Everywhere in Europe, in nearly all cities, there is a particular place known as the local culture hub or arts centre – it may be a district, a notable architectural structure or a cluster of buildings. In the last three years, the flagship role in Rīga has been taken on by Andrejsala, while in Liepāja a similar status belongs to its Karosta. In this article, Justyna Spychalska, a guest student of arts management at the Latvian Academy of Culture and an internship staff member at Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums, inquires about similar arts centres in Poland.
Fabryka trzciny in Warsaw
Those are the premises of one of the oldest industrial structures of Warsaw, built in 1916, that have been renovated and adapted to the needs of the Fabryka trzciny centre for arts and education. At the very beginning it was a jam factory, then it produced things like sport shoes, but its current and more figurative name means 'reed factory'.
The modern era at Fabryka trzciny starts in 2003, when composer and music/TV producer Wojciech Trzciński set out to convert the old factory into an arts centre. It took about two years to refurbish the total floor area of more than 3000 square metres and to modernise the infrastructure.
Fabryka trzciny offers film screenings, fashion shows, conferences, training courses and exhibitions. The ambience is a blend of tradition and avant-garde. The new centre has a unique role in the arts and culture of the Polish capital: it's where drama and music is naturally juxtaposed to painting and where artists, writers and publicists enjoy meeting one another.
The two floors of the venue are well planned out with their total of six halls, designated as Performance Hall, Club & Lounge, Theatrical Stage, Gallery, Exhibition Hall and Restaurant. It's also very efficient because there can be up to 1000 visitors at the same time at Fabryka trzciny, enjoying parallel events in separate halls.
Interested parties can rent space for their own conferences and business meetings. Fabryka trzciny can provide stage designers, art directors, artists specialised in presentation material development and technical crew. There's even local catering of proven quality, in case the guests want to throw a banquet.
Among the most interesting projects of Fabryka, there's the University of Free Time initiative, the objectives of which include helping people to become more proactive and participate in civil society as well as offering them to find alternative and fulfilling ways of spending one's leisure. The project, which receives funding from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, is known as the springboard for new organisational talent.
Besides, the entire Polish project maintains links with two independently minded international organisations: Trans Europe Halles (TEH) and the European Forum for Arts and Heritage (EFAH).
There are both similarities and differences, if Fabryka trzciny had to be compared to Andrejsala, both of which are former industrial sites. The Polish centre, in contrast to the centrally located Andrejsala, is in a peripheral district, one that is even considered a bit on the rogue side in the Warsawian context. The common feature is that the two centres' public image is largely influenced by their artists in residence; however the tenants also tend to be in motion.
More details are available via the website of Fabryka trzciny.
Kraków's Bunkier sztuki
With a name translatable as 'art bunker', the Kraków venue has become one of the most important arts centres in Poland, specialising in the global trends of contemporary art and in demonstrating them in a wider cultural context. There are about 10 exhibitions per year, as well as presentations, discussions and film festivals; Bunkier sztuki's gallery exhibits Polish and foreign artists and sometimes offers shows.
It also acts as a launchpad for Kraków's younger generation of debuting artists. Quite often the public, after seeing a show or an exhibition, chooses to stay on to have a talk with critics or to purchase Bunkier's art catalogues. On the average, there are three presentations, discussions and film events per week. The centre is by and large technologically self-sufficient, both in terms of crew and equipment. To a certain degree, its interior adapts to the specific character of the ever-changing exhibitions.
Bunkier sztuki has earned a reputation of consistently working towards its objective: bringing out the now of Polish art. Since the centre's inception, exhibition curators have been able to fully devote themselves to this work, since there are well-equipped offices and infrastructure, all in a pleasant building. The centre is always happy to help artists to network.
It's worth noting that the history of Bunkier sztuki dates back to 1950, when the Office of Art Exhibitions came into being. The current building of Bunkier sztuki, a prime example of Polish modernist architecture, stands here since 1965. Its authors chose to keep some structural elements from an old barn, making them visible in the building's façade, where currently there's a café. There's a special ambience, one that quietly echoes the idea that art is a form of treasure to be protected. Don't you think a bunker would be just the right thing to shelter artwork in?
Kraków's municipality has been kindly providing funding to the independent arts institution.
Parallels can be drawn between Bunkier sztuki in Kraków and the Thermal Power Station building in Rīga's Andrejsala, the latter currently being considered for the housing of the future Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art. The two locations' focus is on contemporary art in its varied interpretations, while preserving an existing historic building.
More details are shown on the website of Bunkier sztuki.
Gdańsk's Bathhouse Centre of Contemporary Art
In 1905, the city had built a bathhouse with sport facilities, which was operational also after the 2nd World War and until the 1970s. However, in 1987 it had to be closed down because of deteriorating infrastructure. It was a grouping of Art Academy's students who breathed fresh life into the building: after appropriate renovations, it gradually became suitable for exhibitions. The artists wanted it to become a gallery promoting modern art, and so the Bathhouse Centre of Contemporary Art was officially born in 1998. The basic frame of the historic building has been preserved while all the internal amenities and fixtures were added later.
Bathhouse is still 9 years young but it has become quite famous not just in Gdańsk, but also in the entire Poland. Exhibitions, concerts, film festivals, conventions, discussions and music and art seminars make up its programme. There are special projects, such as the series of workshops for secondary school and high school kids titled World of Creativity as well as the creation of Gdańsk's outdoor urban art gallery. The latter consists of competitions that promote the winning collections to be exhibited throughout the city; it aims at improving and tidying up the local district and takes synergistic contributions from researchers, architects and politicians.
The Bathhouse Centre of Contemporary Art has some similarity with Andrejsala. The both locations offer a dynamic variety of arts and entertainment, conceived and produced by independent artists; plus, the Gdańsk's outdoor urban art gallery obviously reminds of the Mobile Museum project carried out by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art in the summer of 2007. Several of Bathhouse's projects have become recurrent, which is analogous to Andrejsala's ongoing cooperation with the Skaņu mežs multimedia festivals and the Future Shorts film screenings.
Further details can be perused on the website of the Bathhouse Centre of Contemporary Art.
