The institution of change

We are an institution that focuses on observing processes in culture, gathering knowledge about culture and sharing that knowledge with others. We have studied our internal processes, the most important of which were becoming a team, setting goals and creating a new institution in Warsaw. WOK’s operating model is a response to the current state of the cultural sector; we are developing good collaborative practices, creating an ethics map, and exploring the paradox of people working in the cultural sector who contribute to social development, but at the same time struggle with professional burnout and strained mental health. We will develop research projects in this area to share our conclusions with the community and contribute to improving standards of work in the cultural sector.

We believe that the existing mechanisms of cultural production need to be fundamentally transformed. Our intuitions were confirmed when we proposed an artistic residency model that involves an individual approach to each participant and the creation of conditions that allow residents to comfortably examine their practice. Our residencies do not end with the production of a specific work, but focus on the process itself. This is an important shift from project-based thinking to growth-based thinking, which inspires us to scale solutions, but also develop the proposed models that can evolve as creative needs evolve.

Our mission is to bridge the gap between art and knowledge. We believe that bridging these fields can be the key to a greater understanding of the world. In our activities to date, we have created models for bringing art and science closer together, networking researchers, artists, institution managers and cultural policy-makers.

The need for observation stems from the recognition that the hierarchical flow of knowledge and power, based on the idea of expertise, is outdated and failing in today’s world. The acceleration and overproduction of information that we are witnessing call for the democratisation of creative processes. Instead of settling for ready-made answers, we want to ask questions with academic rigour and artistic flair, and seek new perspectives by opening up the flows between different communities. We are not afraid of what young people have to say. The collaborations with universities and presentations of student work that took place at WOK last year proved to be an unexpected trend indicator for us. We listen carefully to the stories young people tell us because they open our minds to new problems and solutions.

Warsaw is our base and starting point, but not our final destination. We are fascinated by the dynamic changes taking place in this multi-ethnic city. The WOK Lab on Marszałkowska Street has become a place of exchange and networking for people from Ukraine and Belarus, and we hope to welcome more communities to our space in the coming months. We offer artists space for creative activities, create conditions for formal and informal conversations, and draw on the knowledge and tools they bring with them.

We practise change every day, especially in our work with the people who do their internships at WOK. The diverse interests, ideas and personalities of the interns not only enrich our programming activities, but are also the source of new insights and motivation for us to practise a new institutional format every day.

The WOK Team