-01-2017

Visual Arts

“Degree of Dependence. Collective practices of young Ukrainian artists 2000-2016” “Degree of Dependence at 16.00 lecture ”They’ll pay for it. Part One. Odessa - Charków 1970 -1990” Summer Rental

“opening: Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław afterparty: UFF Club” Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

“Degree of Dependence: at 17.00 curatorial tour “

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

Discover the Future: Summer Cinema

Wrocław Research Centre EIT+

A-i-R Wro Programme: residencies at Domek Miedziorytnika

Domek Miedziorytnika Świebodzki Train Station

National Museum, Four Dome Pavilion, ul. Wystawowa 1

ma.wroc.pl wroclaw2016.pl/podworze

free free paid free

wroclaw2016.pl/krzysztofgieraltowski.-indywidualnoscipolskie wroclaw2016.pl/sztuka-z-atestem wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

12-09-2016

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

16-09-2016 17-09-2016

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

17-09-2016 19-09-2016

Architecture

19-09-2016 22-09-2016 20-09-2016 20-11-2016 20-09-2016 31-12-2016

21-09-2016 25-09-2016

Theatre

paid

pawilonczterechkopul.pl/pl/ wroclaw2016.pl/summer-rental

21-09-2016 23-09-2016

Visual Arts

free

wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

22-09-2016 11-12-2016

Film

free

eitplus.pl

22-09-2016 24-09-2016

Music

free

wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje , facebook.com/airwro

22-09-2016 25-09-2016

Music

paid 1 PLN

europaoculta.de

22-09-2016

Music

free

wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje , facebook.com/WROArtCenter

23-09-2016 24-09-2016

Theatre

paid

tiff.wroc.pl

24-09-2016 02-10-2016

Film

avantart.pl , wroclaw2016.pl/ rezydencje , facebook.com/airwro wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje ,

24-09-2016

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

27-08-2016 24-09-2016

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

31-08-2016 09-10-2016

Artistic Glass

31-08-2016 10-09-2016

Theatre

01-09-2016 30-10-2016

New Media

“unfinished palace, migrating people, moving borders /european songlines” Artist-in-residence in WRO Art Center

01-09-2016 2016-09-11

Visual Arts

TIFF Festival // Rivers and Roads ‘2016

Barbara Infopoint and many other locations

01-09-2016 30-11-2016

Visual Arts

Avant Art. Foundation residencies

Wrocław , Lille

01-09-2016 30-10-2016

Visual Arts

Artist-in-residence at HART Hostel & Art.

HART Hostel & Art, ul. Rydygiera 25a

free

facebook.com/HART.Rydygiera25a

24-09-2016 25-09-2016

2016-09-01 2016-09-04

Theatre

Beyond Borders: Space for Imagination

The Grotowski Institute,Na Grobli Studio

free

beyondbordersfestival.org/ przestrzen-wyobrazni/

24-09-2016

01-09-2016

Visual Arts

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

free

wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

25-09-2016

02-09-2016 25-09-2016

Visual Arts

Degree of Dependence, at 16.30 lecture “They’ll pay for it. Part two.

Lwów- Kijów 1980-2000” Po.rozumienie / Über.einkommen / Under.standing

free

artbrut.com.pl openhub-europe.eu

2016-09-03 2016-09-09

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

protoBODY. Workshop ‘FEEL me / POCZUJ’

IMPART, ul. Mazowiecka 17

free*

03-09-2016 15-09-2016

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

protoBODY. Workshop ‘TOUCH me / DOTKNIJ’

Youth Sport Centre

03-09-2016

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

Discover the future FORM OF THE FUTURE. Body

Wrocław Research CentreEIT+

03-09-2016 18-09-2016

“51st International Wratislavia Cantans Festival”

National Forum of Music

Music

Alchemy of Light

Wolności Square

Alchemy of Lights

Wolności Square

Hero_isms. Artistic Residency of the MITOS Group

Brzezinka by Oleśnica, Wrocław

“A survey of the European Film Awards winners and screenings of films nominated in 2016” Stanisław Dróżdż. Text paths

New Horizons Cinema

Degree of Dependence. Curatorial tour at 17:00

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

“Degree of Dependence. at 17.30 lecture ”Graffiti subculture as an experience of cooperation”“ protoBODY Performance ‘FEEL me / POCZUJ’

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

03-09-2016 04-09-2016 05-09-2016 18-09-2016

Theatre

06-09-2016 11-12-2016

Film

06-09-2016

Visual Arts

07-09-2016

Visual Arts

09-09-2016

Visual Arts

2016-09-10

16

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

“opening: Proza Club, Przejście Garncarskie 2”

Staromiejski Park

Visual Arts Visual Arts

Visual Arts

Art Brut Galleryj ul. Ruska 46A, MiserART, ul. Cybulskiego 35A

Architecture

20-09-2016

24-08-2016

WRO Art. Center, ul. Widok 7

NAME

LOCATION

Discover the future: ENERGY OF THE FUTURE

Wrocław Research Centre EIT+

Concert Jimek x Miuosh x NOSPR as part of the City Coalition for Culture protoBODY Performance ‘FEEL me / POCZUJ’

Wolności Square

free*

www.wroclaw2016.pl/jestem-soba

The Alternative Theatre Academy, Session 11

Teatr Brama in Goleniów, Teatr Kana in Szczecin

closed event

grotowski-institute.art.pl/ wydarzenia/obiekt-lalka/

Exhibition “BODY”

Pokoyhof Passage

free

www.eitplus.pl

Degree of Dependance at 16.30 “Open relationship”

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

free

www.wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

protoBODY. Performance ‘TOUCH me / DOTKNIJ’

Arkady Wrocławskie

free

www.facebook.com/MiastoPrzyszlosci/

Discover the future THE ROAD TO THE FUTURE. Movement and Space

Wrocław Research Centre EIT+

free

www.eitplus.pl

Discover the future PLAYING WITH THE FUTURE

Wrocław Research Centre EIT+

free

www.eitplus.pl

“BigA_Spaces for beauty: ARCHITECTURE SERIES: Spaces for (non) beauty (lecture)” Dlai Lama visit to Wrocław

New Horizons Cinema

free

www.wroclaw.sarp.org.pl/pl/ duze_a/

Lviv, 24 June 1937: City, Architecture, Modernism

Museum of Architecture

paid

www.ma.wroc.pl

The Wrocław Europe

National Museum in Wrocław

paid

www.wroclawskaeuropa.pl www.mnwr.art.pl

“Degree of Dependence at 16.00 performance ”Total audio performance 4th Interantional Festival of Theatres for Children

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

free

www.wroclaw2016.pl/ stopien-zaleznosci

“Degree of Dependence closed seminar Practice of dependence Wim Wenders – a retrospective

New Horizons Cinema

Asymmetry Festival

Ośrodek Działań Artystycznych

European Jazz Conference

Firlej

1000 Years of Music in Poland

National Forum of Music

Theatre beyond theatre. Course of the Open University of Research, session VIII Kids Film Festival

Lutheran Church of God’s Providence

Discover the Future A HOUSE FROM THE FUTURE. Habitat

www.wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje

free

www.facebook.com/airwro

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

paid

nfm.wroclaw.pl/wratislavia-cantans

29-09-2016 30-09-2016

Music

Inter>CAMERATA in the European Capital of Culture

Wrocław, Oratorium Marianum UW

free

alchemiaswiatla.pl

30-09-2016

Mysłakowice

free

alchemiaswiatla.pl

01-10-2016 2016-10-14

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

Closing day of of the residency “Following a Child. Residence at Śnieżka” of h/2 Foundation protoBODY. Workshops ‘SEE me / ZOBACZ’

wroclaw2016.pl/hero_isms.rezydencja-artystyczna-grupymitos

01-10-2016 30-11-2016

Visual Arts

Artistic Residences A-i-R Wro programme: Artist’s Residence - Enrico Floriddia.

The Degree of Dependence - curator’s tour 12.00 and 17.00

Wrocław

Museum of Dreams

National Musem in Wrocław

Wilde Fields. The History of Avantgarde Wrocław Avant Art Festival

Music

free

facebook.com/MiastoPrzyszlosci/

* after previous registration

05-10-2016 09-10-2016

Literature

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wocław Szklarska Poręba

Yuji Hamada – Japanese Photographer in Wrocław - meeting and photography exhibition In Between Festivals

12th International Story Festival

www.kinonh.pl

free

“The degree of dependence 16.30 - catalogue promotion”

04-10-2016 09-10-2016

grotowski-institute.art.pl/ projekty/teatr-poza-teatr/

www.wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

Visual Arts

wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/component/ nfmcalendar/event/3570

free

28-09-2016

free

paid

www.wteatrw.pl/index.php/ przedstawienia/80-wtw/ przedstawienia/301-gwiazda

eitplus.pl

Visual Arts

www.europejazz.net

paid

free

03-10-2016 08-01-2017

paid

Attic Stage Wrocław Contemporary Theatre

28-09-2016 29-09-2016

wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

www.asymmetryfestival.pl

free for martial arts shows

facebook.com/MiastoPrzyszlosci/

free

paid

ZSO no. 3 sports hall

free*

Visual Arts

www.kinonh.pl

free

Photography

03-10-2016

paid

Wrocław Research Centre EIT+

28-09-2016

wroclaw2016.pl/sciezki-tekstu

www.wroclaw2016.pl/stopienzaleznosci

paid

facebook.com/MiastoPrzyszlosci/

free

paid

New Horizons Cinema

Film

01-10-2016

free

Impart, Barbara, parks and outside: free, the www.festiwalteatrowdladzieci.pl, outdoor spaces in Wrocław, Lower www.klinikalalek.art.pl Silesia, hospitals and hospices rest: paid Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

26-09-2016 30-09-2016

kinonh.pl

free

Kontury Kultury, ul. Jagiellończyka 10a

“Degree of Dependence at 16.00 lecture ”Common practices in Ukrainian media art.”

“Roads Home” – a sinissage of Karolina Błażejczak residency

paid

DETAILS www.eitplus.pl

free

Theatre

oraz 1, 2, 9.10.2016

TICKETS

City Boulevards (Dunikowskiego, Włostowica)

“NAMI Budo Matsuri 2016 Festival of Japanese Martial Arts” “Gwiazda” by Helmut Kajzar, dir.

Krzysztof Czeczot

25, 27.09.2016

ARC ARC

www.wroclaw2016.pl/niezwyklykoncert-miuosh-x-jimek-x-nosprna-placu-wolnosci www.facebook.com/MiastoPrzyszlosci/

I’m Myself

Visual Arts

paid / Tuesday mnwr.art.pl free

free

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

15-09-2016

facebook.com/airwro

Wrocław - Backyard Door // Joanna Rajkowska

Visual Arts

11-09-2016

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

wroclaw2016.pl/sztuka-szuka-iq

Visual Arts

National Museum, Four Dome Pavilion, ul. Wystawowa 1

free

Music

15-09-2016 15-10-2016

National Forum of Music

Visual Arts

10-09-2016

wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje , facebook.com/airwro

Kozanów district

paid

10-09-2016

VISUAL SZTUKI ARTS WIZUALNE

FIELD Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

Theatre

Wrocław - Backyard Door // Kozanów - Searching for the Marvelous “Exhibition of the Polish Contemporary Art at the Four Domes Pavilion” Art Seeks IQ. Artists of Wrocław

Architecture

ENDS

14-09-2016 18-09-2016

Domek Miedziorytnika Museum of Architecture in Wrocław

BEGINS

wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje , facebook.com/airwro

An exhibition of artistic glass: closing day of the residency of Andriy Petrovsky “Patchwork. Architecture of Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak”

free

FILM FILM

www.eitplus.pl fundacja-nami.pl/nami_budo_matsuri_polish.html

www.micamoca.com/wroclaw

Pokoyhof Passage

free

www.wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

free

www.coolturalny.wroclaw.pl

free

www.wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje, www.facebook.com/airwro

free*

www.facebook.com/MiastoPrzyszlosci/ www.wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje, www.facebook.com/airwro

Awangarda Gallery BWA Wrocław

free

wroclaw2016.pl/stopien-zaleznosci

paid

www.muzeummarzen.pl www.mnwr.art.pl

Ludwig Múzeum, Budapest, Hungary

paid

muzeumwspolczesne.pl/mww/, www.ludwigmuseum.hu

National Forum of Music, New Horizons Cinema, Centre of Audiovisual Technologies CeTA

free to some

events

www.avantart.pl

free

www.opowiadanie.org

* after previous registration

www.wrocla

European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016

CHITECTURE CHITEKTURA

BEGINS

THEATRE TEATR

ENDS

FIELD

NAME

MUSIC MUZYKA

LOCATION

05-10-2016 2016-10-31

Visual Arts

06-10-2016 08-10-2016

Cyber Academy

Glass serves to get broken – Ludwik Kiczura, Andrzej Kucharski, Kazimierz Pawlak Cyber Academy 2016_session Warsaw

06-10-2016 2016-10-09

Theatre

CONTACT ZONES 2016 PATRONS DAYS

Stages of Wrocław Contemporary Theatre

06-10-2016 12-10-2016

Theatre

Big Stage of Wrocław Contemporary Theatre

07-10-2016 14-10-2016

Architecture

RECONSTRUCTION ATTEMPT, acc. to Tadeusz Różewicz, dir. Paweł Miśkiewicz DoFA’ 2016 Lower Silesian Festival of Architecture

07-10-2016 10-10-2016

Musical Meeting of Cultures

St. Cross Church on Ostrów Tumski

Music

07-10-2016 10-10-2016

Theatre

08-10-2016

Music

08-10-2016

Theatre

Art Gallery in Legnica National Audiovisual Institute, ul. Wałbrzyska 3/5, Warszawa

New Horizons Cinema, Museum of Architecture, The Faculty of Architecture of the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art And Design, Lower Silesian Towns

TICKETS

DETAILS www.wroclaw2016.pl/szklo-jestpo-to-zeby-sie-tluklo

Theatre

www.wteatrw.pl/index.php/2016strefy-kontaktu#dni-patronów

18-10-2016 17-11-2016

Literary Residences in the Castle on Water in Wojnowice

Water Castle in Wojnowice

Literature

film shows

www.dofa.pl

21-10-2016 2016-10-29

Music

Wrocław Gitar Festival GUITAR MASTERS 2016

National Forumof Music, Vertigo Jazz Club & Restaurant

paid

free

www.paxetbonum.pl

21-10-2016 25-10-2016

Theatre

Residence of Odin Teatret

Thw Grotowski Institute, Na Grobli Studio and others

paid and free pl/kalendarium/drzewo

More than Theatre

several venues

Bibliotheca Rudolphina

Town Hall

Museum of Dreams

National Museum in Wrocław

American Film Festival

New Horizons Cinema

Solemn Music. WEIHEMUSIK

Marthin Luter University in Halle

paid free, paid for

www.kartotekarozrzucona.pl

22-10-2016 27-10-2016

Theatre

www.paxetbonum.pl

23-10-2016

Music

www.wroclaw2016.pl/ksiezniczka

24-10-2016

Visual Arts

Theatre

08-10-2016

Theatre

Tadeusz Różewicz’s The Card Index, dir. Marcin Kalisz

Świebodzki Stage, Polski Theatre in Wrocław

paid

09-10-2016

Cyber Academy

Cyber Academy 2016_open session

National Audiovisual Institute, ul. Wałbrzyska 3/5, Warsaw

free

10-10-2016

Architecture

BigA_Space for Beauty : Nature Society - Architecture

Convention Bureau Wrocław at Centennial Hall

free

www.facebook.com/CyberAkademia www.wroclaw.sarp.org.pl/pl/ duze_a/

10-10-2016 16-10-2016

Literature

free

www.brunoschulz.dybook.pl

paid

www.muzeummarzen.pl www.mnwr.art.pl www.ipn.gov.pl

free

paid

Museum of Dreams

National Museum in Wrocław

IPN Festival of Education

Convention Bureau Wrocław at Centennial Hall

free

www.wteatrw.pl/index.php/2016strefy-kontaktu#dni-patronów www.wteatrw.pl/index.php/2016strefy-kontaktu#dni-patronów

12-10-2016 12-11-2016

Visual Arts

Where is my paradise? - Shige Fujishiro

SiC Gallery, pl. Kościuszki 9/10 opening: 17.10.2016 at 19.00

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

13-10-2016 10-11-2016

Visual Arts

RISING TIDE. Young Contemporary Polish Art.

Art Main Station by mia, Main Train Station

free

www.wroclaw2016.pl/przypływ

14-10-2016 14-11-2016

Shakespeare Lives in Film

New Horizon Cinema

Film

paid

www.kinonh.pl

14-10-2016 2016-10-15

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

protoBODY. Performance ‘SEE me / ZOBACZ’

Pokoyhof Passage

free

www.facebook.com/MiastoPrzyszlosci/

14-10-2016 11-12-2016

Visual Arts

The Eugeniusz Geppert Competition

exhibition: BWA BWA Wrocław – Contemporary Art Galleries

14-10-2016 13-11-2016

Theatre

Theatre Olimpics “The World as a Place of Truth”

14-10-2016

Music

15-10-2016

Literature

15-10-2016 16-10-2016

National Forum of Music, Main Room KGHM

ANGELUS Central European Literature Award - Gala

Capitol Music Theatre

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

Conference “ Anthropocene Man”

Wrocław Research Centre EIT+

15-10-2016 17-10-2015

Wrocław / City Lab of the Future

Innovators’ Jamboree “Future Jamboree”

“Memory and Future” Centre

15-10-2016

Visual Arts

Museum of Dreams

National Museum in Wrocław

15-10-2016 2016-10-31

Visual Arts

Sebastián Kitzberger – Beginning – Debut of the Festival

Visual Arts

“Memory Charts” – Małgorzata Mitka

Arttrakt Gallery, ul. Ofiar Oświęcimskich 1 – opening: 17.10.2016 at 20.00 Galeria BB, ul. Jatki 3-6 – opening: 18.10.2016, at 20.00

Visual Arts

“Flamingos and Inselbergs” – Stefan Sadowski

15-10-2016 2016-11-10 15-10-2016 2016-11-10 15-10-2016 2016-11-10 15-10-2016 2016-10-31 15-10-2016 2016-11-10 15-10-2016 15-01-2017

Visual Arts Visual Arts

Art Gallery Socato, pl. Solny 11 – opening of the exhibition: 18.10.2016 at 17.00 Gallery KAPRYSY, ul. Łokietka 10 – opening: 19.10.2016 at 19.00 “Gallery Tętno ul. Jatki 12-13, Wrocław opening: 18.10.2016, at 20.00

Visual Arts Visual Arts

„HOT DOG” – Stanisław Jan Borowski

Gallery Versus, ul. Jatki – opening: 18.10.2016, at 20.00

INSIDE – Magdalena Tyc-Witwicka

Gallery TYC ART, ul. Ruska 46c (passage gate) – opening: 18.10.2016, at 19.00 Wrocław Puppet Theatre

Visual Arts Theatre Theatre

15-10-2016 31-10-2016

Visual Arts

16-10-2016

Music

17-10-2016 30-11-2016

New Media/Video

The Exhibiton of Works of Jadwiga Mydlarska-Kowal

paid by invitations only

Play with Glass – European Glass Festival

15-10-2016 19-10-2016

aw2016.pl

Still Nature – Anna Gałuszka

paid, symposium: www.geppert.art.pl free

25-10-2016 30-10-2016 26-10-2016

Film Music

In Between Festivals

26-10-2016 27-10-2016 27-10-2016 04-11-2016

Theatre

Dziady FESTIVAL. Recycling

Culture and Art Centre in Wrocław

free free paid

www.europeanglassfestival.com www.wrostja.pl www.wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje www.guitarmasters.pl http://www.theatreolympics2016. http://www.theatreolympics2016.

paid and free pl/nurty/wiecej-niz-teatr www.rudolphina.pl

paid paid free

www.muzeummarzen.pl www.mnwr.art.pl www.kinonh.pl www.wroclaw2016.pl/weihemusik www.micamoca.com/wroclaw http://www.theatreolympics2016.

paid and free pl/nurty/dziady-recykling

Extraordinary cultural autumn in Wrocław

free and paid www.theatreolympics2016.pl/

1000 years of Music in Wrocław

Marta Gibiete – Travellers

DETAILS www.europeanglassfestival.com

17-10-2016 24-10-2016

Stage on the Attic of Wrocław Contemporary Theatre

15-10-2016 2016-10-31

TICKETS

Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde – main exhibition of European Festival of “Play with Glass” 50th Wrocławw Meetings of One Actor Theatres

Tymoteusz Karpowicz’ Purchase with Delivery dir. Marka Fiedora

15-10-2016 2016-10-31

LOCATION Applied Arts Centre. Innovation Centre – ul. Traugutta 19/21 opening: 18.10.2016, at 12.00 Main Station Wrocław – Session Hall opening: 17.10.2016, at 17.00

Sztuki wizualne

Big Stage of Musical Theatre Capitol

10-10-2016 14-10-2016

NAME ”Transfer” – Antonina Joszczuk

17-10-2016 2016-11-10

Princess

Visual Arts

FIELD

www.facebook.com/CyberAkademia www.wteatrw.pl/index.php/2016strefy-kontaktu

free*

WCK Centennial Hall

10-10-2016

ENDS

Visual Arts

Card Index Scattered

5. Bruno Schulz. Festival

BEGINS

MICROGRANTS

17-10-2016 31-10-2016

Pax et bonum per Musicam

08-10-2016

LOWER DOLNY SILESIA ŚLĄSK

www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/component/ nfmcalendar/event/4956 www.angelus.com.pl

free

www.eitplus.pl

free*

www.futurejamboree.com

paid

www.muzeummarzen.pl www.mnwr.art.pl

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com www.teatrlalek.wroclaw.pl

Lower Silesian Theatre Platform

over 20 places in Wrocław

“Tapesrties’’ – Marcin Litwa

Pokoyhof Passage – opening: 18.10.2016, at 19.00

Solemn Music. WEIHEMUSIK

University Church in Wrocław

Residence of an artist Alessandra Ferrini within the Artistic Residences Program A-i-R Wro

Wrocław

paid

www.theatreolympics2016.pl/

free

www.europeanglassfestival.com

free

www.wroclaw2016.pl/weihemusik www.wroclaw2016.pl/rezydencje, www.facebook.com/airwro

17

“Europa Cantans” – it’s the title of the festival in the year in which Wrocław is the Capital of Culture. 51st Edition of “Wratislavia Cantans” shows the richness and multifariousness of European music. We’ll hear such masterpieces as: both Bach’s passions, Coronation Mass by Mozart, Beethoven’s and Szostakowicz’ symphonies. Famous musical personas will perform, including Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Jordi Savall, Andrey Boreyko and Philippe Jaroussky.

The legendary artists, who we had the pleasure to invite, achieved an extraordinary level of performing, but have not ceased to develop. I’m happy that maestro Gardiner, who’s spent most of his life striving for virtuosity, comes back to the festival after many years. Jordi Savall initiated a new way of looking at old music and inspired a large number of artists.

At the beginning of “Wratislavia”, Dymitr Szostakowicz’ poignant XIII Symphony Babi Jar will sound, showing difficult events in European history, about which we must not forget. We will also listen to the work by a Polish contemporary composer Mikołaj Górecki, and the concert will be conducted by the sensational Andrey Boreyko. A day later Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 will be presented – musically brilliant and at the same time showing the values of brotherhood and youth that were close to the composer. Different interpretations of the idea of unity have marked European history for nearly two centuries that passed since the work’s composition.

The program includes both Bach’s passions, and St. John’s Passion in staged version. This enormously dramatically charged work has been staged in different places, but never in Wrocław so far. Whereas Mathew’s Passion, masterly performed by Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists conducted by sir John Eliot Gardiner, will be an excellent finale of the festival.

Along popular European musical works, we propose more specialised programmes, like Antonio Zacara’s concert of medieval music da Teramo performed by La Fonte Musica.

We continue the tradition of presenting the treasures of the University Library, this year focusing on Italian instrumental works which have been preserved only in Wrocław’s manuscripts. I can’t wait to listen to two concerts in the spirit of musical adventure, juxtaposing old and contemporary works.

The excellent Huelgas Ensemble will perform requiem fragments: the renaissance music composed by the Flemish Jacobus de Kerle and the contemporary one by the German Wolfgang Rihm will sound. NFM Leopoldinum with members of Il Giardino Armonico will play the works by György Ligeti and baroque experimental composers (Daria Castella, Michelangela Rossiego), as well as the masterpiece of Claudio Monteverdi Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. The performances of Jordi Savall’s and Giovanni Sollima’s groups with Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares will be concertsdiscoveries.

Andrzej Kosendiak Director of the Witold Lutosławski National Forum of Music www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/wratislavia-cantans

18

Wrocław has long been one of European capitals of music quote: “God save Poland”. The solemn atmosphere in St. Mary Magdalen Church mixed with tears and prayer. Then the maestro came for many years with different works, and after a concert he would visit the botanical garden – to enrich his garden in Lusławice. Performing Wojciech Kilar’s and Henryk M. Górecki’s works also made great impression. These were strong Polish accents.

In September 1966, still a student of musicology at Warsaw University, I decided to go to concerts of “Wratislavia Cantans”, just initiated by Andrzej Markowski. The conductor was well known in Warsaw for his excellent concerts in National Philharmonic Hall. His name, performing, records as well as achievements as a new director of Wrocław Philharmonic Hall, resounded also in the capital. Thus more interest was aroused by his plans concerning Wrocław.

First concerts took place in the Large Studio of Polish Radio and St. Elisabeth’s Church (still before the fire). The press conferences were organized in Klub Związków Twórczych in Wrocław’s Town Hall. No one really knew how the festival would evolve and what would be next, but everybody felt that it would be something great and important. The artistic aims were precisely stated: it was to be an oratorio-cantata festival of great works.

Already at the beginning, great works appeared: by Krzysztof Penderecki, Andrzej Dobrowolski, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Sebastian Bach. Initially the festival’s repertoire included monumental works. Works by the masters of baroque, classicism and romanticism have been performed multiple times.

Strugała’s time However, the repertoire, performers and stylistic aspect have always belonged to the artistic director. After Andrzej Markowski’s resignation, a recognized conductor Tadeusz Strugała became the artistic director. One has to admit that it was under him that the festival began to flourish. Also the artistic formula of “Wratislavia Cantans” significantly changed. Besides great works, old music from grand European codes appeared: medieval version of Carmina Burana, a well-known fragment of Gregprian chant, historical Ludus Danielis performed by the British Pro Cantione Antiqua.

Strugała broadened the repertoire by including new cycles: masterly vocal recitals (including legendary Andrzej Hiolski and Aleksandra Kurzak), meetings with old music, and choir concerts. Due to the efforts of Prof. Eugeniusz Sąsiadek from Wrocław Academy of Music, the main programme of the festival included oratorio-cantata music courses. In 1983, there also appeared the legendary John Eliot Gardiner. Next ideas of the director were novelties: concerts-vernissages and so-called National Days, or meetings with the music of Near and Far East and other cultures. During one of the last press conferences Tadeusz Strugała announced the invitation of an excellent tenor Robert Alagna to Wrocław.

“Biuletyny Prasowe”, prepared by the late-lamented journalist, Monika Klubińska, enjoyed special popularity.

They were the source of news about private passions of artists, arrivals of eminent people to the festival, like Barbara Piasecka-Johnson, representatives of German aristocracy or Prince Edward from Great Britain. Presence at the festival became fashionable or even obligatory.

More or less in the middle of the festival ministry of culture arrived. Wrocław authorities never failed to show up. Under

“Wratislavia” of the works reread again

photo: Simon Fowler, Archives of National Forum of Music

„Europa Cantans”

The story of “Wratislavia Cantans” shows that

Philippe Jaroussky

photo: MolinaVisuals, Archives of National Forum of Music

51st International Andrzej Markowski Festival “Wratislavia Cantans” – “Europa Cantans” 3-18 September 2016

Jordi Savall Strugała, “Wratislavia Cantas” expanded to two weeks and became a member of the prestigious European Festivals Association in Geneva. The form conceived by Tadeusz Strugała went on for many years, in spite of his resignation in 1997.

Great artists, great composers Then Lidia Geringer d’Oedenberg took over the position of general director. She continued the main direction set

by Strugała. It was during her tenure that Cecilia Bartoli and Riccardo Muti performed in Wrocław. For years festival has hosted performing works by Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Dworzak and other great composers. The audi-

ence admired Krzysztof Penderecki, and one dramatic event especially stayed in my memory. After the introduction of martial law, the festival’s existence was uncertain. Finally an earlier hour for the concerts was agreed on. As luck would have it, Te Deum was performed during the first concert, with the famous hymn

Taking over by Andrzej Kosendiak was preceded by great changes. The development of workshops making copies of old instruments, instigating many old music academies in Europe (Basel, Trossingen, Amsterdam, London), and a new way of educating musicians caused the repertoire of the festival to be based on old music, works re-discovered, read differently, and re-interpreted. Since Lidia Geringer d’Oedenberg’s management, the division in general and artistic directors has been introduced. Before, the artistic directors were: Ewa Michnik, Jan Latham Koenig i Mariusz Smolij. Under Andrzej Kosendiak the function was taken by Paul Mc Creesh and Giovanni Antonini at present.

They mostly decide about the repertoire and the choice of artists.

This year, fifty-first festival is the fulfilment of the latest repertoire plans. Most concerts will feature renaissance works performed by excellent groups. A certain surprise is the announcement of performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in the interpretation of Il Giardino armonico and the master of baroque creations Giovanni Antonini. An unusually precious idea of the organisers is inviting two groups: the famous Bulgarian choir Le Mystére des Voices Bulgares and Jordi Savall Hesperion XXI, reconstructing the music from the Mediterranean. Besides, many chamber and choir concerts have been planned to present little-known baroque and contemporary (Ligeti’s works) repertoire. The French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky’s recital about love and soul (in his interpretation) will certainly be an attraction. Finally sir John Eliot Gardiner will perform in Wrocław again, presenting his own interpretation of Bach’s St. Mathew’s Passion.

Summing up – this year festival program consists of many wonderful works performed by excellent artists. It’s a program of great, valuable cognitive aspect and great artistic charm, which is especially important not only in the year of an anniversary but also in the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016. “Wratislavia Cantans” has shown for half a century that Lower Silesian capital deserved this title for many decades. And I, exactly as in 1966, will again go to concerts, but this time to the grand National Forum of Music. It’s worth it indeed.

Walentyna Węgrzyn-Klisowska The author is PhD, professor assistant, musicologist, music theoretician at Frederic Chopin University. She specialises in old Polish music, musical life in Silesia between the middle ages and the 20th century, and Italian baroque music. The author of many publications and books, including: ”Muzyka w dawnym Wrocławiu” (Music in Old Wrocław), “Życie muzyczne Legnicy” (Musical Life of Legnica), “Barokowy teatr operowy we Wrocławiu (1725-1734)” (Baroque Opera Theatre in Wrocław ) and “Franciszek Liszt na Śląsku” (France Liszt in Silesia).

Top shelf guitars

Guitar Masters 2016 International Competition & Festival

Anoushka Shankar

Wrocław, the city of guitar– this slogan is communicated to the world from the capital of Lower Silesia. And it’s fully true: not only are we the owners of the Guitar Guinness Record, but also many Poland- and world-famous guitarists come from here. And we have one of the biggest guitar festivals in Europe, which undergoes a small revolution this year.

But it’s definitely a good change.

From the dark ages My adventure with Wrocław started … with a guitar. Living in my home Brzeg, I grew to buy a “classic”. I went to Lower Silesian capital, ended up in a shop at Dworcowa street. I’d never seen so many guitars in reality yet – and all those drums, amplifiers… The boy in the shop asked how much I wanted to spend. I honestly said I didn’t have any money, but I wanted to know what and for how much one could buy. After several minutes the salesman announced that “this Hohner is OK.” and that if I put aside some money, I could come back.

On the train station in Brzeg, I met Mr Rysiek, my dear pall’s father.

“Where are you coming from, boy?” he inquired. ”From Wrocław. I looked at guitars. I have an eye on one, but I have to put aside some money.” I answered. “And how much is it?” Mr. Rysiek asked. “I said the price. Then Mr Rysiek, a realistic guy, reached for his wallet, pushed the dough in my hands and said that my next train left in ten minutes. “You will give it back later.” he added.

The salesman from Dworcowa thought I was kidding him when I came for the guitar two hours after I’d said I was penniless. Hohner, of course, came with me to study in Wrocław.

style Joscho Stephan, the first encounter with a musical genius Tommy Emmanuel, or the joyful nuevo flamenco of Jessy Cook. Horizon-opening lute player Rolf Lislevand, experimenting Louis Winsberg, or verging on the border between jazz and flamenco bass player Carles Benavent; Anna Maria Jopek and Dorota Miśkiewicz, invited by their guitaristsfriends, charmed with their beautiful voices. And a real hit was Five Piece Band, or John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride i Vinnie Colaiuta. All this (and much more) happened at Wrocław Guitar Festival.

An eventful festival

This year the event changes its name and formula. Guitar Masters 2016, as the festival is organised under this name, traditionally consists of a series of autumn concerts by stars (from 21 October).

The novelty is, however, an international competition for the classical and fingerstyle guitarists. The artistic director, a Wrocław guitarist Krzysztof Pełech, and his group have been searching to widen their audience. “Quite many people from outside Wrocław and Poland come to us, but we wanted to reach as many guitarists and fans as possible.” Katarzyna Krzysztyniak, festival managing director, explains. Musicians were to be attracted by the prizes: the winner will get 40 thousand Euro, and the best fingerstyle

I quickly realised that this city favoured those who value good music, also the guitar one. Even today I keep a couple of tickets from those years, including the one with the dedication from a Peruvian guitarist David Sandoval, like a relic. He played in the cycle Masters of Guitar in March 1997.

A year after that the posters of the first Wrocław Guitar Festival were hung on poles. I can’t remember who performed in it, because from that time on the event - known as Guitar+ – offered so many experiences that the names from years before escaped my memory. But nothing will wear away the fantastic concerts of Paco de Lucia, a virtuoso of Gypsy swing

Competition that hasn’t been seen yet

* Anoushka Shankar – NFM, 21 October, 19 * Berta Rojas – Musical Academy, 22 October, 19 * Renaud Garcia-Fons Trio – NFM, 23 October,17 * R. Galliano & S. Luc – NFM, 23 October,19 * Falk Zenker – NFM, 25 October, 19 * Marco Tamayo – NFM, 28 October,19 * Vicente Amigo – NFM, 29 October,19 * Tommy Emmanuel – WCK, November, 19

Audience also has a voice The competition is held in two categories: classical guitar and fingerstyle. 40 musicians will be admitted to live auditions in the first category; in the second – twelve at most. The audience can choose their favourites: the films of all 24 musicians that entered the first stage and can be voted on are put on the official festival YouTube channel. Each category will be entered by one artist who will get the biggest number of positive votes (“thumbs up”). One can vote until 31 August, but listen and watch – endlessly.

guitarist - 8 thousand Euro. “This year no major awards have been given in any guitar competition in the world.” Krzysztyniak says.

And it worked: around 800 guitarists from nearly 80 countries sent entries.

204 registered and now the jury are listening to the films they sent. They will choose only 40 for the classical category and a dozen for fingerstyle. All of them can be listened to in October.

Carousel with stars They will be judged by a group of eminent musicians and pedagogues, including the well-known Oscar Ghiglia, Tommy Emmanuel, Martin Taylor, president of Guitar Foundation of America Martha Masters, and Sean Samimi. Also a jazz pianist Leszek Możdżer, violin player Ian Cooper, composer Marek Pasieczny and festival director Krzysztof Pełech will be members of the jury. ”We’d like very much our competition to became a ‘guitar Chopin competition’.” Pełech said.

Of course running for prizes makes this year festival stand out, but such event cannot happen without concerts of stars.

Again organisers resorted to top shelf: the phenomenal Tommy Emmanuel, apparently more and more engaged in the festival, will play; Vicente Amigo will take us to the world of virtuoso flamenco; and contrabass player Renauda Garcii-Fonsa’s trio will present an unconventional approach to Spanish music. Anoushka Shankar,

nominated to Grammy three times, will come with her fresh combination of classical Indian music and Spanish flamenco rhythms; the duet Richard Galliano – Sylvain Luc will release energy charmed in accordion’s bellow and guitar strings; Berta Rojas will enchant with classics. Marco Tamayo will play, accompanied by NFM orchestra, and Falk Zenker and his trio will bring chamber music.

Adding to this the fact that most of these concerts will be held in acoustically perfect National Forum of Music, this year edition of guitar feast can’t go wrong.

In anything. It’s worth to check it by yourself! * Naturally I returned the money borrowed on the station to Mr Rysiek, and Hohner’s stayed with me up till now. It’s been through a lot, including the renovation of the fingerboard at one of Wrocław luthiers. First, he was surprised that I wanted to invest in such a guitar, but when he heard its story, he repaired it for nothing. And he did it perfectly. The instrument sounds and is tuned like never before.

Because Wrocław is truly the city of guitar!

Rafał Zieliński

Tommy Emmanuel

photo: Simone Cecchetti, Archives of National Forum of Music

A competition with the highest financial prizes in the world, guitar world stars and concerts in the hall with the best acoustics in Poland– this is what the autumn festival Guitar Masters 2016 will look like. A new name, but covering a decade of history and plenty of good music.

photo: Rolex Fadil Berisha, Archives of National Forum of Music

– part of musical program of European Capital of Culture 2016

The author is a musical journalist of ”Gazeta Wyborcza”, ethnic instruments connoisseur and… guitarist. He teaches guitar, participated in making couple of records, played SpanishAmerican music, rock, blues and folkrock in F.A.N.T. group.

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Robert Chmielewski about Asymmetry:

A festival of post-rock, alternative and God knows what kind of music A music festival is like a tram. One of many.

Like ‘seventeen’, where journalist (especially radio-television) talents are born, like ‘zero’, which circles around important things, like marathon ‘ten’, combining elitism with egalitarianism.

When I think about Asymmetry, I see revolution. The sexual one from the sixties; a decade later, the punk one, reflecting our social reality, as well as our recent revolution thanks to which we can have our passports in our drawers.

Asymmerty originates in the attempts to combine the old with the new, the noisy with the lyrical, the electronic with the acoustic, jazz with rock, rap with metal. Like in alchemist’s melting pot. Blending and stirring. Lots of smoke. Sulphur with myrrh and incense. Lead and ashes.

Searching for the philosophical stone of music. Post-rock, alternative, God knows what kind of. Melancholy in lyrics, strong in sound, blunt on stage - basically noncommercial.

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During several years of festival’s history we’ve managed to open for our music places like Firlej theatre room, Lagering Celler in Bourgeois Brewery and Convention Bureau Wrocław. We witnessed the fountain’s premiere and we installed an audition cabin in the town hall square.

We obscured the view of Jaś and Małgosia café, wearing bovver boots, we clambered into the salons of Wrocław.

Our spectators came from all over Europe, and artists – from all over the

world.We hosted audience, musicians, journalists and music managers from pre-Majdan Ukraina, the countries from Eastern Partnership, Russia and Western Europe. We discussed at Asymmetry Convent, bounced hams on black-metal tour of “Asymmerty on the Road”.

Several hundred young groups in Estonia, Ukraina and Poland took part in the concert “Neuro Music”, the winners of which gave a concert on Asymmetry stage with their idols: Killing Joke, God-

7. Asymmetry Festival

paths. And although our brand name are artists tuning their guitars low, in the next edition we venture to the regions unknown to Asymmetry, like punk or folk.” Robert Chmielewski, Asymmetry Festival director says.

The 7th edition of the festival on the stage of Firlej will present, among others, the joint project Jesu/Sun Kil Moon by Justin Broadrick and Mark Kozelek, who are exceptionally important for the offmainstream stage. Their concert will be an intriguing meeting of post-metal and folk. Punk fans have to write an entry in their calendars for 22 September. Then Discharge - a legend of British punk - will perform. The same day, Yob - one of the most important metal groups of recent years, and De Staat - relating to classical rock sounding - will play. A day later, on 23 September, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club will present a really crazy mix of altcountry and blues. And the real icing on

22-24 September 2016 Polish festival summer ends this year in Wrocław. In European Capital of Culture, the fans of demanding, diverse sounds will find an excellent musical offer.

The idea behind the music event in Firlej club at Grabiszyńska street is the presentation of maverick music bordering on rock, metal, electronics, jazz and folklore, as well as experimenting artists. “For several years, we’ve tried to redefine known, overfamiliar and well-liked popular music trends. To propose to our audience that they should meet with musicians that go off trodden

flash, Melvins, Mayhem, Cult of Luna, Dalek, Baroness and many others.

We called off one edition, then we came back in a new shape. We make a small, chamber, boutique festival for 350 spectators in a district which I call Fabryczna (Industrial), because I don’t know what it’s called and a labour pedigree fits breaking bones and proprieties.

In the lair, on the planks of Firlej, from 22 to 24 September, since early afternoon till well after midnight, music will sothe cake will be a popular shoegaze band, Nothing, which will close the festival.

The following groups will also play on the festival: Swallow The Sun, Conan, Dirge, Dbuk, Darkher, Izah, Joe Buck Yourself, Sinistro, Black Cobra i SubRosa.

This year a new stage of Asymmetry will be erected in front of Firlej – the Pallet Stage, where for three days the artists from three European studios will perform: Borówka Music, Denovali Records and Subsound Records. The audience from Wrocław (and not only) will have the opportunity to see many performers on the Pallet Stage: Henry David’s Gun, Lasse Mathiessen, Please The Trees, Orson Hentschel, John Lemke, Subheim, Macelleria Mobile Di Mezzanotte, Mombu i Lili Refrain.

Details:

www.asymmetryfestival.pl

und loudly. Like a tram round the bent.

A streetcar called desire. Two unusually important persona will perform: Justina Broadricka and Marka Kozelka in their joint project Jesu/Sun Kil Moon. Their concert will be the meeting of post-metal with folk. Yes, exactly a meeting. In the presence of many witnesses. It’ll be enough to punch the ticket. A purebred British punk will be performed by Discharge at Asymmetry for the first time. The same day, hammered in heavy metal, the most up-to-date festival Yob. And then the fruit of a new booking manipulation: seemingly conservative, but revolutionary at heart, with his alt-country and blues, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – as American as rodeo and Grand Canion.

And in front of Firlej, on the lovers’ wall, a new stage of Asymmetry will be erected – Pallet Stage. For the next three days of the event, the performers from three studios will present themselves: Borówka Music, Denovali Records and Subsound Records. And the admission is free here. Neighbours are welcome.

Robert Chmielewski The author is an actor, journalist, director of the Centre of Artistic Activity “Firlej” and Asymmetry Festival. For years he’s gathered around himself a group of young, wise and beautiful alchemists.

Conversation with Kostas Georgakopulos, Wrocław musician and director of Avant Art Festival, the hero of which will be Japan this year

In search of outsiders with great talent This year 9th edition of Avant Art Festival is dedicated to Japan. The autumn presentation of artists exploring various manifestations of Japanese culture (music, performance, theatre, film) aims to go beyond the stereotyped view of Japan. It’s probably the first so wide a demonstration of phenomena of this country’s contemporary art in Poland.

Tell about your favourites of this year edition The heroes of this edition are easy to point. It’s Phew for sure, an unusual figure, probably the most important artist that

Each former edition of AAF gave us an opportunity to witness the cooperation of Polish and foreign artists. What projects are planned for this year?

This kind of cooperation is always a very important activity for us. This time it’ll be collaboration of Phew with Alexander Hacke, the bass player of the famous Einsturzende Neubauten. Moreover, Danielle Picciotto will take part in their concert, which will originate an entirely new project, especially for AAF. He’s the next musician from Einsturzende Neubauten at AAF – in 2009, we hosted Blixa Bargeld himself. Another cooperation is the one between Nao Nishihara and Paweł Romańczuk. The artists will prepare a musical installation together for a few days. It’s an

interesting story. Paweł met Nao in Japan in winter 2005, and I met him in Tokyo.

During our conversation it turned out that Nao knew Paweł. It became obvious then that it would be great to invite him to Wrocław. I’d also like to mention the concert of a Polish group 2g, which prepares a special sound project for eight sets of speakers arranged in two-layer quadrophony, or octophonically. With the use of the system of spherical sound especially made for the 2g concert, the listeners will be brought inside the composing structure – we’ll show this project in two places.

The festival program has Polish artists on, including Kristen and Zamilska. The first corresponds well with the personal, striving for

9th Avant Art Festival

Zamilska and Kyoka have played together a couple of times on different stages. Also Aoki Takamasa will appear - a wonderful Japanese producer, who goes beyond techno music borders. Whereas Kristen is a team we’ve wanted to invite for a long time. They’ll perform as quintet now. If it comes to them and Phew, I agree with what you say. On the other hand I hear similarities to the project of Buffalo Daughter – an extremely interesting Japanese group, that is also included in the program of Avant Art. Avant Art Festival is not only a

Kostas Georgakopulos

4-9 October 2016 Ninth edition of Avant Art Festival will be dedicated to Japan. The concerts will be accompanied by film shows, performance and theatre performances – the presentations of the phenomena that are the most representative, interesting, new, but also by the artists who’ve built their names on experimental music stage for years.

The latter will be represented by Ikue Mori and Phew. The first one –a percussionist percassionalist and a graphic designer – started her career at the end of the 1970s in originating in New York No Wave project DNA, in which Arto Lindsay also participated. She cooperated with such experimentators, like Fred Frith, John Zorn or Maja S.K. Ratkje. Phew is one of the key figures

technical reduction expression of Phew, and the latter is a response to the shows of Japanese techno artists.

phpto: Ronald Spratte, Archives of National Forum of Music

At AAF we’ve tried to show big presentations of particular countries, always in the context of a more experimental avantgarde profile. We’ve already had artists from Hungary, Germany, Russia France, Switzerland or Norway. Now it’s time for Japan. I’d say this edition is the most important for me. Japanese music has always had a great influence on me. As a founder of Tone Industria, I’ve released over ten records of Japanese artists, and as a musician, I’ve played with Japanese musicians.

Over a year ago I visited Tokyo and it was an incredible experience for me. It’s a fascinating country, wonderful culture and people so ‘different’ from Europeans. We, as a festival, will always be attracted by ‘otherness’ – of course not only social, but also in thinking about art, in its extra-mainstream meanings. However, this – quite trite – avant-garde clearly defines what we do. Therefore, in the case of Japanese projects, we realize both needs for ‘otherness’: the artistic and social one. I’m interested in outsiders, but those with great talent and quality. We managed to invite such artists this year, because how else can we describe such wonderful figures as Phew, Keji Haino or Ikue Mori?

will appear this year; a cult person for the insiders. We want to show her as well as possible, thus the idea of an extra concert with Alexander Hacke. The next heroine is Ikue Mori, who flies from New York only for one concert to Wrocław. She’s a great star of experimental music. We will also present Japanese artists from a befriended legendary studio Raster-Noton. I look forward to Zamilska’s performance. But we are the most happy to have contracted an extraordinary duet: Keiji Haino and Pandi Balazs. Without Haino, the Japanese edition would be simply impossible, and incomplete for sure. Those who remember Haino’s concerts from 2014 don’t need to be especially invited: he’s surely been the most important person in Japanese experimental and avant-garde art for over 30 years.

of the first wave of Japanese avat-new wave. She realized her first solo album (1981 r.) with the help of krautrock formation Can musicians: Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit (played at Avant Art Festival 2015). The singer is known from her cooperation with Otomo Yoshihide (AAF 2010) or Dieter Moebius. Now she comes to back to the economical, minimalist forms of expression. Beside her solo performance, we’ll have an opportunity to listen to her live with Alexander Hacke, from Einstürzende Neubauten.

A strong representation of artists connected with Raster-Noton studio will perform at the festival: from techno/ glitch/IDM Ueno Masaaki, through wonky, delicate techno/dub Kyoki, to

electroidal, futuristic explorations of Aoki Takamasa. The laboratory chill of electronic experiments will be balanced by the classics: Shibuya-kei Buffalo Daughter and the performative-musical Group A from Berlin, the project directly addressing the heritage of classical industrial like Throbbing Gristle or Cabaret Voltaire.

Also Polish artists will be on the Avant Art Festival stage : Zamilska –a producer of thick, belligerent techno’s; electro-accoustic 2g and post-postrock Kristen from Szczecin. Continuing the motif of Polish and foreign artists cooperation in AFM, the stage will host Paweł Romańczuk, originator and leader of Małe Instrumenty, a musicologist and constructor, and a Japanese

performer and installation creator Nao Nishihara, probing the body aspect of creation and making music in its spatialsound function.

Theatrical performances will feature Aya Irizuki and Ken Mai, presenting Butoh theatre in its full diversity. The motif of Butoh theatre will appear in the film show An Offering to Heaven, revealing the relations between a work and the idea of master Butoh Kazuo Ohno and ikebana art visionary Yukio Nakagawy. The film presentations will include, among others: Shuji Terayama’s classical picture Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets, anarchic dystopia 2045: Carnival Folklore or document about life and creativity of outsider/lo-fi legend Yximalloo.

musical event. It presents visual, performative, theatrical and film phenomena.

For eight years, we’ve had several dozen film shows, many contemporary dance shows, theatrical spectacles or installations.

This year we have the review of Japanese films and images about Japanese musical stage. We’ll show interesting performative and dance projects, including Aya Irizuki’s performance and Ken Mai’s workshop and performance. The budget is smaller than that of previous years, still I’m happy about the substantive shape of the program and I hope to see you at 9th edition of Avant Art Festival in Wrocław.

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Preview of an unpublished text „Nameless Landscape” which the author will read on 1 September at 19 at Świebodzki Station, during the project “Unfinished House, Migrating People, Shifting Borders/ European Songlines”

Identity is a patiently constructed story, full of meanings, and references, thanks to which we describe our belonging to the world around us.

Olga Tokarczuk The author is a writer and an essayist, winner of many prizes, including Kościelscy Foundation Award, Brücke Berlin-Preis Prize, Literary Award Nike twice for the novels “Runners” and “Jacob’s Scriptures”. Some of her books (apart from the above, ”The Journey of the Book-People”, “E.Em”, “Pimeval and Other Times”, “House of Day, House of Night”, “Playing on Many Drums”, “The Doll and the Pearl”, “The Last Stories”, “Anna In Tombs of the World”, “Drive Your Plough over the Bones of the Dead”, “The Moment of the Bear”) are translated in many languages, adapted as theatre plays and films. Recently, she’s been mentioned as a candidate for the literary Nobel Prize.

Unfinished House, Migrating People, Shifting Borders/ European Songlines

Perhaps it should be considered today if local identity makes any sense. Perhaps for us, living in a big, globalised world, which we can access with one click, it is an unnecessary burden, or – as some say – the grain of future divisions and a hatchery for xenophobia.

And what is identity anyway? Because identity doesn’t exist on its own.

Because we are not born a Pole, Russian, Scot or even Mazur, “warszawiak” or Silesian. Because, although we fall into hot water of culture and language straight from the start, we are born universal. It is afterwards when family, school, society draw and solidify the territories of our identity.

Identity is a patiently constructed story, full of meanings and references, thanks to which we describe our belonging to the world around us.

We reflect in the mirror of history, listen to more or less contrived fairy tales, and that’s how we make sure that hundreds, thousands people stand behind us and that – willy-nilly – we carry their memory and experience to the future. Identity is an active ordering of experience in a way that it creates our own bonds with the place, people, culture.

The context of Lower Silesians’ identity is different from – let’s say – those living in Świętokrzyskie Province or Lesser Poland. For the first have lost their bond to space which is fundamental to identity, they became rooted up. Nowadays Lower Silesians are the descendants of exiles – postwar, political, economic – and, to understand them, one needs to address them using all the instruments of social psychology. The feeling of alienation, different levels of nostalgia and sadness, attempts – successful and not – to root and assimilate in culturally foreign space and architecture, breaking with tradition, family disintegration, a sense of transience and provisionality, departing from the centre and attempts to build a new one. It’s obvious that this situation cannot be compared to the one of refugees from different religions nor languages, but a careful researcher will most probably discern the same mechanisms that operate in the time of new migration of people.

Nameless Landscape

Materials of organizer

Olga Tokarczuk on the identity of Lower Silesians

Stephan Stroux, this installation’s director and author, invited excellent creators from Poland and abroad – beginning with one of the most important Polish contemporary writers, Olga Tokarczuk; through Zbigniew Libera, known for his blasphemous installations; to Bente Kahan, a promoter of Jewish culture in Poland; outstanding German actors, Barbara Nüsse i Peter Franke; Julia Marcell awarded with Polityka Passport; and finally a poet Matthias Göritz, also known from a performance “Transfer!”, directed by Jan Klata.

The project won the support of European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016, Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, Allianz Kulturstiftung and many other eminent diplomatic organisations, like German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of culture.

Multimedia Świebodzki Station The multimedia performance consists of two interconnected parts, happening in the hall and on the platforms of Świebodzki Station. The first part will take place every day on 31 August – 10 September in the station’s buildings.

The audience will have the opportunity to participate in exhibitions, readings, film shows or concerts.

The structure of the whole evolves around the performance “Don‘t be so sure that you are legal” (shows on 31 August-3 September on Świebodzki platforms). Both parts are complimentary, but can be treated as separate. Their mutual relations are complex and don’t pose limitations either for artists or audience.

Exhibitions – Europe’s most famous drawers The audience will have an opportunity to participate in several exhibitions, which will be an excellent comment on what we understand as identity. “On the run” is a unique on the world scale collection of 64 caricatures by the most recognized European representatives of the genre created by Koos van Weringh.

There will be presented a collection

by Marek Raczkowski, who, with his idiosyncratic sense of humour, exposes human behaviours and reactions to reality.

“Unfinished palace, migrating people, moving borders / european songlines” is a tale about reasons, needs, and facts regarding the migration of people around Europe. Poetic search for the European identity is a point of departure for reflation on the stability of borders and sources of culture. Artists from various domains, co-opeating with each other, cross borders of art forms to create a story of human wandering.

Świebodzki Station will be a venue for everyday concerts. The organisers chose the authors in such a way as to show the diversity of European cultural identity. The show ” Religions or Conversions” combines the sound of traditional Christian and Jewish songs and will invite the audience to take part in the presentation of sufi culture. The issues of human dignity, communication and relationships will be the themes of the concert of Julia Marcell (Polityka Passport Award) ”Respect for Living”. The program

“Unfinished House, migrating people, shifting borders /european songlines” Performance, exhibitions, installations, concerts Director: Stephan Stroux 31 August-10 September 2016, Świebodzki Station First Part (exhibitions, concerts, installations): 31.08-10.09, at 17:00-20:30 Second Part (performance “ Don‘t be so sure that you are legal”): 31.08-3.09, at 20:30 Europa Oculta in cooperation with Grotowski Institute and European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 won’t miss flamenco sound, presented by Borja Soto, a flamenco singer living in Wrocław.

Readings – poets and “Jacob’s Books” The originators of “Unfinished House…” also invited poets and the representatives of the written word.

Olga Tokarczuk – one of the leading Polish writers, who’s conveyed European cultural identity issues many times in her oeuvre – will read an occasional text about Lower Silesian identity (an excerpt on p 22 – editorial note). On the last day the author will read the fragments of her most famous book “Jacob’s Book”.

Performance – we are all migrants Świebodzki Station, closed for many years, has seen hundreds of thousands life stories of individuals who were forced to leave Lower Silesia or arrived from far Eastern Poland. Based on several dozen interviews, films and photos, artists tried to show what it means to leave one’s house and set off for the unknown.

How does one take at least part of their identity or how does one build a new one in such situation? Looking at our DNA, we would learn that migration history concerns each of us.

Recent events in the world show how fragile and elusive the absolute

certainty about one’s world, identity or nationality is.

A multimedia show “Don’t be so sure that you are legal” deals with the issues of migration in Europe and stability of borders. Different forms of art (theatre, film, performance, sound, light or photography) are the means for the authors to try to urge people to reflect on the causes, needs and facts connected to the wandering of humans.

The performance will feature the actors from Polish Theatre in Wrocław (Małgorzata Gorol, Adam Szczyszczaj i Marta Zięba), artists connected to Grotowski Institute (Ditte Berkeley, Matej Matejka, Agnieszka Ćwieląg), a flamenco singer Borja Soto, and Joao de Soussa, a Portugese fado singer, known for his cooperation Smolik.

Marek Raczkowski

Director – a friend of Poland and Tibet These are just a few of many events within the rich program of “Unfinished House…” The originator and author is a German director Stephan Stroux, known for couple of dozen stagings, performances and shows realised all over the world, including a project “Virtual Bridge on the Vistula”, in which he, together with 150 Polish and German artists, commemorated Warsaw Uprising.

A winner of many awards, including “Friend of Tibet”, given to him by Dalai Lama, and Cross of the order of Merit of RP.

Bente Kahan

Marta Zięba

All photos: materials of organizer

Concerts – Julia Marcell, flamenco and Christian songs

Zbigniew Libera

Borja Soto

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An interview with Angus Kidd, managing director of Credit Suisse (Poland)

Supporting Wrocław culture and promotion of Polish Rising Tide. artists are important Young Polish elements of our strategy Contemporary Art What is the role of Credit Suisse as a partner of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016?

We are the partner of visual arts – one of the eight categories of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016. Thanks to that partnership, residents and tourists can participate in unique events, such as the “Wrocław Europe” exhibition and “Summer Rental” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in the Four Dome Pavilion. There are also many artistic interventions in city public spaces, inviting residents to co-create exhibitions and installations in cooperation with local institutions. Credit Suisse will also be a partner in a competition for young Polish artists and the exhibition of their works called “Rising Tide”, which will be organized at the end of the visual arts programme. We hope that it will help to promote young artists from Wrocław and Poland in our country and abroad.

past and we’re glad that we can realize another project together.

And why visual arts?

Supporting cultural projects and those related to visual arts is a part of the global strategy of Credit Suisse. Our main goal is providing our clients with high-quality services, our shareholders with value and creating friendly environment for our employees, acting in a responsible and effective manner.

We are also closely related to local communities and we implement projects outside of the area of banking. Supporting arts is an important part of our strategy. That’s why for years we’ve been cooperating with well-known museums, we coorganized world-class exhibitions.

We are, among others, the partner of the National Gallery in London, Swiss art museums in Zurich, Basil and Bern, as well as MASILugano.

This year, we have also supported an exhibition of contemporary art in Hong Kong .

13 October – 10 December 2016

Krzysztof Maj, general director of ECoC Wrocław 2016 and Angus Kidd, CEO of Credit Suisse (Poland)

Organizers of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 in cooperation with Credit Suisse want to support carriers of young artists and provide them with an opportunity to present their works at an exhibition “Rising Tide. Young Polish Contemporary Art”.

The competition is addressed to artists working in broadly defined visual arts, including multimedia, new media and performative arts. The age limit for applicants for the competition and exhibition is 35 years.

Applications will be assessed by the curator of the project, Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz. She will choose a list of the competition’s participants, and then she’ll visit their studios. The exhibition of selected works will be presented at ART MAIN STATION by mia, i.e. the Contemporary Art Gallery at Wrocław Main Train Station, between 13 October and 10 November.

On the closing day of the exhibition, the names of winners of main prizes in the competition will be revealed.

Why did Credit Suisse decide to support the visual arts programme of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016?

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photo: Filip Basara

We want to be a credible partner also outside the area of our everyday activity. Our office in Wrocław, opened in 2007, is the second biggest unit of the bank in the region of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and it employs over 4000 people. Since the opening, we have built a close relationship with the local community and the authorities. We support many foundations and initiatives here. We are, among others, the partner of the Wrocław Hospice for Children Foundation.

Wrocław is the first Polish city to receive the title of the European Capital of Culture in its current form. And that’s why it was natural for us to get involved in this unique initiative. We cooperated with the organizers of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 in the

Wrocław is probably the only Polish city where space tells so much about the most recent history of Europe, Filip Springer thinks.

European capital of history of architecture

The arrogant Sky-Tower is undoubtedly a monument of Polish capitalism.

One can’t say a good word about this building, because it unprecedentedly ruined the city’s shape. Still, it cannot be denied its symbolic meaning for Polish most recent history. It’s an architecture embodying not only the dynamics of Polish economy or “Wrocław’s inhabitants’ energy” (as the investor wanted) but also ruthlessness in reaching the goal.

Fortunately the philosophy lying at the fundaments of such buildings belongs to the past now, although SkyTower smells of newness and is regarded as one of the most state-of-the-art in Poland – “black tower” closes some period of changes.

Interestingly, one can find in Wrocław (still for a while) a building that is an architectural equivalent of the beginning of this period. This is the notorious Solpol at Świdnicka street. Designed by a Wrocław architect Wojciech Jarząbek, it was ordered by another millionaire. The post-modern colourful block arouse controversies from the beginning. Jarząbek managed, however, to incorporate the whole vividness and optimism of the first years of transformation. Solpol will probably disappear soon, which can also be read symbolically. For how much of that optimism from the beginning of 90th was left to us?

Not from here Wrocław rose from post-war ruins thanks to the architects, whose one feature in common was that they weren’t from here. It’s enough to say that all the professors of five departments at the Faculty of Architecture of Wrocław University of Technology brought their degrees from the analogous (and excellent) university in Lvov.

The city attracted most of all with the scale of challenge and the promise of peace for those who wanted to stay inconspicuous in the post-war reality. It concerned for example those who spent the war in the forest. It was the case of Witold Lipiński or Edmund Frąckiewicz, who left Home Army in Łomżysko and hid in the Western Territories, fearing oppression. Later they became important figures of Lower Silesian architecture, but not only them – nearly everyone that shaped Wrocław image – came from somewhere.

Let’s take such couples of architects as Krystyna and Marian Barscy (Czarnocin/Leszno) – specialising in academic

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photo: Marcin Jędrzejczak

In recent years, there have appeared several projects that are iconic for the changes in Poland after 1989.At the same time the third generation of Wrocław residents not only got interested in social modernism, but also more and more often ask questions about German architectural heritage of the city.

ARCHITECTURE IN ECoC PROGRAM Architectural program of ECoC addresses all the motifs conveyed by the text.

The twentieth-century architecture of the city has already been presented on several exhibitions ( “Way to Modernity. Werkbund Estates1927-1932”, “Patchwork. Work of Jadwiga Grabowska”), publications (“Before /After.

Wrocław Architecture XX.XXI”, “Life in City-project”), lectures (“Big A_Space for Bauty: Nature– Society – Architecture”) or a special edition of already strongly rooted in Wrocław inhabitants’ awareness Lower Silesian Festival of Architecture.

6th Lower Silesian Festival of Architecture DoFA’2016 7–14 October 2016 r.

The festival comprises interdisciplinary events, addressed to as wide range of recipients as possible, like the exhibitions of competition works, problem exhibitions, lectures and debates, seminars and sightseeing chosen objects in chosen towns of Lower Silesia. The accompanying events will also include: film shows, concerts, workshops for children and teenagers, and performative actions in public space.

This year special edition of DoFA’16 motto is “Space for Beauty”. The program will include: Exhibitions of competition works (Friendly Public Space, Interior & Dizajn, supervision, Honorary Award of SARP Wrocław, Frames of Modernism), Confrontations: an international conference with experts, whose activities address the issues of art in public space and a celebration for a chosen architect; Open City: a cycle of thematic trips showing the latest architectonic realisations and “the classics of the genre”.

Projections: a review of films with architectural themes and with architecture “in the background”. Space: realisation of the projects registered to the competition OPEN CALL. This year winners are: 1. Archiliada – city game around Ołbin. Authors: The Scientific Association of Students of City Planning CARDO; 2 City Adhesive Tape. Authors: Magdalena Szwajcowska, Michał Majewski / Studio NO; Projector / Snapshots. Author: Katarzyna Dąbkowska; 4. Change, modernisation and making historical stairs in Jelenia Góra. Authors: SK-ARCHITEKCI Venues: New Horizons Cinema, Museum of Architecture in Wrocław, Faculty of Architecture of Wrocław University of Technology, Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design, Lower Silesian cities.

Details on: www.wroclaw.sarp.org.pl/pl/dofa/

BIG A/Architecture 29 August - Nathalie de Vries (Holland); 19 September - Lacaton & Vassal (France); 10 October - Hani Rashid (USA) Project BIG A will be accompanied by the exhibitions of guests’ project output.

Publishing series “Visionaries of Wrocław” The publication of a series presenting the output of leading Wrocław architects – Honorary Award SARP Wrocław, given from 2011 by Polish Society of Architects Wrocław within DoFA. The series presented during ECoC Wrocław 2016 will consist of 6 parts including biographies and the output of Wrocław architects.

MoKaPP – Mobile Catalyst of Public Space Wandering ‘headquarters of activity’: is supposed to mobilize inhabitants to cooperate in the field of culture. The base of MoKaPP is a mobile Pavilion situated in several places. Its priority areas of activity are places away from centres, whose residents have a more difficult access to cultural infrastructure. Pavilion will be a venue for workshops, educational activities, film shows, meetings and exhibitions which are to aid residents in their actions for shaping public space.

buildings – or Maria and Igor Tawryczewscy (Warszawa/Bydgoszcz), or finally probably the best known and eminent couple: Jadwiga and Henryk Hawrylak (Tarnawce/Lublin). All of them entered the historical tissue of Wrocław without complexes or fears. They were courageous, as they had double justification for their decisions. On the one hand, like in all Poland, they wanted to breach with the capitalist past trough their activities. It concerned both buildings designed in the spirit of social realism, the best example being Kościuszko Housing Estate, as well as later ones, designed in an “international” style, nowadays described as socially modernist. On the other hand, Wrocław’s past was German, and those who created the future didn’t have much in common with either this place or its past. They could afford more fancy. The examples of it are not scarce in Wrocław. Let’s take Witold Lipiński’s house-igloo, Andrzej Skorupa and Jacek Burzyński’s trzonolinowiec (hanging building), experimental in its construction, or Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak’s Mezonetowiec – The first in Poland block with two-floor flats (maisonette). It is also her that stands behind the design of the biggest Wrocław estate at Grunwaldzki Square, which became an icon of Polish social modernism.

Strong fundament Still we cannot talk about Wrocaw contemporary architecture without referring to its pre-war history. And the interest in it grows, especially among Wrocław’s third generation, who are already free from the war traumas and the memory of the grey PPR. Wrocław is their city – multicultural thanks to its past, which is also reflected

in architecture. The war bulldozer ran over the city brutally, but didn’t destroy the works of German architects. After all these were the Germans that wanted to reign over the river and built a unique on European scale system of distributaries and canals because of which Wrocław is often called a city of bridges. The most inspiring are, however, those realisations of German architects that were to solve the pre-war housing problems of Breslau.

During the whole interwar period, like in other European metropolises, the key problem here was a dramatic housing shortage. This concerned especially the poorest labourers. Already in 1919 Breslau authorities took up building of thousands of places to live for them. The direction was set by the city architect of that time, Max Berg, the originator of the Wrocław iconic People’s Hall (today Centennial Hall). Already in the same year, the first building started. Within dozen or so years in Breslau there’d been erected a couple of dozen housing estates realizing the idea of cheap building for workers, where residents could enjoy access to sun, verdure and fresh air – three sacred things for modernist architects.

Thirty seven ideas for life This is not the whole role of Breslau. In 1929, on the initiative of Lower Silesian department of Werkbund “Wohnung und Werkraum Ausstellung” (WUWA) or the exhibition “ A house and a place of work” - was organised. The event was based on the architectural exhibitions organized since 1927 by Deutscher Werkbund (German Association of Craftsmen).

Their aim was to present the possibilities of modern house building. A show estate was erected for the exhibition, consisting of 37 buildings near nowadays Szczytnicki Park. There was enough place for both detached, semidetached houses, a terraced one in which different forms of using the same interior were tried, as well as for houses for many families and a kindergarten. Overall over hundred completely furnished flats were presented on the exhibition as well as proposals how to connect with them the working places of doctors, lawyers, or artists. Wrocław estate WUWA is one of seven such complexes in the world. For several years now, it’s been modernized. WUWA also became a reason for contemporary reflection about the relation between work and house – this was the fundament for the architectural-urban experiment WUWA 2, within which city authorities, architects, the representatives of developers and housing cooperatives check new ideas connected with building and financing housing estates. It’s the only place in Poland today where architectural experiments are run.

Filip Springer Author is a reporter and photojournalist. He graduated from Interfaculty Individual Study at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (archaeology with cultural anthropology). His books (Miedzianka. Story of Disappearing; Źle urodzone.

Reportaże o architekturze PRL; Zaczyn. O Zofii i Oskarze Hansenach; Wanna z kolumnadą. Reportaże o polskiej przestrzeni; 13 pięter; Księga zachwytów), which are often dedicated to city planning and architecture of Polish cities, have already become bestsellers and were nominated to many awards, like Ryszard Kapuściński Award and Literary Nike Prize.

Text appeared in a special suplement to Tygodnik Powszechny “Wrocław. Kierunek kulturalna stolica”

photo: Michał Mazurkiewicz

Paradoxical Decomposition of the Ball

Roman Kołakowski, the director, composer and lyrics author, talks about his unusual mathematical opera featuring Andrzeje Seweryn as Hugo Steinhaus,

It’s the name of one of the most famous mathematical theories by Stefan Banach, a brilliant scientist and creator of functional analysis, which, in the project “MATEMATICAL OPERA”, will become a metaphor of cultural, religious, scientific and political changes that took place in Europe and the world as a result of WWII. Composing the performance telling about the Lvov School of Mathematics - Stefan Banach, Hugo Steinhaus, and their legendary friends – mathematicians, artists, Lvov’s intelligentsia – and a unique creative atmosphere of the city in the interwar period have been on my mind for ten years.

Because Wrocław took over the best Lvov’s traditions to a large extent… But the legendary cafe “Szkocka” is no longer in Lvov nor in Wrocław.

It was 1916. Exactly hundred years have gone since the moment when Hugo Steinhaus met Stefan Banach on Cracow

Planty Park and invited him to cooperate… Steinhaus became Wrocław citizen after the war and it was him, like many other Lvov professors, engineers, tram drivers, teachers, etc. created the contemporary legend of our city, which Norman Davies calls “Microcosm of Europe”. I read Mariusz Urbanek’s book “Genialni” (The Brilliant) enthusiastically and I recommend it to everyone who wants to go to my Mathematical Opera… It will be an excellent introduction to uneasy considerations of “Banach’s space”, but also of the space of difficult relationships between Poles, Ukrainians, Jews, Russians and Germans. I hope the story about “Szkocka” cafe, full of amusing anecdotes, will also be a reflection on wars, nationalisms, totalitarianisms and ordinary people who became their victims.

And my personal story about multiculturalism, friendship and mutual animosity, about Polish history, but also about contemporary times which constantly interfuse with history. About difficult choices: personal, moral, political…

Preview of the mathematical opera Paradoxical Decomposition of the Ball 18 October 2016

Roman Kołakowski The author of the text and the composer is Romana Kołakowski, a composer, poet, singer, guitarist, and translator. Theatre and bandstand director, the author of grand outdoor spectacles. Wrocław citizen, the director of Stage Song Review for many years.

The performance is part of musical program of European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016. Its producers are Impart Festival Office 2016 and Song Theatre.

The protagonist of multimedia performance is the famous Polish scientist– professor Stefan Banach (Damian Łukawski). Banach is a brilliant self-taught, one of the most eminent thinkers of the 20th century, co-originator of Lvov School of Mathematics.

The story of his unusual life will be told on stage in the context of the panorama of great European and world events from the first half of the 20th century. The narrator will be another eminent scientist, linked to Lvov, and then to Wrocław - professor Hugo Steinhaus. (played by Andrzej Seweryn).

The performance will combine traditional and avant-garde trends, different languages and spheres of human intellectual activity (science and art). Over twenty actors, and musicians and dancers will appear in it. The characters in „mathematical opera” will speak and sing in Polish, French, German, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Yiddish, and even in… Japanese.

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Reading Lower Silesia and rescuers of culture

Theatre Festival Mezalians – hand in hand with art – performances, parades, concerts, knees-ups in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki.

Reading the City – young scientists study what the inhabitants of Oborniki Śląskie, Bogatynia, Bolesławiec, Wołów, Dzierżoniów, Boguszów-Gorce and Lwówek Śląski remember from the life of their towns, artists show images of memory in the language of art.

ArtBus – over 50 courses to the most important ECoC events in Wrocław for other inhabitants of Lower Silesia.

Culture of Small and Mediumsized Towns – open workshop group on culture in the region, the round-up being the conference in Pieszyce on 22-23 November.

Non-public Strategies for Rescuing Monuments – the round-up being the conference “Rescuers” in Świdnica, those interested are asked to contact Marek Sztark: marek. sztark@wroclaw2016.pl, tel.

502 065 375.

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Monuments rescuers are people from different environments who share the irrationality of economic conduct. They buy and renovate palaces, churches and other buildings, full of rich stories, delighting once, but today empty, spooky, neglected, falling apart. The fight for them costs a fortune, takes plenty of time, and gives no opportunity whatsoever to earn money… The rescuers are linked by the deep sensitivity to what’s happened to these wonderful buildings, which were unlucky with their owners.

There are many invaluable but ramshackle monuments in Lower Silesia, but ten or twenty years ago there were even more of them. Year after year there are more and more that were lucky to get into the hands of the rescuers. Already there are many renovated pearls and those under reconstruction works, so we can name the phenomenon which is characteristic for Lower Silesia, distinguishing the region on Polish or even European scale.

Among the rescuers there are entrepreneurs who’ve been successful in business, and, because financial capital is accompanied with the cultural one, they don’t spend money on consumption (at least not only), but on renovation of a monument. A good example is Karpniki castle next to Jelenia Góra, changed from ruin into an architectural marvel, surrounded by a carefully revived, relaxing park.

“Among the rescuers there those who aren’t rich, but full of passion and deeply dedicated.” emphasises Marek Sztark, the coordinator of Lower Silesia 2016 program within

photo: Leszek Kosiorowski

Chosen events

Watch out, here comes MoKaPP

Staniszów Palace – one of the examples of private reviving of monuments in Lower Silesia

MoKaPP, or the Mobile Catalyst for Public Space that goes around the region, relates to the work of the rescuers. It’s two connected containers, moved by heavy equipment, which play the function of a travelling culture centre. MoKaPP stops for a while at places which seem uninteresting in their spatial order, for example housing developments. Its presence provokes reflection and contact, as well as participation in discussions and workshops on public space, which are run inside it. It’s been to Lubiąż and Chojnów, now is in Szczytna, next it will be in Wrocław and Nowa Ruda.

“People from Transformator and Trampolin foundations, helped by guests, run activities open to everyone day and night.” Marek Sztark tells.

“They are mostly frequented by children, but town planners and culture centres directors happened to drop as well. These activities integrate inhabitants. We hope the discussions in MoKaPP will influence shaping special order, so the effects of its arrival will stay in inhabitant’s thoughts and decisions permanently.”

Reading Lower Silesia

photo: materials of ECoC

ECoC Lower Silesia 2016

biąż, original places, like locomotive depot in Jaworzyna Śląska, changed by a private owner into an interesting Museum of Railway, Museum of Carriages in Galowice, located in an 18th century restored former granary.

“We’ve found over hundred people who live to save monuments.” Marek Sztark says. “We chose twelve about whom we’ll write a book entitled ‘Rescuers’. Its theme will be these people’s stories and strategies of monuments reviving also by their effort.”

The rescuers’ activity will also be the topic of a conference on 18 September in Świdnica. The participant will be people linked to monuments preservation, including conservatorsrestorers and guest from Germany.

Bolesławiec is one of seven cities whose inhabitants shared their memory of their town Photo ECoC.

photo: Leszek Kosiorowski

An unusual vehicle roaming the region, encouraging to reflect on spatial order. Extraordinary people who made their life-aim to save totally destroyed, but invaluable monuments. Finally „Reading the city”...

European Capital of Culture is also fascinating phenomena all over Lower Silesia.

For the whole year, ECoC presents artistic and cultural richness of the region to the world.

In Bolesławiec children especially got involved in “Reading the City”

If MoKaPP creates attitudes, “Reading City” reflects the thoughts of the inhabitants of: Oborniki Śląskie, Bogatynia, Bolesławiec, Wołów, Dzierżoniów, Boguszów-Gorce and Lwówek Śląski. Young scientists of different specializations name in their studies what and who people remember best and how they imagine their cities in future. Such constructed city memory is the basis for artists activity. Inhabitants can see their memory in the language of music or happening, for example in Bolesławiec, where artists used common nostalgia for the Beaver and… went in a boat.

Leszek Kosiorowski

ECoC. “They establish foundations, raise money for revival.”

The list of the rescued is becoming

longer and longer: palaces, churches, Upper Lusatian houses, huge complexes of magnificent buildings, like Lu-

The author is a journalist writing for 24 years about Lower Silesia, mostly about Jelenia Góra region.

Spaces for likes

#wro2016 Reportedly 60 % of our conversations are gossip. 80% - if we take into consideration social media. This is what American researchers claim. Others estimated that each day we receive over 5000 advertising messages. Each day!

Since the first alarm by the clock made by company X urging us to get up, through a tram/ car/ bicycle/ scooter brand Y, by which we go to work, to pizza from Z delivery inviting to dinner. How to fish out the best rumours from the ocean of gossip? How to get through on the Internet with a good piece of information, especially the one about culture, if bad

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information rules absolutely? I invite you for a trip through the Internet world of European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016. I warn you loyally – there will be little technology here, or trade ter-

minology. Well, drones, live streaming and video 3D will appear, but definitely there will be more about the rules that govern the internet world of Anno Domini 2016.

1Conversations between a cultural institution and audience must sound human and be delivered in a human voice, which is open, natural and sincere No secrets exist. Your fans, spectators and workers know more about you than you imagine and forward both bad and good information.

If you speak in a language of empty advertisement and circus show, unfortunately you talk to no one.

Remember sense of humour doesn’t mean another joke pasted straight on the Internet site or throwing a kitten picture on Facebook. Smile is produced by modesty, honesty and one’s own opinion.

Not every commentator is a hater.

Not everyone wants to harm you.

Draw conclusions from bloomers and defeats.

You want to reach to your community – theatre and opera fans, film goers, lecture listeners, workshops guests?

Share the interests of people who leave their money with you.

People are sometimes insensitive to advertisement. Forget about selling and open to conversation. Do it in an interesting way, like you expect from others.

Audience willingly pay for new performances, better authors, fresh ideas. Do you have time to listen to their opinion?

You gave the address online and invited to contact, but you are too busy to answer an email or Facebook message? Audience will answer later.

Probably.

Your performance was poor. Why? We want to ask the authors personally.

Your leaflets are unintelligible, and the purchase of tickets online doesn’t work. We want to have a chat with the director. What does it mean he works till 16:00?

Treat thousands of spectators seriously. Just like you treat one journalist from a national newspaper. Unless you open your eyes, a new form of pastime and spending free time will appear – more interesting, caring, pleasant in contact.

A recipe for a tasty promotion

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* based on Cluetrain Manifest – prepared in 1999

by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger, who predicted the future of global communication

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337

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commandments from European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 for bosses, creators, social media workers and other employees of cultural institutions

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number of journalists on our press cone-books, tablets, etc.), I don’t expect ference, or people blocking stalls to thrive in the future. A the theatre entrance. The similar opinion about the indicator might be changes of culture conalso the opinions of sumption is voiced by bosses, colleagues a sociologist, prof. of the same proTomasz Szlędak: “We fession, or checlooked closely in our king “What they research at what pefollowers on Instagram: are saying ople are really doing instagram.com/wrocabout us on festivals (…) Well, law2016 s r mostly they stand in e b um lines for sausage, talking nn 6 i 016) 1 at the same time with others, 0 t2 2 ław gus are lying on the blankets, pat on theroc 8 Au W 1 in the town.” ir tablets and phones, communicating C n o EC ate o The most diffiwith the rest of the world. The younger t s ( cult question that we they are, the less trouble they have with had to ask the organisers the simultaneity of events. (…) A Pole is the number of episodes of European Capital of Culture understands the word “culture” unclearly of the program Breaking Muse – was: “What will be a success and confuses it with pastime – as being Show What You Have, for you?” Later it helps with people in spaces where ‘something mesor Internet TV of ECoC one party to arrange is going on’.” I’d also quote the opinion sages Wrocław 2016 the plan and the of Marek Staniszewski, a graduate from our brasecond – philosophy, and professionally one of the ins have most valued strategist in Poland. In to digest each a nutshell, a strategist in an advertising agency is a person day. Reportedly we recethanks to whom we know ive as much information executhat some fizzy drink in 24 hours as a human te realisaincites joy, what staff collected all their lives in tion and finally ensures a longer life for the middle ages! Then, people subscribe our You Tube our washing machine, say “I check!” how not to get crazy as a channel: and people stand at nireceiver on the one hand youtube.com/ ght in a long line to buy and be an efficient sender wroclaw2016tv a new product with apple. of interesting content Staniszewski, when asked about culture? If what he thinks about a scheyou go on any matic attitude to promotion (also conferenconcerns promotion of culture), said: “I ce about don’t believe in so called ‘tools’ because Internet , each problem is unique, special, individuyou will surely come al. When I heard the question: ‘What toacross a presentation, ols does your agency use?’ I always answewhere on one of the slired: ‘there are two recommended tools: a des there’ll appear the pencil and a notebook.’” I have a similar is the number of fans of our sentence: “Content is a answer to everybody who would like to fanpage on Facebook: king!” Unfortunately, ask what ‘tools’ European Capital of CulFacebook.com/wroclaw2016 very seldom is ture uses to reach Wrrocław residents, Pothe object les, Europeans and people from the most of the remote corners of the globe. Sometimes a printed leaflet and poster works, sometimes live Facebook coverage does, and some other time catching Pokemons or Snapchat . Most often, however, it’s enough to listen what our fans, Death, revolution and sentenspectators, ce given, as a magic pencil guests the whole shocare abould sound: “Content Barbara Sgarzi, the author is a king, but distribution of workshops from social meut, is a queen!” It’s this balance bedia for the biggest Italian meand tween a well prepared dish (adverdia once said: ”Media revolur e tisement, text, photo, film, graphics) tion can’t be stopped anymore. memand an appropriate way of serving For each day a traditional media b e r (choice of the channel to a rereceiver dies, and a person who that we ceiver) that is the key to will never buy a newspaper at the make all success measured in stall is born.” I only half-agree, becauevents for ‘likes’. Of course se, although I don’t believe them. Let’s reever y thing in the death of newspapers member that blogd e (only the form of reception will gers, pretty pictures on change – we’ll move Instagram and funny posts on Facebook to mobiles, won’t help, if in a culture office or institulaptops, tion only one box office is open every day

Ingredients: advertising department, events producers, volunteers, sponsors, originators, creators, performers, service,

10 230 times our official hashtag #wro2016 was used with pictures on Instagram

photographers, operators, editors, graphic designers, copywriters, moderators, workers of the press office and communication and marketing department of ECoC Wrocław 2016. Stir for a couple of weeks/ months/ years, from time to time add media debate. This is exactly enough for one entry, which will get thousands of likes, or 30-second video with an announcement of the nearest festival, performance, film show or conference, which will be shared hundreds of times. Later you can read in the media that: the Film advertising summer with ECoC wins the Internet. That’s what it is about…

Among the garden there sits this royal couple…

I mentioned how large a portion of

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pends on what measure we use on ourselves. We can measure with likes, comments, sharings – all this is the expression of the engaged community. If we want to arouse controversy and decide that Czech porno artists will perform in our show, then the measure may be for example the

7 322 people watch ECoC on Twitter: twitter.com/wro2016

Tomasz Kudła Social media specialist of ECoC Wrocław 2016/ @wro2016 / @rushWRO / #wro2016/#wroclove

and only one person can find the program of the event online. Surely Internet tools changed, most probably audience changed, but the rules of advertisement from leaflet, through poster to Internet and social media are unchangeable. I like the principle of Don Draper, the protagonist of a cult series Mad Man, telling about the beginning of advertisement branch: “Advertisement is based on one thing: on happiness. And do you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s freedom from fear. It’s a billboard by the road, which screams, reassuring you that whatever you do is all right. You are all right.”

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From croquet to Lower Silesian boulders The presentation in numbers is impressive: since 2014 we’ve realised around hundred projects of the residents chosen from nearly thousands propositions. To prepare them, around 9 thousand people have participated, and finally over 37 thousand took part as receivers. Such microGRANTS army of cultural ECoC people.

However, behind numbers, there are real people of flesh and blood. For example Jan, of Czech origin, and – as he talks about himself – “Wrocław resident by choice”. He argues: “We, Czechs, have managed to bring something to Poland already, and it assimilated well…” As we learn in a moment, this „something” is Christianity. ”Well, now we’d like Poles to stop associating “croquet” exclusively with something to eat.” Jan says. “Because croquet is a game, similar to cricket.”

Justyna, leading the group Of Wrocław’s legendary SKiBA (State College of Culture Animation and Library Studies), who realised the project MojeFOTOCZENIE, writes to ECoC: “I would… open people to themselves, starting with what they see every day, but what they don’t appreciate, or their own YARD We just need a block, wall full of windows and a little of imagination.” Everyday reality also inspired Paweł, thanks to whom the installation “Whispering Crowd” appeared at Kuźnicza street. He wrote about his inspirations: “ I’d like to create such spatial exhibition of multimedia sculptures of Wrocław residents, made from glass fibre and ‘brought to life’ by multimedia, i.e. voices of inhabitants which will give an individual character and story to each sculpture.[…] Each project creation was inspired by city space in which each of us stays every day. People in crowd seem identical, but at a closer look turn out so different. The project is supposed to urge people to reflect on beauty that surrounds us every day, but because of its everyday nature is often unnoticed.”

Natalia, who represents the group working in Mammoth Park, appeals to Wrocław residents on Face: “city forest?

Let’s create it together!” And she invites to plant trees and feast together, the event having been prepared by local activists and university professors. It’s because

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“the aim of the project is for the inhabitants themselves to design a forest composition at the local picnic. Everything is well-thought over. The Local Lboratory of Nature, as they call it, has recently been established in Academic Grove, i.e. the fragment of the part commemorating pioneers of science. They used what was already there. Besides planting, houses for animals and stone seats, microGRANT people built shelters for animals from twigs and roots, and Lower Silesian bounders became natural benches, reminding of local sculptures by Tadeusz Teller.

Stroking bumblebees and the memory of Wrocław Owing to the fact several hundred people realised their ideas, we could stroke bumblebees, destroy embankment in laboratory conditions, publish a songbook in Braille and Esperanto, visit the Oder bakers, make hammocks and furniture, drive in a carriage, ornament poles with knitted artistic works…

to write down the story of our street during Memoir Workshops. Przodowników Pracy (Udarniks, or Superproductive Workrs) street (renamed to Hallera, editorial note) is the main street of Fabryczna district, a living place of the workers of Wrocław’s biggest factories: Hutmen, FAT-, Fadroma, Dolmel, MERA-Elwro etc. I remember when I was a child, those who settled down on our street, came from villages on carts; then Greek communists joined. Also many Germans lived here. This conglomerate of nationalities was unique in Wrocław context. It’s worth saving for the sake of the memory and history of the city.” A similar case is the book “Wrocław, I remember that…”.

Wrocław residents wrote a book together, containing their memories, each story beginning with the title words.

Neither are strictly cultural activities of the very inhabitants missing.

For example, the seniors from “Autumn Leaves”, after finishing their project of composing haiku in the plots, published a volume of poetry „Let’s surround the plots with Japanese haiku poetry”. The book won excellent journalists –Michał

In spite of different forms, methods tools used to realise microGRANTS ideas, the proposed initiatives always serve something close to the originators. Something worth dedicating time, force and energy to. For which it’s worth to summon, meet and create together. The proposals often concern the neighbourhood.

They make it more beautiful, interesting and accessible. The originators of summer weekend reading room in Tołpa Park explained: “We want beauty in Ołbin to be associated not only with aesthetics, but also with activity and encounter with literature. This is how we understand space for beauty: as meeting around something valuable.” Similar things are happening at Krucza street, where the action “Outdoor Cinema in Garages” is going on; in Kozanów, where parents and children built a garden; in the Triangle (or Oławskie Suberbs), where the action “To Green concrete at Dębowskiego, or common struggle of the locals with greyness.”

Also searching for identity, discovering and documenting local history is a distinct motif. It happens at Hallera street, where Gabriel Kamiński and the city dweller write the unusual history of the street together… “Together with my neighbours from 1-122 Hallera, I’d like

photo: Jagoda Czekańska

We like it. We are happy to take a place in Barbara every second month to listen to Wrocław residents ideas every day for two weeks during which we collect proposals for Micro GRANTS of ECoC. Then we often go to the districts far from the city centre, we organise meetings in parks and listen to countless number of not-bad, good and excellent ideas of exhibitions, performances, concerts, festivals, city games, publishing, happenings and hundreds of other activities conceived by people from Wrocław of various ages. And then – in every possible way – we help to realise the chosen ones. It doesn’t always work.

We make cultural (not only) dreams come true

photo: Dorota Korotko

1000 ideas from Wrocław residents were put forward for microGRANTS. It’s thanks to Wrocław inhabitants that we are the European Capital of Culture

Wroc&Roll and other pleasures… or microGRANTS Projects, which have just begun and still go on.

We start: Mobile Restauracnt on Gardens Estate – cyclic, common neighbourly cooking in Spępolno WroKro – common croquet game in parks of Look Wrocław! – team city game for people with impaired sight, hearing or the deafblind.

To Green the Concrete at Dębowskiego, or common city dwellers’ fight with greyness – a group of residents realise common action of planting trees and bushes on the estate The Gate to the Future– common discovering of history of the Ratyń estate, forgotten by many, getting through to the memoirs, photographs and documents, which will be an opportunity to get to know each other.

Constellation of Memories – Wrocław Rumoureaters 2. Seniors tell stories connected to Wrocław, their coming to the city, and the youth– during storyboard workshops – will help them tell it in the language of film.

Wroc&Roll – six-days’ international marathon of film making.

We continue: Nogaś and Katarzyna Janowska read its fragments, and then we translated it in English and.. it went abroad, also to haiku’s homeland, Japan, where it got a very warm reception. .

MicroGRANTS are also a culture in extraordinary forms: from performances at homes inviting within the project „Invite Theatre under Your Roof ”, through exhibitions arranged by the dwellers of a given block, or searching literary clues during a city walk, for example during tours organized by Stowarzyszeni TUiTAM (“Wrocław Page by Page”).

One could write about unusual ideas and people who originate them: it would take the whole WCoC newspaper. Surprisingly, we didn’t get so much space, but it’s enough to thank all who registered for microGRANTS and those who’ve already benefited from them. For we can live this adventure with you. But mostly because you want to do something, are responsible for this city and proud of it.

It’s because of such initiatives we’re a real European Capital of Culture.

Oh, I almost forgot… MicroGRANTS don’t finish at the end of 2016 We also count on you in 2017!

ANNA PASTERNAK

Green Reading Room in Tołpa Park – outdoor weekend reading room.

Lalkomat – educational-artistic initiative aiming to disenchant puppet theatre as addressed only at children. In Autumn, meetings with artists and performances of Teatr Czarnego Tła and Jaworski Theatre are planned.

Invite Theatre under Your roof – actors, in a company of a musician, perform Dario Fo’s “Open Relationship” in private homes. After the performance, they meet with the audience for coffee, tea, and talk with them about the performance .

Spelling onto the Walls – in September and October, two “spelling” murals will be prepared by the charges of “Iskierka” association and the locals, which will present the phenomenon of homonymy.

Wrocław – Page by Page – meetings with writers and thematic literary walks combined with searching for book clues and reading excerpts.

MikrmicroGRANTS ECoC 2016 microGRANTS ECoC 2016 is a Program of Coorganising Projects, owing to which one might realise one’s idea for a cultural, social or educational action under European Capital of Culture – Wrocław 2016. The program slogan “Spaces for Beauty”: the title of an application, thanks to which Wrocław received the title of ECoC 2016. The projects are created together by originators and ECoC office. We try to support residents, animators and artists by ensuring administrative, legal, logistic or promotional help.

The team of 2016 r consists of: Martyna Gach, Marta Kępa i Anna Pasternak.

I didn’t support Wrocław

”One can get nicely lost in the European Capital of Culture this year,”

I’m offered with each visit something new and - what’s highly important – high-level quality. What I have in mind is the quality that – which also should be a warning for everyone – too often doesn’t go hand in hand with flourish Michał Nogaś when I finish reading”) which – I know it from experience – inspired many to turn to the classics.

Marten has gone down to history All I’m writing about are merely specimen. I realize perfectly well that

a couple of things didn’t work as well as the organizers planned (Wrocław’s marten which delayed January final of the opening of ECoC will go down to Polish, nay, European history of cultural life) and that the local milieu of

Michał Nogaś, Agnieszka Obszańska i Agnieszka Szydłowska as a silent disco DJ’s in Barbara (infocenter of ECoC Wroclaw 2016)

Material of Wrocław Good Books Fair

Well, perhaps let’s start with a confession: I didn’t support Wrocław in its fight for the European Capital of Culture title. The reason was simple, and today, after several years, I think the same: Lublin or Katowice would benefit more from this distinction. In the forme city, this title would greatly help culture animators in the so called ‘Eastern wall’ of Poland and would contribute to the development of the whole region. Whereas the young inhabitants of Katowice delighted me with their dedication, as they bent over backwards and stood on their heads for their city to win.

When I listened to the verdict of the competition panel, announced in the Palace on the island in Warsaw’s Łazienki, I had the impression that the title is a reward for Wrocław for investing for years in cultural events, building a net of festivals, recognizable not only in Poland, and that it was the crowning of something already done and to a large extent deeply roted, ingrained in the city’s tissue. Then Wrocław started working, and Warsaw (and other parts of Poland) got to know how the conception of the program of the first European Capital of Culture in Poland was born - painfully and often in disagreement, conflict and mutual persuading about the final vision.

Lots going on in the yards Today, when ECoC is over halfway point, when we have been allowed to take part in many – often differently judged by local media – events, I must admit that Wrocław surprised me pleasantly. There are many reasons – there is no space to list them all here, the time for it will come in January.

One of the most interesting projects turned out to be – of course, it’s a subjective point of view of someone who’s unusually frequently visited Wrocław in the recent months, but is not its inhabitant –microGRANTS, which activated local communities to do something for themselves, something that will possibly contribute to their greater participation in culture in the future. Besides, looking at what’s going in Wrocław’s yards within ECoC, I have the impression that very interesting things happen there, just to remind the recent series created by Karolina Breguła with Ołbin’s residents. The exhibitions organised by ECoC architecture curator Zbigniew Maćkow proved unusually interesting and excellently thought over. Accessible and well-designed, communicating useful knowledge in a logical way. It’s no wonder the city and region inhabitants flocked into them, and the exhibitions are the must-see places for the guests from outside Lower Silesia and abroad. I’m glad about the success of many literary events: from European Literature Night in two rounds, to car stickers famous all over Poland (I’m driving with the slogan on my boot: “I’ll start,

photo: Marcin Oliva Soto

Michał Nogaś, a culture-greedy journalist from Radio Three, writes, and he confesses that…

With Wojciech Mann at Wrocław Good Books Fair

cultural creators is divided and that not all people like the program of the the whole-year enterprise, and that it’s too late to get rid of disappointments.

And it’s the most important for me, a person from outside Wrocław, who is culture-greedy and tries – as he might – spend as much time as possible in European Capital of Culture, that I’m offered with each visit something new and - what’s highly important – highlevel quality. That each day spent there means interesting meetings, exhibitions, talks. What I have in mind is the quality that – which also should be a warning for everyone – too often doesn’t go hand in hand with flourish.

One can get nicely lost in European Capital of Culture this year and discover something unique accidently – even these garden plots whose renters/ owners created their own haiku volume published within microGRANTS. You may laugh at it, but in my opinion it’s

one of the things that can’t be overvalued, which have been achieved thanks to the opportunity given to the residents (some of them for the first time) to transform from receivers to the makers of culture.

Michał Nogaś The author is a journalist of Radio Station Three (since 2000), deals with culture, especially literature. Together with the reporters and editors of RS 3, including Agnieszka Szydłowska and Jan Niebudek, they have extensively covered most of ECoC Wrocław 2016 events since the beginning .

Silent Disco run by Michał Nogaś, Agnieszka Szydłowska and Agnieszka Obszańska have won the status ECoC 2016 cult event.

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Stanisław Dróżdż in the city of the word

Barbara Kozłowska. A great treat will be the publication of the volume of poetry “Pozasłowne śródsłów międzysłowia” (Extraverbal midwords’ intrewords) – some of the poems will be presented in tram shelters.

The vernissage of the project is scheduled for 6 September at 17:00 in Proza Club (Przejście Garncarskie), and at 19:00 we invite for the concert Esej na głos i kontrabas “Przed / za”. Teologia przyimków Stanisława Dróżdża (theology of prepositions be Stanisław Drożdż), featuring Tadeusz Sławek and Bogdan Mizerski.

“The House of the Word” – this was the name netizens gave to the tenement house at 68-70 Legnicka straight after two works by the poet Stanisław Dróżdż appeared there. Few know that this artist lived and created in Wrocław for most of his life. In his works, he postulated the materialisation of text, he also strived for liberating literature from pages. This thought became the motto of Małgorzata Dawidek, Ph.d. the author of the project “Stanisław Dróżdż.

Text Paths”. Willing to befriend Wrocław citizens with the creator of “conceptoshapes”, the curator proposed multilayered activities in urban spaces. Thus murals with works: “Forgetting” , “Time-spaces” (ul. Legnicka 68-70), and “Optimum” (ul. Hubska 35) appeared on the walls of three Wrocław tenement houses. In Popowicki Park the installation “Loneliness” will be realised, interpreted by

Karolina Bieniek

photo: Olga Jasnowska

www.sciezki-tekstu.pl

project coordinator, Art Transparent Foundation Detailed information on the project organized by the visual arts programme of the European Capital of Culture 2016 and Contemporary Art Foundation ART TRANSPARENT on

Logistics partner:

All information and calendar of events: www.wroclaw2016.pl

/wroclaw2016 @wro2016 www.radiowroclawkultura.pl youtube.com/Wroclaw2016tv @wroclaw2016

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Download Wrocław 2016 and Wrocław Quest applications in Google Play and App Store official hashtag: #wro2016

Nr 5 September - Oct. 2016 Come visit us: ECoC Wroclaw 2016 Info point in Barbara, 8c Świdnicka Jacek Antczak (editor) Barbara Pigoń, Adrian Augustr. styniak (editorial assistance) Maciej Górny, Katarzyna JaWrite to us: nusik, Barbara Toczek-Luteijn press@wroclaw2016.pl (proofreading and translation)