S. Mrożek  In Memoriam, the National Pantheon in the crypts of St. Peter and Paul's Church from 17 September

The exhibition S. Mrożek – In Memoriam consists of photographs by A. Nowakowski and drawings by S. Mrożek. It opens a cycle of memorial events devoted to the Great Absentees: prominent figures in the world of art, culture and science. The set designed by M. Szydłowska in the crypts of the church showcases the fascinating personality of the renowned playwright, writer and cartoonist Sławomir Mrożek, who was the first person to be buried in the new National Pantheon.

The exhibition is accompanied by an interactive installation based on Mrożek's short story entitled The One Who Falls directed by Małgorzata Szydłowska, which stimulates imagination and activates the viewer's memories through readings of fragments of the text. (Premiere: Łaźnia Nowa theatre, 28 October 2010).

We do not want to write history for any one. We are contented with our own hsitory, that is the one which we create ourselves. We are contented with what is everyone's due: being ourselves.

(Varia, str. 199)

Małgorzata Szydłowska about the project:

In the new project (The One Who Falls by S. Mrożek, dir. by M. Szydłowska, premiere: 28 October 2010) I wanted to go further than ever before in terms of structure, I wanted to remove the boundary between performing and watching. I wanted to arrange the stage in such a way that the audience would feel 'in' rather than 'out'. The One Who Falls is an interactive installation. Various objects: a lamp, a chair, a dressing table, an old radio were added memory cards with recordings of readings of excerpts from Mrożek's story. Entering the space, viewers unconsciously activate the recordings, while watching strangely remote objects arranged in the snow. Over the entire space, and aduio installation is placed so that the recorded text seems to move in space, forming an ellipse. This is accompanied by visual installation, projecting macro-scale photographs of plants which come forward and back again, suggesting the passing of time. The whole image is multiplied through mirror reflections and the participants gradually lose inhibitions caused by the presence of others. They give in to the monotonous rhythm of the text, punctuated by more dynamic fragments played out from the props. The present merges into memories, stimulating the imagination. I wanted to create space that stores and activates memories. All participants are there together but each of them perceives the event in their unique, individual way. The interpretation is not based on the emotional state of being together in a shared memory. It is a moment when the individual becomes communal.

Exhibition: Sławomir Mrożek portraits in Andrzej Nowakowski's photography.

Sławomir Mrożek's drawings Poland in Pictures, Ultimate Things.

Interactive installation: The One Who Falls by Sławomir Mrożek

Installation and directing by: Małgorzata Szydłowska

Music by: Bartłomiej Krcha

Animation by: Dawid Kozłowski

Read by: Barbara Kurzaj. 

Opening hours from 17 September till 3 November, 9:00-18:00.

Venue: St. Peter and Paul's Church, 52a Grodzka Street

The exhibited material is the property of Łaźnia Nowa theatre.