For three autumn evenings, the Wozownia Art Gallery has planned a series of online lectures titled "Architecture's Road to Modernity: from postmodernism to glass icons." The mini-course for students and those interested in architecture will be led by architecture historian, two-time recipient of a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and winner of the Journalism Award of the Polish Chamber of Architects - Anna Cymer [info].
The series of meetings, as the organizers emphasize, is intended to be an attempt to show the processes taking place in the field of domestic architecture in the panorama of dynamic socio-cultural changes from the 1980s to the present. Three meetings are scheduled: October 6, October 27 and November 17 at 6:30 pm, the broadcast will be available on Facebook and the gallery's YouTube channel.
left: Solpol in Wroclaw, right: Alchemist's House in Krakow
© organizers archive
program
Postmodernism, or how to unwind the great plate
06.10 (Tuesday), at 18.30
In world architecture, postmodernism appeared as early as the 1960s, becoming part of a broad philosophical current that also influenced literature or the visual arts. In Poland, postmodern ideas found fertile ground in the 1980s, when the state, plunged into economic and political crisis, loosened regulations on architectural production. This unleashed great energy and allowed for creation. Polish postmodernism - albeit in crisis - resulted in interesting realizations, and its style in many cases also carried much deeper than just formal content.
Monuments of Polish transformation, or how capitalism changed architecture
27.10 (Tuesday), 6:30 pm
The 1990s was the birth of the first commercial enterprises, usually located on field beds or in colorful booths, but we also associate with that era new office buildings with distinctive blue-and-white facades. However, the first decade of Polish capitalism brought more changes in architecture and urban planning: buildings with previously unknown functions appeared, the design of urban spaces underwent an evolution. Which realizations of the 1990s are worthy of attention? Which of them are worth knowing? What did those years teach us, how did they influence the present day?
Between real estate development and philharmonics, or where is Polish architecture today
17.11 (Tuesday), at 18.30
The architectural "fruits" of the postmodernism of the 1980s and the experience of young capitalism sometimes look a bit clumsy and backward today, if we compare them with the masses that have sprung up in our country in the last dozen years or so. Poland's entry into the European Union (and the resulting access to funds and subsidies) has radically transformed the architectural scene, unleashed great potential and brought spectacular realizations. But this medal also has another side. The privatization of housing and the commercialization of urban spaces has resulted not only in poorer living conditions for people, but also in low-value architectural projects. Is the construction of the last twenty years worthy of praise, or does it deserve a negative assessment?
