LAZNIA 1 2010 - OUTDOOR GALLERY OF THE CITY OF GDAŃSK - PRESS CONFERENCE
We cordially invite you to the press conference during which the new realisations of the International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk will be presented.
The conference will be held in the City Hall in Gdansk on 2 February 2010 at 1 pm, room 315.
In December 2009 new works of art appeared in the area of the Lower Town district. They were realised as a part of The Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk project.
The first piece that was completed was Invisible Gate by Front Studio group from New York. It is yet another work of art, beside LKW Gallery studio, (and not the last) to be realised in the space of the flyover situated by Szopy street.
The second project realised in December 2009 is Staging Anonymous by Dominik Lejman (Poland) – a piece that was awarded in the 2nd edition of the Outdoor Gallery competition in 2007. This light installation is integrated with the space of the underground passage situated at Łąkowa and Podwale Przedmiejskie streets crossing.
The official launching of the both artworks will take place on 2 February but on 14 May 2010 (on the eve of the European Night of Museums) for the first time they will be integrated with Laznia’s artistic and educational programme and combined with the educational workshops held in LKW Gallery studio within the framework of The Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk project.
In the summer of 2010 we are also intending to complete the second project awarded in the 2nd edition of the Outdoor Gallery competition – Untitled by Esther Stocker (Austria). This piece will also be situated in the space of the underground passage at Łąkowa and Podwale Przedmiejskie crossing and it will constitute a strong architectonic structure co-existing with the ephemeral installation by Dominik Lejman.
The projects awarded in the 3rd edition of the competition will be realised in 2011 („Amber Drops” by Daniel Schlaepfer and Fred Hatt, Switzerland) and in 2012 („Scent of Colour” by Carmen Einfinger, USA and „Leader Swing” by Fernando Sanchez Castillo, Spain).
The press conference will be opened by the president of the City of Gdansk, Paweł Adamowicz who is also the president of the Organizing Committee of the International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk. Moreover, the conference will be attended by Dominik Lejman – the author of Staging Anonymous and internationally renowned artist who creates unique combinations of video projections with architecture or with paintings, Jadwiga Charzynska – the director of Laznia CCA and curator of Outdoor Gallery project, representatives of the Council of the City of Gdansk and Jakub Szczepański – an architect, an architectural historian and a heritage conservator who will show the participants of the meeting round Lower Town and elaborate on social and architectural aspects of the district and on the meaning of the Outdoor Gallery project for this part of the city and the changes it has initiated.
The elements of artistic education which is an integral part of the project will be discussed by Mikołaj Jurkowski, coordinator of educational programme in Laznia CCA and Elżbieta and Ewa Okroy, curators of “AutoArt” – the project of artistic education located in the LKW Gallery workshop studio for children and youth of the Lower Town.
Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk constitutes a part of a broader scope of works aiming at revitalisation of the Lower Town district, of an area abundant in historical edifices but at the same time isolated from the centre and degraded. It is anticipated as a long-term plan and is supposed to build up a permanent collection of works of art in urban space. It will also initiate changes of the character of the district where Laznia is based. Urban space will be developed through years and the projects assigned for realisation will be chosen in regularly announced, closed, international competitions. Educating children and the youth, hosting permanent educational workshops in the area of newly erected works of art is also the major element of the project. This is how Laznia intends to take part in social and architectonical transformation of the Lower Town.
The reference to similar enterprises realised in other countries is also worth mentioning, for instance bringing artworks outside the traditional context of museums and galleries into the public space by Public Art Fund in New York, creating a permanent collection of the works of art in Berlin in the area of Potsdamer Platz or hosting a number of artistic installations in the streets and beaches of Liverpool in 2008-2009 when the city was the European Capital of Culture.
It should be also emphasised that public art constitutes an alternative to the elitist art confined to art galleries. It provides a chance for artists to gain broader audience, to reach the public who is deprived of any contact with art in their everyday life.
Gdansk by the means of realisation of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk and by creating “art districts” has an opportunity to join the circle of European capitals of art and culture.
Honorary patrons of the 3rd edition of the International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk: Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski, President of the City of Gdansk Paweł Adamowicz who is also the president of the Organizing Committee of the International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk and the Marshal of Pomeranian Voivodeship Jan Kozlowski.
DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW REALISATIONS OF THE OUTDOOR GALLERY PROJECT
Invisible Gate by Front Studio was awarded with the 2nd honorary mention in the 1st International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk in 2005 for the successful attempt at levelling the divisions between the Old Town and the Lower Town.
Invisible Gate aims to abolish the physical barriers while being typically minimalist in its form, materials and architecture and displaying a high level of symbolism. By covering part of the flyover with steel lining in the form of mirrors it gives a new value to the Lower Town and in a way it remedies the mistake of those who designed the flyover and divided the two town districts. It physically and metaphorically brightens up the space under the flyover and makes it feel wider. The advantage of this is its fragmentary character, showing the contrast between what is decorating and what is marring the city organism.
It is also a monumental project in its scale, having an influence on the whole city, giving it a new meaning. Invisible Gate is characterised by its wide symbolism in the form of mirrors, reflections, multiplied images of people, architecture and the river which altogether give a wide field for interpretation. It is worth emphasising that the play of light at various times of day and the change of colours also serves as an aesthetic and sensual virtue. Moreover, this work is surprising and its location will encourage tourists to overcome the “non-existent” barrier and to visit the Lower Town.
The re-design of this place will be completed after the installation of Amber Drops by Daniel Schlaepfer and Fred Hatt – the project awarded with the 2nd prize in the 3rd edition of the The Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk competition.
The second project realised in December 2009 is Staging Anonymous by Dominik Lejman (Poland) – a piece that was awarded in the 2nd edition of the Outdoor Gallery competition in 2007. This light installation is integrated with the space of the underground passage situated at Łąkowa and Podwale Przedmiejskie streets crossing.
Lejman spins “underground scenarios”, but paradoxically they are far from being dark; he illuminates underground spaces, dispelling all illusions. He creates light illumination where he invites passers-by so that they could unexpectedly find themselves in the spotlight and act in a social performance of fast and soundless passing each other in an urban space, fully conscious of the game. Just as no strong light accents are associated with the underground, similarly a passer-by does not act in a film; this is a real-fiction of the social world. Thanks to light, a grey tunnel with grey people in the space-time continuum of march comes alive and acquires painterly qualities and softness. Though the feeling of coldness stays the same and the obligation to reach your destination on time is just as hasty as it was before.
The anonymous spectacle directed by Lejman is complemented by an illusive image of a staircase which gradually vanishes as the passers-by are approaching it. The image is situated on the wall by the tunnel’s exit from the side of the Lower Town and constitutes an accurate, mirror-like reflection of the exit staircase on the opposite side – the staircase that leads to the Old Town, the area attractive for tourists as well as for citizens, which as a district is commonly perceived as a complete contradiction to the Lower Town. The author describes his work in the categories of creating circumstances for the conscious dramatization of public life.
The conference will be held in the City Hall in Gdansk on 2 February 2010 at 1 pm, room 315.
In December 2009 new works of art appeared in the area of the Lower Town district. They were realised as a part of The Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk project.
The first piece that was completed was Invisible Gate by Front Studio group from New York. It is yet another work of art, beside LKW Gallery studio, (and not the last) to be realised in the space of the flyover situated by Szopy street.
The second project realised in December 2009 is Staging Anonymous by Dominik Lejman (Poland) – a piece that was awarded in the 2nd edition of the Outdoor Gallery competition in 2007. This light installation is integrated with the space of the underground passage situated at Łąkowa and Podwale Przedmiejskie streets crossing.
The official launching of the both artworks will take place on 2 February but on 14 May 2010 (on the eve of the European Night of Museums) for the first time they will be integrated with Laznia’s artistic and educational programme and combined with the educational workshops held in LKW Gallery studio within the framework of The Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk project.
In the summer of 2010 we are also intending to complete the second project awarded in the 2nd edition of the Outdoor Gallery competition – Untitled by Esther Stocker (Austria). This piece will also be situated in the space of the underground passage at Łąkowa and Podwale Przedmiejskie crossing and it will constitute a strong architectonic structure co-existing with the ephemeral installation by Dominik Lejman.
The projects awarded in the 3rd edition of the competition will be realised in 2011 („Amber Drops” by Daniel Schlaepfer and Fred Hatt, Switzerland) and in 2012 („Scent of Colour” by Carmen Einfinger, USA and „Leader Swing” by Fernando Sanchez Castillo, Spain).
The press conference will be opened by the president of the City of Gdansk, Paweł Adamowicz who is also the president of the Organizing Committee of the International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk. Moreover, the conference will be attended by Dominik Lejman – the author of Staging Anonymous and internationally renowned artist who creates unique combinations of video projections with architecture or with paintings, Jadwiga Charzynska – the director of Laznia CCA and curator of Outdoor Gallery project, representatives of the Council of the City of Gdansk and Jakub Szczepański – an architect, an architectural historian and a heritage conservator who will show the participants of the meeting round Lower Town and elaborate on social and architectural aspects of the district and on the meaning of the Outdoor Gallery project for this part of the city and the changes it has initiated.
The elements of artistic education which is an integral part of the project will be discussed by Mikołaj Jurkowski, coordinator of educational programme in Laznia CCA and Elżbieta and Ewa Okroy, curators of “AutoArt” – the project of artistic education located in the LKW Gallery workshop studio for children and youth of the Lower Town.
Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk constitutes a part of a broader scope of works aiming at revitalisation of the Lower Town district, of an area abundant in historical edifices but at the same time isolated from the centre and degraded. It is anticipated as a long-term plan and is supposed to build up a permanent collection of works of art in urban space. It will also initiate changes of the character of the district where Laznia is based. Urban space will be developed through years and the projects assigned for realisation will be chosen in regularly announced, closed, international competitions. Educating children and the youth, hosting permanent educational workshops in the area of newly erected works of art is also the major element of the project. This is how Laznia intends to take part in social and architectonical transformation of the Lower Town.
The reference to similar enterprises realised in other countries is also worth mentioning, for instance bringing artworks outside the traditional context of museums and galleries into the public space by Public Art Fund in New York, creating a permanent collection of the works of art in Berlin in the area of Potsdamer Platz or hosting a number of artistic installations in the streets and beaches of Liverpool in 2008-2009 when the city was the European Capital of Culture.
It should be also emphasised that public art constitutes an alternative to the elitist art confined to art galleries. It provides a chance for artists to gain broader audience, to reach the public who is deprived of any contact with art in their everyday life.
Gdansk by the means of realisation of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk and by creating “art districts” has an opportunity to join the circle of European capitals of art and culture.
Honorary patrons of the 3rd edition of the International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk: Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski, President of the City of Gdansk Paweł Adamowicz who is also the president of the Organizing Committee of the International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk and the Marshal of Pomeranian Voivodeship Jan Kozlowski.
DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW REALISATIONS OF THE OUTDOOR GALLERY PROJECT
Invisible Gate by Front Studio was awarded with the 2nd honorary mention in the 1st International Competition of the Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk in 2005 for the successful attempt at levelling the divisions between the Old Town and the Lower Town.
Invisible Gate aims to abolish the physical barriers while being typically minimalist in its form, materials and architecture and displaying a high level of symbolism. By covering part of the flyover with steel lining in the form of mirrors it gives a new value to the Lower Town and in a way it remedies the mistake of those who designed the flyover and divided the two town districts. It physically and metaphorically brightens up the space under the flyover and makes it feel wider. The advantage of this is its fragmentary character, showing the contrast between what is decorating and what is marring the city organism.
It is also a monumental project in its scale, having an influence on the whole city, giving it a new meaning. Invisible Gate is characterised by its wide symbolism in the form of mirrors, reflections, multiplied images of people, architecture and the river which altogether give a wide field for interpretation. It is worth emphasising that the play of light at various times of day and the change of colours also serves as an aesthetic and sensual virtue. Moreover, this work is surprising and its location will encourage tourists to overcome the “non-existent” barrier and to visit the Lower Town.
The re-design of this place will be completed after the installation of Amber Drops by Daniel Schlaepfer and Fred Hatt – the project awarded with the 2nd prize in the 3rd edition of the The Outdoor Gallery of the City of Gdansk competition.
The second project realised in December 2009 is Staging Anonymous by Dominik Lejman (Poland) – a piece that was awarded in the 2nd edition of the Outdoor Gallery competition in 2007. This light installation is integrated with the space of the underground passage situated at Łąkowa and Podwale Przedmiejskie streets crossing.
Lejman spins “underground scenarios”, but paradoxically they are far from being dark; he illuminates underground spaces, dispelling all illusions. He creates light illumination where he invites passers-by so that they could unexpectedly find themselves in the spotlight and act in a social performance of fast and soundless passing each other in an urban space, fully conscious of the game. Just as no strong light accents are associated with the underground, similarly a passer-by does not act in a film; this is a real-fiction of the social world. Thanks to light, a grey tunnel with grey people in the space-time continuum of march comes alive and acquires painterly qualities and softness. Though the feeling of coldness stays the same and the obligation to reach your destination on time is just as hasty as it was before.
The anonymous spectacle directed by Lejman is complemented by an illusive image of a staircase which gradually vanishes as the passers-by are approaching it. The image is situated on the wall by the tunnel’s exit from the side of the Lower Town and constitutes an accurate, mirror-like reflection of the exit staircase on the opposite side – the staircase that leads to the Old Town, the area attractive for tourists as well as for citizens, which as a district is commonly perceived as a complete contradiction to the Lower Town. The author describes his work in the categories of creating circumstances for the conscious dramatization of public life.
BIP