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What impact does freelance status have on the lives and career trajectories of contemporary dance artists? How do professionals in conceptual dance organize their work in a "project-to-project" mode?

In the season of the “artificial intelligence boom”, why not draw on the knowledge gained from recent conversations about the established (and emerging) models of cultural work – ecology and overproduction?

The publication which sums up the project Artistic, Collective, Metropolitan. Warsaw art studios as micro-institutions address the issue of creative work, its regulatory frameworks and constraints through viaf the functioning of art studios. Focusing on city-owned properties, studios rented on the commercial market, the creative space available at the Academy of Fine Arts, and studios run by creative cooperatives, we explore the different ways in which creative work can be organised, which usually depends on the availability of dedicated space.

The publication Jacy tacy nowacy? Doświadczenia współpracy polskich organizacji kulturalnych z białuskimi artystami w zakresie projektów teatralnych [Who are we all? The Experience of Cooperation on Theatre Projects between Polish Cultural Organisations and Belarusian Artists] attempts to observe the cooperation of Belarusian artists and artist groups with Warsaw-based cultural institutions on theatre projects. We are primarily interested in the challenges and possibilities of supporting artists.

The Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK) is celebrating its second anniversary! As we embark on the next chapter of our operation, we want to take this opportunity to share with you memories, reflections and experiences from the past 365 days.

In May 2024, the General Assembly of the ICORN network took place in Copenhagen. The Warsaw Observatory of Culture was represented by Anna Galas-Kosil and Aleksandra Wiechowska.

At the beginning of Upwording practice is anoticing the words in our communication and questioning why sometimes they have an impact opposite to our intention or don’t work at all, and instead of connecting people, words we use often land us into a spectrum that we’re so far apart from one another - says Rivca Rubin in a conversation with Joanna Leśnierowska.

Engaging with an audience in a collective manner can also be a political act, with the potential for social transformation and emancipation.

The British Brutalists, cultural activism and a theatre attacked by right-wing extremists - Paweł Łysak, director of Warsaw's Powszechny Theatre, talks about the behind-the-scenes work of running an institution in the midst of political tensions.

Who should answer this question? There are many people who read and promote reading, and multiple approaches to the problem. At the Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK), we have created a platform for sharing cross-sectoral knowledge and reflections on reading, in order to capture the transdisciplinary sense of reading promotion.

Is it possible to manage a large urban theater known for its high artistic aspirations in an empathetic, inclusive, and humane way? Anna Rochowska, the director of TR Warszawa, reveals the challenges she faces while trying to reconcile seemingly contradictory elements.

In December 2023, as part of the development of the architectural concept of adapting the Vistula River Pavilion for the needs of the dance community, Joanna Leśnierowska and architect Maciej Siuda made several study visits to, among others, the Pavillon ADC in Geneva. The office of the Association for Contemporary Dance (ADC), which opened in 2021, turned out to be an exceptionally inspiring place – almost a twin building with almost identical floor plans, dimensions and organisation, which, similarly the Warsaw dance community fought for its own space for dozens of years and now successfully supports the local dance scene. Following the December visit, which resulted with numerous architectural inspirations, we spoke with ADC’s dramaturgist, Léo Chavaz, to find out how they think and work and how they support choreographers.

On Thursday, 6 June 2024, we had the pleasure of tasting chilled kombucha and sampling vegan delicacies at the Warsaw Observatory of Culture, all thanks to the annual meeting with the winners of the City of Warsaw's artistic scholarships, as well as directors and representatives of cultural institutions. We can humbly say that the invited guests had a great time listening to the achievements of the 55 scholarship holders.

We received 114 applications. The applicants define the field of artistic research in diverse ways, situating it within a broad spectrum of institutional and non-institutional practices and subjecting them to critical analysis. Reading the applications has already given us the opportunity to explore this field. The large number and high quality of the submissions show how necessary reflection on artistic research is in Poland and how many people wish to pursue this path in their practice.

Will the new model for a cultural institution be an outlet in a state of constant formation, uninterrupted transformation and repurposing? How do you manage a museum that is constantly migrating, under construction, shrinking and expanding its space? Joanna Mytkowska, the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Warsaw talks about managing an elusive structure.

This year, the second edition of the Women in Arts conference was organised in Brno, Czechia by the CO.LABS independent space. The key theme of this edition was Motherhood/Parenthood. WOK was represented by Anna Galas-Kosil.

The study of cultural education in Warsaw is a study of the city itself: its radically changing community; its shifts and uncertainties in the face of global challenges; as well as its local conditions and their impact on the lives of Warsaw’s residents. WOK presents the report Cultural Education in Research and Action, which concludes the second phase of our study on cultural education practices in Warsaw.

For the past three decades there has been a lively discussion about artistic research in North America, Australia and Western Europe. The term is difficult to define, as it refers to ephemeral activities that transcend the boundaries between different disciplines, institutions and areas of cognitive experience.

Female voice amplifiers versus dad jokes. Under the leadership of Joanna Mueller, we open our space to poetry and invite all readers to discover new poetic voices and search for works that are not chameleons. A conversation with the poet Joanna Mueller is the last in a series of interviews with experts in the Reader Education research project conducted by the Warsaw Observatory of Culture.

Can you live radically with your head in the clouds? In the age of the digital revolution, it is a thorn in the side of literary purists and a one-night-read, so to speak, if we betray the logic of progress, profit and consumption. The answer is complex. As an invited panellist at the Eye on the World (L'œil du monde) conference at the National Library on 22 March, I spoke about the implications of WOK research and what reading education could look like in the age of the digital revolution.

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:

Zbigniew Warpechowski (b. 1938) is a pioneer of performance art in Poland and one of the first artists in the world to work in this field. Werpechowski works primarily with poetry and painting and publishes theoretical writings on contemporary art. He began his artistic career in the 1960s and has created over three hundred performances on social issues.

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.

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 Open and Developing Catalogue of Intercultural Practices is the result of months of work by the React! network. We believe it can be helpful in working with individuals with migration and/or refugee experience. We call the catalogue ‘developing’ and ‘open’ because it is a dynamically evolving collection of practices that we will adapt and update in response to changing needs and cultural contexts. ‘Developing’ means that the document is constantly updated with new experiences and solutions.

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.

What does the contemporary art community of Warsaw need from an independent space?

Inspiration for new projects usually comes from everything I see, hear, and read ina given time, and this requires time and the ability to focus on the process.

Through activism, I persistently strive to turn Poland into a welcoming country for everyone, and a place filled with acceptance, joy, and freedom of expression.

I noticed the need for a radical change in relations with more-than-humans when I tried to define the climate crisis as a crisis of dialogue.

My change is a transition from the imaginary to the real.

On Friday, 1 December 2023, an engaging workshop on architecture took place at the Museum of Modern Art at ul. Pańska 3. The session was led by Maciej Siuda, the mastermind behind the project to transform the Vistula River Pavilion into a dance centre. The event consisted of two modules: a presentation and a hands-on session. It successfully brought together a diverse group, including representatives from the theatre and dance communities specialising in directing, choreography, performance and architecture. Participants also included technical staff from Nowy Teatr and TR Warszawa and members of the Culture Office of the City of Warsaw.

In late October, the WOK Lab hosted a presentation of Artwork by Florin Flueras. In it, Florin Flueras shifts the focus from the final product of art to the process of experiencing it and asks whether art that transcends consumption is possible. The show featured Eliza Trefas, Martina Piazzi and Florin Flueras.

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 converged in Warsaw and Lviv with a collective mission to create sustainable solutions addressing Ukraine’s urgent need for a sustainable recovery. Workshop activities took place daily at the WOK Lab space. The main project partners were Umeå University, Umeå School of Architecture, University of Limerick, and Kharkiv School of Architecture.

Are cultural institutions destined to be organised in traditional ways? How can we think differently about structure and working methods? What kind of model would we like to see if we are tired of the hierarchy of roles? How can we communicate effectively? How can we make decisions safe and fast? These and other questions drove the workshop on the basics of sociocracy that I ran for the team of the Warsaw Observatory of Culture. Here is a brief overview of the model discussed for those interested in self-organisation.

We invited artists with a migration or refugee experience to walk around Warsaw, to places that are important to them. Their stories, anecdotes and digressions, opinions and emotions are an attempt to answer the question again: how else could it be In Warsaw? Now ahead is a three-day methodological seminar.

In mid-November, we visited the Nowy Theatre on ul. Madalińskiego as part of our work on planning the Warsaw Dance Centre. This time we were inspired by a post-industrial space adapted to the needs of a theatre.

At the beginning of November, we went on a study visit with representatives of the dance community to the Vistula Pavilion, which now houses the Museum of Modern Art. The pavilion will be adapted to meet the needs of a pilot dance programme next year.

How is it possible that the capital of a Central European country with a population of almost 40 million does not yet have a venue dedicated to one of the most dynamically developing performing arts? - asks Joanna Leśnierowska in a conversation with Julia Hoczyk.

Presenting the solutions developed by experts for the cultural sector during a time of transition. On 26 September, a debate on the organisation of the financing and functioning of culture in Poland took place at the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw. The debate focused on four main issues: the law on the status of professional artists, cultural institutions, the decentralisation of culture, and social and civic culture.

Elise Bernhardt led a workshop which launched a study aimed at facilitating the process of modelling a dance institution in Warsaw.

What are the interests of young refugees in Warsaw? How can we reach them? These are some of the questions that we at the Warsaw Observatory of Culture have been asking for some time, and then Oksana Kolisnyk, a student of Social Arts at the Institute of Polish Culture at the University of Warsaw, approached us with a request to organise workshops in our WOK.lab.

On 7–9 September, a conference on the creation of the Belarusian Institute of Theatre (BIT) was held at WOK.

How can immigrant artistic communities be integrated into the structure of Warsaw's cultural institutions? Can art be used as a tool for integration? This is a summary of a series of presentations held as part of the Future of Culture Forum 2022. The event was organised by the Powszechny Theatre in cooperation with the Warsaw Observatory of Culture.

In October, the second workshop for the dance community took place at the Warsaw Observatory of Culture. This is the next stage of the work on modelling a new dance institution in Warsaw. The meeting was attended by representatives of dance organisations, the Culture Bureau of the City of Warsaw and WOK. The workshop was chaired by Joanna Leśnierowska.

Since September 2023, Warsaw Observatory of Culture has been supporting a process of establishing Warsaw’s Pavilion of Dance. So far we were bringing together the Warsaw’s dance community, Bureau of Culture, and Museum of Modern Art to work out the terms of the open call for the pilot programming at the Pavilion and to discuss the needs for accommodating the building of Pavilion on the Vistula to the needs of dance communit. We were also fueling the dance community with knowledge during the workshops we organized.

We present a summary of the discussion Conversations on the performing arts ecosystem: Production House vs. Dance Stage, or How They Do It in Berlin... held on 26 April 2023 at the Komuna Warszawa theatre, with the participation of Joanna Szymajda (dance curator associated with the Art Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences), Urszula Kropiwiec (Deputy Director of Nowy Teatr in Warsaw), Wojtek Ziemilski (director), and Grzegorz Laszuk (co-founder of Komuna Warszawa). The discussion was moderated by Piotr Morawski. The Warsaw Observatory of Culture was a partner of the meeting.

At the Warsaw Observatory of Culture, we carefully monitor the contemporary artistic landscape and the mechanisms that condition it. We are interested in the changes that are currently taking place in this field.

One year has passed. During this time, we have achieved a great deal, but there have also been many surprises along the way. For us, it has been a period of formation and defining the identity of our institution. The most important experience for us thus far has been change. We understand it both as the dynamics of a contemporary, uncertain world and as the condition of a cultural institution that aims to break down established patterns of thought and attitude. That is why experimentation is embedded in our DNA.

At WOK, Marta Seredyńska is researching the working conditions of freelancers working in the field of contemporary and conceptual dance.

On 15 July 2023, as part of my residency at the Warsaw Observatory of Culture and Herbal Artistic Research, I organised a herbal zine workshop with the participation of Chwaściarnia (a herbal studio I run as part of the Autonomous Educational Space in Jazdów) and my guests. I also invited artists and educators Joanna Klikowicz and Adu Rączka to co-lead the meeting.

In December 2022, the Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK) concluded a contest for the design of the institution’s visual identity. It was a process we wanted to run in a model-based way, and, as time has shown, the model works. We are sharing our knowledge and expertise to develop best practices in the cooperation between cultural institutions and graphic designers.

There are the conclusions of the discussion entitled Residencies and fellowships, or how to live on(off) the stage/Conversations about the performing arts ecosystem, held as part of a series of conversations on the performing arts system. The meeting took place on 23 June 2023, at Komuna Warszawa.

The project offers perspectives on the development of Warsaw's cultural offering until the year 2040. The results showed the directions that cultural institutions should take in view of becoming more attractive in the eyes of young people in the future. The results and the formulated recommendations can be adopted by all institutions in the development of their cultural offer.

On May 31, the Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK) held a meeting between the holders of the City of Warsaw scholarship with directors of cultural institutions. Its purpose was to encourage discussion on matters important to culture in Warsaw now and from a long-term perspective of 150 years. The experts from infuture.institute, whose report served as inspiration, estimated that adopting this long-term perspective is crucial for ensuring a positive future for our cities and culture, benefiting our children and grandchildren.

Warsaw Observatory of Culture takes part in an artistic residency programme for creators from Belarus and Ukraine, organised by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute. As a host institution we provide care and support, we try to include the Resident in our networks and partnerships, as well as in the rhythm of the institution's daily work by giving her a chance to get to know how a public cultural institution in Poland functions.

The Museum Watch Governance Management Project was drafted to help the museum community address management challenges more efficiently. The idea emerged out of the existing Museum Watch Programme, introduced by CIMAM with the aim ‘to assist modern and contemporary art museum professionals in dealing with critical situations that undermine their ability to undertake their professional practice and effect a museum’s ability to operate to international standards of best practice’.

The document contains recommendations, guidelines, and inspirations on the subject matter of projects, ways, and methods of working with recipients, as well as support tools for individuals conducting activities in the field of cultural education. The Cultural Education in Warsaw document intends to aid in planning individual educational activities an comprehensive strategies of institutions in which cultural education plays an essential role.

A showcase of the work Secondary Archive: Ukrainian artists' sound statements was shown in the WOK's front window from 23 February until 5 March 2023. The installation could be seen and heard from 34/50 Marszałkowska Street.

The Warsaw Observatory of Culture is one of the members of the React! network of culture organisers.

We would like to thank all the shortlisted participants for the inspiring conversations. During the interviews, our aim was to understand the needs of the applicants as best as possible and to determine the conditions necessary to support them in their exploration processes.

The Committee, composed of Szymon Adamczak, Małgorzata Bakalarz-Duverger, Anna Galas-Kosil, and Magdalena Komornicka, would like to thank all the applicants for their submissions and materials. The reading and evaluation process was crucial and inspiring for us.

The guest speakers invited to a panel discussion about the international governance management practices for institutions of culture in the context of contemporary social and political challenges were as follows: Bart de Baere, long-time Director of the M HKA, or the Contemporary Art Museum in Antwerp, chairman of the Museum Watch programme and co-author of the "Governance Management Project", and Dr Aleksandra Janus, Director of the Centrum Cyfrowe, researcher and curator of cultural projects, co-author of the Museum Laboratory project.

On 17–28 March, WOK Lab hosted eighteen participants and four mentors for the curatorial and research activities of Territory in/out.

Institutions of culture worldwide have found themselves at a watershed moment. They can pursue their mission and realise their growth potential at a time of unprecedented accumulation of negative external factors, which we have not seen for many years. On top of the challenges related to the development of technology, climate change, armed conflicts, and subsequent waves of migration, we now have to deal with the tensions connected with the populist turn and, as a consequence, the change of priorities in cultural policy.

At the invitation of the Museum of Warsaw, the WOK project team developed and executed a pilot evaluation process of the production of the Museum's temporary exhibitions.

Warsaw became one of over 70 cities globally that offer refuge to artists and activists. The Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK) was appointed the coordinating institution of residencies executed as part of the ICORN (International Cities of Refuge Network).

The study of cultural education in Warsaw is a study of the city itself: its radically changing community; its shifts and uncertainties in the face of global challenges; as well as its local conditions and their impact on the lives of Warsaw’s residents. WOK presents the report Cultural Education in Research and Action, which concludes the second phase of our study on cultural education practices in Warsaw.

WOK Lab – workshop space located at ul. Marszałkowska 34/50
WOK Office – you can find us at ul. Mokotowska 29a in Warsaw.

Since we work on a project basis, we do not have regular office hours. If you wish to visit us at the office, please contact us so we can schedule an appointment.

We have prepared an Ethics Map to help everyone, working at and collaborating with WOK, understand the essence of the desired behaviours and conduct. This is the kind of institution we want to create, and this is how we want to live and work together.

The Warsaw Observatory of Culture runs an artistic-research residency programme. Every year, in early spring, we announce a new thematic edition and format of the few-month-long WOK Residencies.

We believe that knowledge and culture have much to offer and can serve as a platform for mutual conversation and formulating an outlook for the future. We also want to create a space for experimentation and exploration for people working in art and involved in research work. We are interested in non-obvious forms and formats in projects that bridge local practice and global discourse.

Let's get to know each other! The Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK) is a new cultural institution of the Capital City of Warsaw. It presents a completely innovative format and has been operational since September 1, 2022.