Workshop design: Public A-I-R Festival
Workshop design and facilitation, as part of the "Public A-I-R" festival in Ujazdowski Castle, Warzaw under the theme of alternative economies and sharing of knowledge.
Wymianii Historii (which means History Exchange in Polish) was developed as an alternative to a fast paced world, encouraging people to take a moment to reflect on and share stories, in the hope that these can be valued and preserved. The concept was simple:
Wymianii Historii (which means History Exchange in Polish) was developed as an alternative to a fast paced world, encouraging people to take a moment to reflect on and share stories, in the hope that these can be valued and preserved. The concept was simple:
Participants in Wymianii Historii were invited to write a story in a postcard, and write their address in a separate envelope. At the end of the day, all the postcards made by participants were randomly put inside the envelopes with the addresses. A postcard containing someone's story was then sent to each participant, who could then help keep that story alive.
The workshop was inspired by visits to World War 2 museums and sites, and conversations with local people. We wondered how many personal experiences and stories of what it was like to live during WW2 have been lost and will continue to disappear in the coming years, as survivors grow older and leave this world. We also wondered what other histories go untold in this consumption-driven western society.
It was also important for us to explore resourceful and sustainable ways of creating, both from environmental and economic scarcity perspectives. All the materials used for the intervention - from recycled paper, to beetroot ink and moss stamps - were sourced from the castle and grounds.
Collaboration between Anna Balázs, Charlotte Downs, Yoohyun Lee, Alexander Smilansky and Marcela Terán.
Beetroot ink and moss stamps
Process: making recycled paper for the postcards
Process: Anna's natural ink experiments
Back in London a few days after the festival I was excited to receive a postcard with someone else's story, wonderering who might have received mine.
