November of memory: Poland remembers those who ... - Krakow Post

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10 The Krakow Post K R A K O W NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 “Indian Puzzles” pieces together colorful image of India Adelina Krupski Photography. Though having previously exhibited other works in Warsaw and the Photography Festival in Lodz, this is her first individual, public exhibit. The main space of the Pauza Club, facing ul. Florianska, holds some of the works, displayed in a large format. In addition, a separate room contains the whole twenty-piece collection lined up, with some of the main works repeated in a smaller version. Unfortunately, not all of the photographs Rzymanek would have liked to share are included in the exhibit. In fact, it could be said that there are missing pieces to the puzzle. Nevertheless, the selection successfully reflects the vision and approach of the artist, through astonishing, vivid scenes, conveying a blend of visual, sensory and spiritual elements. For more information, contact or visit: Pauza ul. Florianska 18/3 – 1st floor pauza@pauza.pl www.pauza.pl Magdalena Rzymanek, holding the Holga camera, with which she traveled to India and photographed the scenes comprising “Indian Puzzles.” Adelina Krupski Staff Journalist The exhibit titled “Indian Puzzles,” made up of a series of color photographs taken by Magdalena Rzymanek during her travels throughout India last year, is currently on display at the Pauza Club in Krakow, continuing until Nov. 30. Rzymanek, a photographer originating from the Silesia region in Poland, traveled to India in December 2006 with the aim of photographing the country in a way that would capture its overwhelming sense of variety, uncertainty, and contrast. She accomplished this, using a Holga, a cheaply manufactured, medium-format, 120-film toy camera that often causes distorting effects, such as light leaks and blur. As a result, the photographs come across as obscure and dreamlike, while also communicating liveliness through wonderfully vibrant colors. These effects, states Rzymanek, “are part of the camera’s charm.” While the photographer does, for the most part, retain control over the camera, another exciting peculiarity of the Holga is the way in which the final outcome remains unpredictable. Developed commercially and transferred onto computer solely for printing purposes, the photographs are presented in their natural state, free of any further manipulation. Rzymanek says that, on her first trip to India three years ago, she used a digital camera and found it did not suit the project, as it failed to meet the desired effect and the photographs did not have the right impact. The pieces comprising the collection are unique, not only for their angle, diversity and style, but also for the technique by which they are created. “When taking these photographs,” says Rzymanek, “I was led by my emotions.” Consequently, the photographs depict a variety of subject matters, such as people, places, architecture, and animals, encountered in the different areas of Rzymanek visited, namely the cities of Delhi, Agra, Goa, Jodhpur, Varanasi, Hyderabad and Mysore. According to Rzymanek, “nothing is for certain in India, either visually or even in the mentality of the people – everything is there, tangled together.” She mentions the example of the gap between wealth and poverty. “The Taj Mahal, for instance, enormous and magical, makes an unbelievable impression, though just outside those walls, it’s filled with poverty – India is a very contrasting country.” Originally having studied biology, Rzymanek started pursuing photography during her second year in college, a passion which led her to enroll in the Warsaw School of Photos at the exhibit. “Raz, Dwa, Trzy” krakowpost.com Krzysztof Skonieczn Staff Journalist This week will be a busy one for the Rotunda Community Center, which will be hosting two musical performances by two major Polish bands. On Sunday, Nov. 4, the club will host the band, Kult. Wednesday, Nov. 7 will feature a musical performance by Raz, Dwa, Trzy. Regardless of the important role Polish lyrics may play in their songs, both of the groups are, music-wise, recommendable even for those who are not fluent in the language. When, in 1982, vocalist Kazik Staszewski and his companions changed the name of their band, ‘Novelty Poland’ to ‘Kult’, they must have done it with a kind of prophetic vision. For the past 25 years, the group has become one of Poland’s “cult bands.” Deriving from punk rock, the group mixes it’s sounds with new wave, rock, jazz and traditional Polish balladsall paired with Staszewski’s charismatic voice and somewhat controversial personality. One of the most notorious details about the band is the unique atmosphere they create during their long and intense performances: a sense of youthful rebelliousness that doesn’t seem to grow old, despite the age of the musicians. Almost ten years junior of ‘Kult’, ‘Raz, Dwa, Trzy’ seems to present a paradoxically higher level of maturity – if measured by the level of composure. Their musical style oscillates between rock and smooth jazz, and the lyrics have the form of contemporary poetry, to which the soft, pleasing voice of front man Adam Nowak fits perfectly. Their interesting and witty songs address subjects of love and religion. Recently, the band has become increasingly interested in presenting their own versions of songs written by famous Polish poets. In 2002 they recorded an album filled with songs of Agnieszka Osiecka, for the fifth anniversary of the poet’s death. Their latest album is called “Młynarski,” the name of the poet whose songs they are covering. Even though the pieces are not the group’s original creations, their renditions offers a fresh look, which is certainly worth listening to.
NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 K R A K O W The Krakow Post 11 Mittal takes the rest of Nowa Huta Steelworks Poland Michal Wojtas Staff JOURNALIST Mittal Steel Co., the world’s largest steel producer, is now the sole owner of the Nowa Huta steelworks. The global giant on Oct. 15 bought the remaining shares owned by the former Polskie Huty Stali government group, giving it 100 percent control of Poland’s largest steelworks in Krakow, Czestochowa, Katowice and Sosnowiec. The consortium, founded in 1976 in Calcutta, India, by Lakshmi Mittal, has owned the majority of the Nowa Huta group since 2003, when an agreement on the sale of the government-owned PHS shares was reached with the Polish Treasury Ministry. At that time, Mittal bought the majority of Nowa Huta shares for 6 mln zloty (1.6 mln euro) and also agreed to cover 1.6 bln zloty in debts of the four steelworks and to invest another 2 bln zloty in their development. An agreement on the takeover of the remaining state-owned shares in the PHS was reached in 2004. However, the price (1 zloty or 3.6 euro per share) was questioned by the Supreme Chamber of Control (NIK), an audit body controlling all state institutions. The NIK decision was proved right. Now Mittal has agreed to pay 6.5 zloty per share to become the sole owner of the group. The government sold its remaining shares for 436 mln zloty. According to the daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, the Polish Treasury will earn 2 bln zloty on this year’s privatization deals, 1 bln less than planned. In 2005, the first year of the government led by the Law and Justice Party (PiS), the Treasury earned only 600 mln zloty. Takeovers of public sector industries by private companies have been one of the most important changes in the Polish economy since communism collapsed in 1989. The most impressive year was 2000 when the state recorded 27.1 bln zloty from privatization. Nowa Huta steelworks was one of the most important enterprises in Communist Poland after World War II. An entire district of Krakow, initially a separate city with 200,000 inhabitants, was built to meet the housing needs of Nowa Huta workers. At its peak, the steelworks named after Soviet Communist leader Lenin employed 40,000 people and produced 7 mln tons of steel a year. As the steel industry slumped in the 80s, both numbers went down. Now the steelworks has no more than 10,000 workers, and this is expected to continue decreasing. “Rahim Blak” says Al-Fan Center of Islamic Culture underway Monika Stumpo Staff Journalist “Rahim Blak” is a group acting as the driving force behind the proposed building of the new Al-Fan Center of Islamic Culture that is hoped to be built in Salwator. “Rahim Blak” is a pseudonym taken from the name of Rahim, an emigrant from Kosovo. Dozens of local residents of Salwator voiced their discomfort with the building of the facility at a conference on Wednesday night, Oct. 24, at the Auditorium Maximum. The audience, both Muslim and Christian, ranged from art students to the older local residents. The artist wants it to be a place for intercultural discussion where average Poles can learn more about Islamic Culture an d also serve as a gathering place for the about 300 Islamic families living in the Małopolska Province. Rahim sat in the front, prepared to present his views to the gathering and hear theirs. An old man with his wife stood and complained that it was “different.” A younger member of the audience shouted back “By different do you mean bad?” The conference organizers stressed that being different was “the whole point.” It would be a unique addition to the art and culture scene in Krakow. “Rahim Blak” is philosophical about the planned construction. “The location of Al-Fan is still only a proposal. It’s like playing ping-pong. We propose a site. It gets rejected but eventually one will get through. You can’t assume that you will get acceptance on the first try.” He adds, “If the location of the center is the main problem, then there is really no problem at all.” The conference began with a recitation “Rahim Blak” is a group acting as the driving force behind the proposed building of the new Al-Fan Center of Islamic Culture that is hoped to be built in Salwator. from the Koran by Idris Sajjad. The hope was that this calming exposure to the Muslim religion would reassure the dissidents that the center would be an asset to the community. Marta Raczek, an acclaimed art historian, talked about “art that can really have an impact.” This included avant-garde art that made its way into public acceptance. Raczek added that “Rahim Blak’s” Islamic Center was not just another monument or “Duchamp fountain” but would enrich lives on many levels. Al-Fan, which means art in Arabic, would, she continued, appeal to a wider audience than “shocking modern art.” Stanislaw Denko, a renowned Krakowian architect who designed Auditorium Maximum, is designing Al-Fan. The proposal calls for space to hold art exhibitions as well as a lecture hall. This would be similar to Krakow’s Center of Japanese Art and Technology, Manggha. Another feature of Al-Fan would be a prayer room for the few Muslim’s residing in Krakow and the surrounding area. “Rahim Blak” addressed the real concern of the nearby residents. Can Poles be accepting of a different religion and culture in their neighborhood? Muslims from around Poland agreed with an unidentified Muslim doctor from Silesia who stated, “We are Poles.” He stressed that he wanted this as a center that reflected his religion and did not want it taken over by fundamentalists. “Rahim Blak” agreed that there was no place at the center for the intolerance and isolationism associated with Islamic Fundamentalism. When asked by an art student, the artist admitted that the center is an excellent venue to promote “Rahim Blak’s” work but added that the goals extended to benefiting all of his “brothers.” “Rahim Blak” does not plan to run Al-Fan Center, just to set the idea into motion. krakowpost.com
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November of memory: Poland remembers those who ... - Krakow Post

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