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ABOUT CULTURE - 09.2008
Chopin in our age
A minimalistic interior packed with impressive gadgets which rely on the zoom technique - this is what the Italian architects from the Migliore&Servetto company, who won the tender for the interior arrangement of the Frederic Chopin Museum at the Ostrogski Castle, have suggested. Twenty-one entries from around Europe were sent to the competition. The jury nearly unanimously chose the design of the Milanese company. It will not be a 'do not touch' kind of museum. Quite the opposite. Upon buying a ticket to the museum, we will be asked about our age and musical taste, in order to receive an appropriate chip. We can put it in our pocket and it will adjust the function of the multimedia presentation according to our preferences. A walk through the museum will also be a walk through the life of Frederic Chopin - from his childhood and youth in Warsaw to his adult years and last moments of life in Paris. In all, the exposition will have 13 parts. And it will be ready by March of 2010 at the latest, in time for the 200th anniversary of the great Polish composer's birth.
The popularity of living history
In recent years it has become very popular to reenact or reconstruct historic battles in Poland. Active history lovers have formed clubs and sew their own costumes, they buy antique weaponry, and then perform as actors in this type of performance event. Audiences really enjoy taking part in the historical spectacles that are most often acted out in the places they originally took place in. A few of them take place annually in Warsaw. Among the most popular ones are the reenactment of the Swedish invasion on Warsaw in the 17th century (battles take place in the Old Town, in the presence of thousands of our city's residents and tourists), and also the battles of Warsaw youth during the Warsaw Uprising, which broke out on the 1st of August, 1944. This year, their reconstruction took place in the Mokotów District and enjoyed great popularity among a large audience. Whatever one might think of this form of entertainment, it is certainly an excellent history lesson for the young generation. In the photo, a reenactment of the Warsaw battle between Swedes and Poles in 1656.
The language of Shakespeare in Gdańsk
The Gdański Teatr Szekspirowski (Gdańsk Shakespearean Theater) was established at the beginning of this year, and is a new Polish cultural institution which intends to build a Shakespearean Theater in the city. It concerns the reconstruction of the stage which operated in Gdańsk from 1610. The theater building was designed on the basis of the Fortune Theater in London, which was 10 years older. The Theater in Gdańsk was the first public theater in Poland. Until the first half of the 17th century, Shakespeare's works were staged there using English actors, sometimes a year or two after the London premieres. This theater was in operation for 200 years, and also filled other, non-theatrical functions, serving as a swordplay school. The new building will be located in the same historic place, which is at the edge of today's Gdańsk old town. A design by the Italian architect Renato Rizzi has been ready for a couple of years - a wooden stage will be surrounded by a 'jewel box' made of red brick, referring to the gothic arhitecture which is typical in Gdańsk. The first theater performances in the new building can be viewed in 2011 or 2012.
The controversies surrounding a museum
A Museum of Contemporary Art will be built in Warsaw. It will be in a modern building of interesting construction which is appropriate to what it will hold, and it will stand in the very heart of the city, at the corner of two busy streets - Marszałkowska and Świętokrzyska. The winning design, the work of the Swiss architect Christian Kerez, has aroused numerous discussions and even protests. Some are of the opinion that the future museum resembles typical hypermarket buildings. However, the Warsaw city authorities have upheld the decision of the international jury who chose to give Kerez first prize. He himself decided to add a few improvements to his design. Will Varsovians like it? In the photo, the interior of the future Museum of Contemporary Art in Warsaw.
Orange Warsaw Festival
The Orange Warsaw Festival, which will take place on the 6th of September in Warsaw, is one of the most important cultural events in our city, and also an element of the city authorities' attempts to gain the title of European Cultural Capital for Warsaw in 2016. The festival is bound to be a success, because Warsaw has never before had cultural events that would attract a mass audience. In addition, it is free and will take place in the center of the city, at Plac Defilad in front of the Palace of Culture and Science. The program includes concerts by the most popular Polish musicians, and there will also be a concert stylized on pre-war Warsaw, with a program of old songs by the popular Polish singer Mieczysław Fogg (1901-1990). The British band Apollo440, the precursors to electro-rock, will perform, as well as The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, and Kelly Rowland (pictured). The audience will also be able to see 15 performances on the stages of Warsaw's theaters, the Central Railway Station, and at Plac Konstytucji. There will be television and internet transmissions, at www.orangewarsawfestival.pl
A new version of the battle of Grunwald
One of the most popular films in the history of Polish cinema was 'Krzyżacy,' directed by Aleksander Ford and filmed in 1960. The story was based on a novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz, the Nobel laureate, which told of the battle between Poles and the Order of the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410, regarded by historians as one of the most important and greatest fights in Europe. Recently, the Lithuanians announced that they will make their own movie about the battle of Grunwald. Their film will emphasize the role of Lithuanians in the victory over the Teutonic Knights, and its heroes will be two cousins, the king of Poland and Lithuania, Władysław Jagiełło, and the great Lithuanian prince Witold. The film will be called 'Grunwald - day of iron' and is said to be the most expensive film production in the history of Lithuanian film-making. In the photo: a painting by the Polish painter Jan Matejko, which depicts the battle of Grunwald.
A minimalistic interior packed with impressive gadgets which rely on the zoom technique - this is what the Italian architects from the Migliore&Servetto company, who won the tender for the interior arrangement of the Frederic Chopin Museum at the Ostrogski Castle, have suggested. Twenty-one entries from around Europe were sent to the competition. The jury nearly unanimously chose the design of the Milanese company. It will not be a 'do not touch' kind of museum. Quite the opposite. Upon buying a ticket to the museum, we will be asked about our age and musical taste, in order to receive an appropriate chip. We can put it in our pocket and it will adjust the function of the multimedia presentation according to our preferences. A walk through the museum will also be a walk through the life of Frederic Chopin - from his childhood and youth in Warsaw to his adult years and last moments of life in Paris. In all, the exposition will have 13 parts. And it will be ready by March of 2010 at the latest, in time for the 200th anniversary of the great Polish composer's birth.
The popularity of living history
In recent years it has become very popular to reenact or reconstruct historic battles in Poland. Active history lovers have formed clubs and sew their own costumes, they buy antique weaponry, and then perform as actors in this type of performance event. Audiences really enjoy taking part in the historical spectacles that are most often acted out in the places they originally took place in. A few of them take place annually in Warsaw. Among the most popular ones are the reenactment of the Swedish invasion on Warsaw in the 17th century (battles take place in the Old Town, in the presence of thousands of our city's residents and tourists), and also the battles of Warsaw youth during the Warsaw Uprising, which broke out on the 1st of August, 1944. This year, their reconstruction took place in the Mokotów District and enjoyed great popularity among a large audience. Whatever one might think of this form of entertainment, it is certainly an excellent history lesson for the young generation. In the photo, a reenactment of the Warsaw battle between Swedes and Poles in 1656.
The language of Shakespeare in Gdańsk
The Gdański Teatr Szekspirowski (Gdańsk Shakespearean Theater) was established at the beginning of this year, and is a new Polish cultural institution which intends to build a Shakespearean Theater in the city. It concerns the reconstruction of the stage which operated in Gdańsk from 1610. The theater building was designed on the basis of the Fortune Theater in London, which was 10 years older. The Theater in Gdańsk was the first public theater in Poland. Until the first half of the 17th century, Shakespeare's works were staged there using English actors, sometimes a year or two after the London premieres. This theater was in operation for 200 years, and also filled other, non-theatrical functions, serving as a swordplay school. The new building will be located in the same historic place, which is at the edge of today's Gdańsk old town. A design by the Italian architect Renato Rizzi has been ready for a couple of years - a wooden stage will be surrounded by a 'jewel box' made of red brick, referring to the gothic arhitecture which is typical in Gdańsk. The first theater performances in the new building can be viewed in 2011 or 2012.
The controversies surrounding a museum
A Museum of Contemporary Art will be built in Warsaw. It will be in a modern building of interesting construction which is appropriate to what it will hold, and it will stand in the very heart of the city, at the corner of two busy streets - Marszałkowska and Świętokrzyska. The winning design, the work of the Swiss architect Christian Kerez, has aroused numerous discussions and even protests. Some are of the opinion that the future museum resembles typical hypermarket buildings. However, the Warsaw city authorities have upheld the decision of the international jury who chose to give Kerez first prize. He himself decided to add a few improvements to his design. Will Varsovians like it? In the photo, the interior of the future Museum of Contemporary Art in Warsaw.
Orange Warsaw Festival
The Orange Warsaw Festival, which will take place on the 6th of September in Warsaw, is one of the most important cultural events in our city, and also an element of the city authorities' attempts to gain the title of European Cultural Capital for Warsaw in 2016. The festival is bound to be a success, because Warsaw has never before had cultural events that would attract a mass audience. In addition, it is free and will take place in the center of the city, at Plac Defilad in front of the Palace of Culture and Science. The program includes concerts by the most popular Polish musicians, and there will also be a concert stylized on pre-war Warsaw, with a program of old songs by the popular Polish singer Mieczysław Fogg (1901-1990). The British band Apollo440, the precursors to electro-rock, will perform, as well as The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, and Kelly Rowland (pictured). The audience will also be able to see 15 performances on the stages of Warsaw's theaters, the Central Railway Station, and at Plac Konstytucji. There will be television and internet transmissions, at www.orangewarsawfestival.pl
A new version of the battle of Grunwald
One of the most popular films in the history of Polish cinema was 'Krzyżacy,' directed by Aleksander Ford and filmed in 1960. The story was based on a novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz, the Nobel laureate, which told of the battle between Poles and the Order of the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410, regarded by historians as one of the most important and greatest fights in Europe. Recently, the Lithuanians announced that they will make their own movie about the battle of Grunwald. Their film will emphasize the role of Lithuanians in the victory over the Teutonic Knights, and its heroes will be two cousins, the king of Poland and Lithuania, Władysław Jagiełło, and the great Lithuanian prince Witold. The film will be called 'Grunwald - day of iron' and is said to be the most expensive film production in the history of Lithuanian film-making. In the photo: a painting by the Polish painter Jan Matejko, which depicts the battle of Grunwald.
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Information published at 4 September 2008
