2024

After discussions with individuals qualified for the second stage, the commission composed of Justyna Czarnota, Anna Galas-Kosil, Michał Krawczak, and Joanna Synowiec invites the following individuals to participate in the WOK Residencies program:

The open-source movements and grassroots creators (makers) have revolutionised our thinking about creating and distributing knowledge, technology, and products. But what does OPENNESS mean for the creative world today? On April 25th at 6:00 PM, the Warsaw Culture Observatory will host the inaugural event of the SPLOT Open series. The event is dedicated to the theme of OPENNESS and will explore initiatives that embody an open approach across various fields including science, culture, design, art, production, programming, and social engagement.

26 lutego 2024 roku Warszawskie Obserwatorium Kultury zorganizowało spotkanie przedstawicielek środowiska tanecznego ze Slavą Gepnerem, dyrektorem zarządzającym i artystycznym oraz pomysłodawcą TanzFaktur w Kolonii. Spotkanie miało na celu poznanie historii tej instytucji oraz zdobycie wiedzy o tym, jak budować nowe miejsce dla tańca, czego w tym procesie unikać oraz jak współpracować ze środowiskiem niezależnych tancerzy i choreografów. Spotkanie moderowała Joanna Leśnierowska.

A meeting of the dance community with Maciej Siuda, architect and author of the Vistula Pavilion's functional and utility plan (PFU), was held at the WOK Lab space at ul. Marszałkowska 34/50 on 12 February. The plan’s development was preceded by workshops at the MSN (Museum of Contemporary Art) premises and study visits to the Pavillon ADC and Uferstudios and Radialsystem in Berlin).

Na zlecenie Warszawskiego Obserwatorium Kultury IPSOS przeprowadził badania na temat nowej instytucji – sceny tańca współczesnego. Raport dostarcza informacji na temat potrzeb środowiska i oczekiwań publiczności, a także zawiera rekomendacje dotyczące założeń programu pilotażowego nowej sceny tańca. Jest to część prowadzonego przez WOK wieloetapowego procesu wspierającego powstawanie tej placówki.

The Committee consisting of Justyna Czarnota-Misztal, Anna Galas-Kosil, Michał Krawczak, and Joanna Synowiec would like to thank all the applicants for the submitted aplications and materials. The process of reading and familiarising ourselves with them was demanding but it also made us aware of the diverse needs for support within the artistic and research community.

What does 'literacy' or 'reading' mean in the digital revolution time? And what could it signify for different generations of readers, and what are the implications? Miranda Zarzycka presented preliminary research findings on literacy education, conducted by us at WOK, at a conference organized by the Wytwórnia publishing and the polish National Library.

How is the digital revolution changing reading practices? Which diegetic worlds are young people eager to visit and which are no longer accessible to them? The resting education research project, carried out in collaboration with the Culture Bureau of the capital city of Warsaw, provides an opportunity to take a closer look at these questions and juxtapose them with an interdisciplinary reflection on the reading competences of today's readers.

The slogan: “It’s just chaos!” is more than just the title of an exhibition presented at the WOK Lab space. Each of the works on display is an attempt to tell the story of the process of the emergence of an idea and about the experience of young artists from the Młodzieżowa Koalicja Performatywna [Youth Performative Coalition].

As part of our partnership with Fundacja Stocznia, we are showing the exhibition Connections at WOK Lab. This exhibition is about connections. About combining art with activism, about creating conditions for collective action, but also about constructing narratives that help bridge different contexts. We believe in the importance of polyphony, but also in the search for common ground.

The European Commission points to the digital transformation as one of the driving forces of change in the European workplace. The growing amount of data, its use in various industries and positions, the development of work on artificial intelligence and its potentially disruptive nature for the labour market make data analysis skills increasingly important.

The Warsaw Observatory of Culture is inviting applications for the second edition of its residency programme, which aims to enable reflection and self-development as well as creative and research work. The idea of ​​slowing down the pace and creating comfortable yet flexible conditions for development seems brave and significant in today's world, where there is often a demand for rapid creation and delivery of completed works.

The paradigm of the artist-mother (and other parents) is changing from one that has historically excluded combining a career in the art world with caring responsibilities, to the increasingly common need to function in both worlds and to fulfil the role of a practising artist on an equal footing with that of a parent.

From January 22nd to February 2nd, 2024, a cohort of 100, professionals, students and teachers from Ukraine, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and the UK will converge in Warsaw and Lviv with a collective mission to create sustainable solutions addressing Ukraine’s urgent need for a sustainable recovery. Workshop activities will take place daily at the WOK Lab space. The main project partners are Umeå University, Umeå School of Architecture, University of Limerick, and Kharkiv School of Architecture.