“Recycle – Upcycle” Celebrating 30 Years Of Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury

Anna Zalewska-Andruszkiewicz, the curator of the “Recycle – Upcycle” exhibition at Centrum Św. Jana talks in-depth about the event. Anna reveals the idea behind the exhibition and the installations, her creative process, and the cooperation with other artists, who helped to shape the exhibition.

Anna Shostak: The “Recycle—Upcycle” exhibition tells the history of Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury (The Baltic Sea Cultural Centre) and touches upon ecological issues. How did you come up with the concept for the exhibition?

Anna Zalewska-Andruszkiewicz: This year, Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury celebrates its 30th anniversary. For this milestone, we planned a series of events. One  idea was to create an exhibition that presented the Centre’s history. The concept emerged while my team and I were in the Centre’s archives having no clue what we might discover. During the search, we started reflecting on collected and stored things, unused papers, posters, leaflets, photos, remnants of the past exhibitions, and other items origin of which we could not trace. It all lay idly in our storage rooms; therefore, we arrived at the idea to recycle the discovered materials. The exhibition’s title has a multidimensional character. On the one hand, it talks about recycling and upcycling of items that are no longer utilized. On the other hand, we meant to restore the Centre’s past, written in the leaflets, folders, and press clippings by repeating them and finishing the sequence. The words ‘recycle’ and ‘upcycle’ have time-related connotations. I also wanted the exhibition to imply much more than just the chronology of the Center’s work accompanied by photos.

A.S.: Having visited the exhibition myself, I am curious to find out about people with whom you had a chance to work. Could you reveal more about your collaborations?

A.Z-A.: Usually, such exhibitions are for connoisseurs –  I mean people who are somehow connected with our institution. We are not a widely-known institution like, for example, Zachęta. Therefore, I wanted the exhibition to be appealing not only to our friends, but also to other people. We display it at Centrum Św. Jana (St. John’s Centre) which is a unique place situated in the Gothic church and thus visited by plenty of tourists from abroad and across Poland, especially in summer. This is a demanding space with a specific layout and various elements, which distract people from observing the exhibition so I decided to seek professional support from the architectural duo ‘Grupa Gdyby’ to make it eye-catching. Having searched through the stored materials together, we decided how to showcase them. While collaborating with the duo, there was an idea to invite artists who would contribute their artistic vision. I believe it to be important, for without artists and people of culture we would not exist. It was a nice gesture to invite them over so that they could create something contributing to the celebration of the 30^th anniversary. 

But coming back to ‘Grupa Gdyby’… One of the duo members, Stanisław Kempa, stated it was impossible not to use the full height of the church (smiles) aso the idea was to present the Centre’s past events printed on the long paper sashes hanging from the ceiling, imitating a time-travel tunnel. Anita Wasik designed this project in the form of collages, which look spectacular and are noticeable in this type of space. 

A.S.: How did the installation process go? Did you face any challenges?

A.Z-A.: It was one great challenge! (laughs) At first, everyone claimed it was a fantastic idea to see the sashes hanging from the top and only a few people said that it might be complicated. Although we were excited in the beginning,  the five days of installation turned out to be pure horror. After we consulted a conservator and technical experts, it was decided to lower the sashes from the vault. For that, the installers put the construction on a tripod; then, it was attached to steel ropes to reach the vault’s keystones; and lastly, it was hung. I rooted for them doing all the work while manoeuvring near the old church organs not to damage them. It was horrific. (laughs)

A.S.: There are also two artworks at the exhibition, which you have mentioned. What are they, and who are their creators?

A.Z-A.: Agnieszka Wołodźko created the first installation called „Pośrednik miejsca” (The Mediator of Place). It looks at the institution’s past, mainly focusing on the persona of Kajetan Maćkiewicz, a former custodian at St. John’s Church since the 90s. He was always there, taking care of the church when it was being reconstructed. Later, Maćkiewicz participated in every event organised by Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury. There is even a small utility house that we have always called ‘Kajetanka’. The 30^th anniversary of the Centre seemed to be high time to officially name the place and assign it a nameplate. With the exhibit, Agnieszka wanted to show a sensitive relationship between a person and a place. This case is specific because it says something about the man who put his heart and soul into the church. The installation presents tiles with prints of male palms tenderly touching the church’s walls. She also arranged a copy of Maćkiewicz’s workplace where he once used to sit. Also, his family granted some of his personal belongings – a coat and a pair of glasses – to finish the installation. At the same time, Agnieszka gathered some anecdotal stories about Maćkiewicz, revealed by his former colleagues, and added them to the exhibit. 

That was also my idea to invite artists who have been collaborating with the institution for many years. Agnieszka used to work at the Centre for a short period of time and has been supporting us in different projects ever since. It was important to recognize both artists’ and employees’ roles in the Centre’s existence. Since it is always easier to praise directors and other so-called crowned heads, I wanted to distinguish a regular person who did not have any particular status or power. My aim was to remind people of the employee whose work was not much visible or noticeable, but without whom those tiny gears would not glide as smoothly.  

The other installation is titled „Druga fala” (The Second Wave). As we talk a lot about the past, we also need to peek into the future to consider what might await us there. I asked Patrycja Orzechowska to foretell it. Just like me, she immersed herself in all possible nooks and crannies of the Centre’s archives. Having spent plenty of time among dusted books, leaflets, and banners, Patrycja came up with the idea to process them in papier mâché to use as the basis for the exhibit. I would like to note that it consists of 99% of the recycled materials taken from our archives and warehouses. The artist also researched the Centre’s activities to get acquainted with the institution closely. She concluded that the Baltic sea is our key element, as we organise various art, music, and cinema events within the Baltic region. Patrycja also contemplated the ecological changes that might affect Tricity and, among other things, its cultural heritage, if the sea level rises. Hence the new wave might bring something unexpected for us. The installation might be interpreted in many ways. Here, you can see many elements such as a breakwater and a rescue circle that protects us, a lamp that gives light and a white flag that gives hope; on the contrary, there are some bad omens, such as birds, yielding some anxiety.

A.S.: Will the 7-meter paper sashes and other installations become part of the archives after the exhibition’s finale? Or are there any ideas on how to recycle those, too?

A.Z-A.: The exhibited works are the property of the artists who will decide what to do with them. As for the second part of the exhibition, its construction elements will be stored in the warehouse, awaiting their next adventures. Also, there is a reading corner that is designed with the help of the published books that, of course, do not lose their initial purpose. As for the sashes, they are a great asset to promote who we are as an institution. 

A.S.: The exhibition also displays a great variety of educational materials from previous events. After going through the mass of archives, do you think it is still necessary to produce papers for future exhibitions and other cultural events?

A.Z-A.: It is a complicated issue. I am not in favour of producing materials in such quantities. We had loads of discussions on that matter. However, a large part of our audience is people in their 50s and older. It is important for them to have paper folders that they can take from the exhibition asthey do not use the Internet so freely – this is a generation that still needs ‘tangible’ information. Therefore, we have concluded that until the older generation is still our audience, it is necessary for them to obtain information in paper format. Of course, I believe  it would be better to produce less. In the last 10 years, our institution has become more conscious of this matter and has minimized the number of print materials.  

A.S.: Having studied the archives, did you come up with a vision of how the future exhibitions should look like? Perhaps you found some concepts that have been implemented but also forgotten during the Centre’s existence.

A.Z-A.: I have reflected immensely on past events. My biggest wish is to recreate the celebrations of Kupala Night (Feast of St. John the Baptist) that has lost its momentum with time. And, of course, I have a longing for the sea. I have this thought that we should remember our strength and the place we have come from. 

A.S.: Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury organised numerous cultural events such as Gdansk Press Photo or Czytania Pomorza, which brought together many people. What was their reaction to the exhibition? Has it evoked any memories or reflections?

A.Z-A.: We invited a myriad of guests among whom were the Centre’s former employees. I was so moved to see such a nice reception of the exhibition during its vernissage. Because I carried the burden of choosing the exhibition’s theme and had to define what was essential to be included, I feared the reaction of some guests. Maybe it was not the main task, but I tried to present the events that show the essence of Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury with its condensed summary of the plethora of activities. Thus I was afraid of the commentaries some might have, saying that their event was not shown at the Centre’s exhibition. However, those people, whose reaction I feared, were mesmerized. A person feels better and wants to work when their effort is recognized. 

During the vernissage, there were many regular visitors, too. It was also important that while visiting the church/Centrum Św. Jana, people would pay attention to the exhibition. It  also supports the fact that our institution is in charge of the space, despite the prevailing narrative that it was the church that rebuilt it. We confront this notion every day. So I wanted people to know that there is Nadbaltyckie Centrum Kultury, which organizes various activities.