Staffage, narracje festival,
gdansk, poland, 2023
Site-specific intertvention as part of Narracje Festival 2023
Venue Orunia, Gdańsk, Poland
Curated by Jakub Gawkowski, Katarzyna Słoboda
Date November 17-18, 2023
Photography Bogna Kociumbas
Press Release
A deserted greenhouse turns into an oneiric scenery, where the passing of time is suspended and objects known from everyday life transform into actors in a bizarre theatre. Cezary Poniatowski creates this ambiancee using old, worn-down carpets sourced from residents of Orunia and Gdańsk. Literally and metaphorically, carpets are carriers of the past: they spent years absorbing situations, conversations and emotions, having their appearance distorted by dust, dirt and traces of wear and tear. The artist is interested in processes of vegetation and composting, the moments of waiting for a transformation. This fascination gives rise to an ambivalent place of healing, where one can soak up life-giving energy, simultaneously cure fears and breed new ones, while waiting for an awakening.
In art history, staffage denotes objects and human figures depicted in a landscape painting. Here, the term also suggests human presence in a deserted space. The work reflects echoes of debates about the past and future of Orunia, its potential and wastelands, the imminent transformation and the hopes it yields. Staffage is the moment of waiting, immersed in the ground, which – after the festival ends – will again fall into slumber.
Narracje Festival has been exploring urban themes and stories since 2009. Using various media ranging from intimate performances to large-format video projections, artists from Poland and abroad are placing well-known districts of Gdańsk in a new context. Each year, the Festival takes place in late autumn, giving a reason to leave the house and explore the city on two November evenings.
Over the years the NARRACJE has taken place in the Lower, Main and Old Town of Gdansk, at the Gdansk Shipyard, on the Long Gardens, in Upper Wrzeszcz, New Port, Biskupia Hill, Brzeźno, Oliwa, Sidelce, Lower Wrzeszcz, Przeróbka.
In 2023 the festival takes place in a district of Orunia and is curated by Katarzyna Słoboda and Jakub Gawkowski.
NARRACJE are organised by the City Culture Institute in cooperation with the Gdańsk City Gallery.