Adam Kalinowski

Adam Kalinowski successfully applied through open submission to Art Gene’s Residency Programme.

He was the first Polish artist to undertake a collaborative residency at Art Gene, although, like many British towns, Barrow has a growing Polish population. It was interesting to gauge his aspirations around the then imminent promise of European Regeneration monies about to pour into Poland and incidentally out of the UK and places like Barrow. It would be fair to say that aspirations and expectations when moving in to a process are perhaps very different than those on leaving it.

Art Gene facilitated an informed exploration of the town and some emerging opportunities being offered through partnership with Barrow Borough Council and our Barrow-by-Design project (ongoing) which was then in its initial stages of development.

During his residency Adam worked in collaboration with Art Gene to develop concept designs and models for some of Barrow’s many ‘gap sites’. Some of these had been caused by WW2 bombing nearly seventy years earlier, which destroyed a significant proportion of the towns buildings and housing.

Adam’s work adapted and extended some existing motifs within his earlier concept model designs to address one of Art Gene’s ongoing aspirations; to bring something of Barrow’s surrounding natural environment into the heart of the town and its terraced streets, something which in some cases, as shown above, had begun to occur naturally.

He also designed works from which to experience the coastline, the movement of the tide and views across the islands of Barrow. These works responded and further contributed to Art Gene’s the ongoing body of research around our project to create Bothies and Jetties at key points across the islands of Barrow (in development). Jetties also featured in UHC’s collaborative residency through the creation of Laser Jetties as part of our ‘hidden assets’ events with local people.

Above: Adam Kalinowski Sculpture – Park 1
(proposal for Barrow-in-Furness, intended as a unity of sculptural terrain and installed sculptural elements that would be planted with sedum)

Artist Statement

“While the vicinity of Barrow is very beautiful and has a very interesting peninsula with vast areas flooded by the tide and a glorious and relatively unspoiled coastline; the first impression of the town is rather uninteresting with a large quantity of industrial sheds built relatively quickly since the 19th century when the First Industrial Revolution took place. Since then the town has a strong shipyard where warships are still produced today but the town lives a rather slow and regular cycle, there is not too much of cultural life.”

“In the beginning my idea was to put a little sandy park among buildings because of that beautiful natural surroundings around severe industrial town. Later idea of colored sand arose as a distinctive and interactively structured element by viewers who could walk preferably barefoot on it.

Viewers walking through the space will mix the colors on the edges where colourful spots meets so slowly structure of colorful spots will be changed. Between yellow and blue sand greenish and between blue and red violet sand come into being.

Park can be utilized for rest and just enjoying good weather.

That would be great when sculptural elements made of layers would be made out of sand with binder but they can be made out of plywood too. At a highest point they should cover standing figure of a man. Lower parts of these elements can be used as a benches. Project can be considered also with use of a plain sand only.”

Sculpture – Park I is one of the proposals for empty spots among buildings waiting for regeneration; the project is designed for a small plot 2200cm x 1600cm; very important aspect here is a unity of sculpture of a terrain and installed sculptural elements that would be planted with sedium or similar plant.

Shelter on the Seashore. “A very important aspect of this project is the ‘touch’ of the sculpture to a particular part of a seashore, so the form presented here is only hypothetical; when sculpture of a terrain will be different the form also has to be shaped in a different way. Form constructed out of layers is made of a thick water resistant plywood. Depending the view it may look transparent or as a solid form. The form may function as a shelter for people.”

Shelter on the beach –  consists of two modules; a geometric one – a simple cabin structure enough to survive for a couple of days for people to experience the tidal process; and the second one is an organic structure made out of layers; a perfect refuge for sunny hot days which incorporates a hidden staircase.”

External links

www.adamkalinowski.com
Rock in void – Adam Kalinowski

 

Below: Earlier Concept Design Model