After nearly six years in storage, Miroslaw Balka 's installation "AuschwitzWieliczka" is returning to Krakow's Zablocie. According to the Board of Urban Greenery in Krakow, construction has already begun on the sidewalk and sidewalk in Zablocie Street, where later this year, the sculpture is to be erected. In the future, the surroundings of the installation will become part of the expanded Vistula Station park.
"AuschwitzWieliczka" by Miroslaw Balka is a seventeen-meter tunnel
design: LAND-ARCH Architektura Krajobrazu © ZZM Kraków
Miroslaw Balka's sculpture takes the form of a seventeen-meter concrete tunnel, with the inscription "AuschwitzWieliczka" cut into its ceiling - its letters are reflected inside the installation thanks to the play of light and shadow .
The work was created in 2009 for the first edition of the ArtBoom Visual Arts Festival and stood in September at Niepodległości Square in Cracow. Then, after a year, it was moved to the vicinity of the Museum of Contemporary Art - MOCAK and the Krakow Zablocie railway tunnel. In both of these locations, the sculpture was systematically destroyed. In varying condition, with numerous vulgar inscriptions, it stood there until 2016, when the city began construction of the Krakow Zablocie - Krakow Krzemionki railroad link. Reportedly, Krakow proposed to Bałka to move the installation, but he did not agree, and it eventually ended up in storage. Finally, after six years, it is to return to Zabłocie.
"AuschwitzWieliczka" in a new location in Krakow
design: LAND-ARCH Architektura Krajobrazu © ZZM Kraków
Bałka again in Zabłocie
As Piotr Kempf, director of the Board of Urban Greenery, announced on his Facebook profile on Monday (November 28) - thanks to a joint initiative of ZZM and MOCAK, a new location for Bałka's sculpture has finally been found:
In its previous location it could not be displayed further, due to the extension of the railroad line. Now it will be perfectly exposed and visible from many places, and residents will gain a new piece of landscaped green space, which will enlarge the Vistula Station park.
more greenery for krakowians
The LAND-ARCH Architektura Krajobrazu studio is responsible for the design of the complete landscaping of the area on Zabłocie Street, the focal point of which will be the sculpture by Miroslaw Balka. The designers proposed a simple traffic layout based on the existing "forecourts," and placed the outline of the square in its central part, which they say emphasizes the installation's raw form.
Bałka's installation will stand on Zabłocie Street in Krakow
design: LAND-ARCH Architektura Krajobrazu © ZZM Kraków
Greenery and tree plantings are to enclose the composition of the designed square, while isolating it from traffic. The layout will be complemented by benches placed near the trees. The designers also used lighting, placed on the eastern border of the square, to highlight the openwork "AuschwitzWieliczka" inscription.
