thu 8 Oct
Memory, Identity and Urban Landscape after Communism in Poland
This introductory session focuses on the impact of the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe on the cultural landscape of Poland. It traces the major public debates on the construction of Polish post-communist national identity and investigates how these debates are being represented in the contemporary cityscapes of Poland. Finally, the session explores the nature of the relationship between historical memory, national identities and urban landscape.
Taught by: Dr Ewa Ochman, Russian and East European Studies, The University of Manchester
Recommended Texts:
- Davies Norman, God’s Playground. A History of Poland, vol. II (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981).
- Davies Norman, Heart of Europe. A Short History of Poland (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986).
- Ascherson Neal, The Polish August. The Self-Limiting Revolution (London: Penguin Books, 1981).
- Ash Timothy Garton, The Polish Revolution (London: Penguin Books, 1999).
- Steinlauf Michael C., Bondage to the Dead. Poland and the Memory of the Holocaust (Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1997).
Academic Journals:
Polish Sociological Review, East European Politics and Societies, Contemporary European History, POLIN: A Journal of Polish-Jewish Studies
Thu 15 Oct
Home, Memory, and Tradition: Problems of Identity in Contemporary Polish Poetry
This session introduces contemporary Polish poetry by focusing on a selection of poems by Jacek Dehnel, Tomasz Różycki and Dariusz Suska. It explores the recurring themes such as home, belonging and memory and poses questions about the relationship between culture, tradition and identity in contemporary Poland. The session will be delivered in a semi-formal manner and will give the participants the opportunity to engage in an informal discussion on Polishness, Polish poetry, and culture, more generally. Handouts will be provided by the tutor.
Taught by: Ewa Stanczyk, Russian and East European Studies, The University of Manchester
Recommended Texts:
- J. Dehnel, ‘Introduction’, in Six Polish Poets (Arc Publications: Todmorden, 2009), 11-15.
- M. Rosenthal, ‘Introduction’, in The Forgotten Keys (Zephyr Press: Brookline, MA,
- 2007), XV-XXII.
- E. Stanczyk, ‘Six Polish Poets (Book Review)’, in Manchester Review, http://mcrrview.web.its.manchester.ac.uk/blog/?p=285
- Poets’ Profiles and Texts in Six Polish Poets.
Thu 22 Oct
Three Polish Painters: Beksinski, Nikifor and Nowosielski
This session looks at some of the most influential painters in the twentieth-century Poland, namely Zdzislaw Beksinski, Nikifor Krynicki and Jerzy Nowosielski. It explores their different artistic styles, from fantastic realism, through primitivism, to religious painting respectively and asks about their influence on the Polish art of the last few decades. The session will employ a range of audio-visual resources, such as PowerPoint slides and DVD clips prompting an informal debate on the works of the three artists.
Taught by: Ewa Stanczyk, Russian and East European Studies, The University of Manchester
Recommended Texts:
- J. Cowan (ed.), The Fantastic Art of Beksinski (Morpheus International: Beverly Hills, CA), 2006.
- Nikifor (Bosz Art) (Bosz Publishing: Olszanica), 2000.
- Jerzy Nowosielski (Galeria Starmach, Fundacja Nowosielskich: Kraków), 2003.
Thu 29 Oct
Łódź Kaliska
This session focuses on the work of 1979 born, and still active, Lodz Kaliska Art Group. The session will include interactive analysis of Lodz Kaliska’s photographs, photo-montages and projects, as well as discussions on the contemporary changes of Polish society. In particular it will trigger issues of gender and feminism. Be aware that presented artwork contains male and female nudity and may be found offensive.
Taught by: Piotr Goldstein, Russian and East European Studies, The University of Manchester
Recommended Texts:
- Susanne Altmann, Artists on Trial: Feminist Art in Poland—Between Censorship and Activism in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Vol. 33, Issue 2, pp. 413–418, January 2008.
- Participants are also welcome to read wikipedia.org and wikitravel.org articles on “Lodz”.
Thu 5 Nov
Katarzyna Kozyra – feminist art in post-1989 Poland
This session focuses on the artwork of contemporary Polish artist Katarzyna Kozyra famous for her controversial installations, photographs and videos. Her artwork will be a starting point for discussions on taboos in post-1989 Poland as well as on the contemporary Polish feminism and feminist approaches to art. Participants are asked to read the recommended article in advance. Be aware that presented artwork contains male and female nudity and may be found offensive.
Taught by: Piotr Goldstein, Russian and East European Studies, The University of Manchester
Recommended Texts:
- Susanne Altmann, Artists on Trial: Feminist Art in Poland—Between Censorship and Activism in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Vol. 33, Issue 2, pp. 413–418, January 2008.
Thu 12 Nov
Absurd propaganda in the People’s Republic of Poland
Communist propaganda played an important role in the People’s Republic of Poland, one of the largest and most important communist satellite states of the Soviet Union. Together with the use of force and terror it was instrumental in keeping the communist government in power and was designed to shape Polish society into a communist one. But sometimes propaganda was amusing and absurd. The compilation of short movies shows the absurd reality during the early years of People’s Republic of Poland.
Taught by: Claudio Salmeri, Russian and East European Studies, The University of Manchester
Thu 19 Nov
The Work of Tadeusz Kantor and Jerzy Grotowski – The Theatre and Beyond
Tadeusz Kantor (1915-1990) and Jerzy Grotowski (1933-1999), two important figures of the 20th-century theatre, whose practical and theoretical work have inspired and influenced generations of theatre practitioners around the globe, will be the subject of this session. The discussion will focus on the issues of their existence on the margins of traditional Polish theatre, the rejection of performance understood as entertainment, redefinition of the borders between performers and spectators and the notion of reception. A film material as well as the fragments of the directors’ manifestos will be used to initiate a debate on how these two directors differently understood and realised their idea of ‘poor theatre’ pushing their work to extremes and stretching the borders of theatre-making.
Taught by: Justyna Drobnik-Rogers, Russian and East European Studies, The University of Manchester
Recommended Texts and Resources:
Tadeusz Kantor:
- Miklaszewski Krzysztof, Encounters with Tadeusz Kantor, edited and translated by George Hyde (London: Routledge, 2005)
- Pleśniarowicz Krzysztof, The Dead Memory Machine: Taduesz Kantor’s Theatre of Death(Aberystwyth: Black Mountain Press, 2000)
- Kobialka Michal, Further on, Nothing: Tadeusz Kantor’s Theatre (University of Minnesota Press, 2009)
- Cricoteka – The Centre for the Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor http://www.cricoteka.pl/en/
Jerzy Grotowski:
- Grotowski Jerzy, Towards a Poor Theatre, edited by Eugenio Barba, with preface by Peter Brook, (London: Methuen, 1968)
- Grotowski’s Sourcebook, edited by Lisa Wolford and Richard Schechner (London: Routledge 1997)
- Richards Thomas, At Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions (London: Routledge, 1993)
- Slowiak James & Cuesta Jairo, Jerzy Grotowski (London: Routledge 2006)
- The Jerzy Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, Poland http://www.grotowski-institute.art.pl/index.php?lang=en
- The Source Material on Jerzy Grotowski: http://owendaly.com/jeff/grotdir.htm
Thu 26 Nov
Krzysztof Warlikowski – Performance and (Autho)Therapy.
This session will focus on the work of Krzysztof Warlikowski, who is regarded as one of the most talented contemporary Polish directors. It will examine the trajectory of Warlikowski’s position – from the controversial director, who was famous for breaking taboos and questioning Polish myths to one of the today’s respected classics. Examples of Warlikowski’s performances will enable to discuss his aesthetics and methods of work as well as will prompt a debate about the role of spectators who become actively involved in the co-creation of Warlikowski’s performances.
Taught by: Justyna Drobnik-Rogers, Russian and East European Studies, The University of Manchester
Recommended Texts and Resources:
Short biography: http://www.culture.pl/en/culture/artykuly/os_warlikowski_krzysztof
Some photos from Warlikowski’s productions: http://www.bielinski.art.pl/
Articles:
- Kopciński Jacek, ‘Directors’ Solos: Grzegorz Jarzyna and Krzysztof Warlikowski’, translated andedited by Paul Allain and Grzegorz Ziółkowski, Contemporary Theatre Review, Volume 15, Issue 1, February 2005
- Drewniak Łukasz, ‘From Barbarian to Classic’, Przekrój no 6, 8 February 2007 [accessed on 20th September 2009: http://www.e-teatr.pl/en/artykuly/65025.html]
- Drobnik-Rogers Justyna, ‘Krzysztof Warlikowski: Theatre as a Collective (Auto)Therapy’, Theatre Forum, Issue 35, June 2009
- Nowy Teatr Krzysztofa Warlikowskiego (the New Theatre of Krzysztof Warlikowski) in Warszawa: http://www.nowyteatr.org/#/en
Led by lectors and lecturers in Polish Studies at the University of Manchester, this course explores post-war Polish culture, focusing on theatre, film, art, literature and photography of the last few decades. Course sessions will use a wide range of audio-visual resources, prompting an interactive debate about the role of culture in contemporary Polish society.
Beginners’ level – no prior knowledge required.
£60 full / £45 concessions
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