"Mirrors" by the Kielce Fine Arts Group
The premiere of the theatrical performance "Mirrors" marked the end of the project by students of the J. Szermentowski State School of Fine Arts Complex in Kielce. "The project was carried out within the framework of the second edition of the "Wena" Grant Program competition under the motto "Closeness and human relations" organized by the Starak Family Foundation.
The premiere took place on December 9, 2021, in Kielce's school of fine arts. The play is inspired by the works of George Orwell and Witkacy. It touches upon vivid and topical issues in the public and social debate, as well as confronts the audience with the world of the hearing impaired. The audience took a symbolic part in the performance. Dressed in special masks, at the end of the performance they were "contaminated" with art by being marked with colored paint by one of the main characters of the show. This successful artistic performance makes us reflect on our relations with the environment, other people, and ourselves.
Working in subgroups, the young people created their own screenplay, costumes, multimedia set design, and original music. Female students from a music school were also invited to collaborate on the performance under the aegis of "Amateur Theatre - Alter Ego", which resulted in rich choreography and dance. The project participants invited all students of the school and members of the Polish Association of the Deaf to participate. The event was simultaneously interpreted into sign language.
Młodzież pracując w podgrupach, stworzyła autorski scenariusz, kostiumy, multimedialną scenografię oraz autorską muzykę. Do współpracy przy przedstawieniu pod egidą „Teatru Amatorskiego - Alter Ego” zaproszono również uczennice szkoły muzycznej, dzięki czemu spektakl wzbogacił się o bogatą choreografię i taniec. Uczestnicy projektu zaprosili do udziału wszystkich uczniów szkoły oraz członków zrzeszonych w Polskim Związku Głuchych. Wydarzenie było symultanicznie tłumaczone na język migowy.
As part of the project, students also organized an art and photography contest entitled "The Noise of Silence". The premiere of the performance was accompanied by a post-competition exhibition. The photographs presented complemented and reinforced with their moving message the content and message of the performance and emphasized the assumptions and ideas of the students' cooperation with the members of the Polish Association of the Deaf.
On September 29, 2021, young people from the high school of fine arts Kielce, also within the framework of the project, set off on a trip to Warsaw together with their teacher, Mr. Łukasz Sędek. During their stay in Warsaw, the students visited a number of exhibitions, among others participating in the "Invisible Exhibition”, they recognized the surroundings only with their hearing, touch, and smell.
At the Królikarnia Sculpture Museum, the students took part in an art history lesson on the sculpture and paintings of Xawery Dunikowski after which they visited the Starak Family Foundation to experience the permanent exhibition of works by Sasnal, Kantor, Łukasz Korolkiewicz, Włodzimierz Pawlak, and many other renowned Polish painters. Thanks to the curator's guided tour and a short lecture, the young people enriched their knowledge of contemporary Polish painting.
At the end of a day full of creative impressions, the students visited the Academy of Fine Arts, where, at the invitation of the university authorities, Professor Tomasz Milanowski, Dean of the Faculty of Painting, personally showed a group of prospective students around the academy, where an exhibition of graduation works was held. Prof. Milanowski, who is a member of the Competition Jury of the 'Wena' Grant Programme, could not, unfortunately, accept the invitation to participate in the premiere of the 'Mirrors' performance but he had prepared a very apt letter for the young artists, the content of which fit the message of the performance exceptionally well:
"I ask you not to be satisfied with the successes you have achieved and to continue developing. Be courageous and uncompromising in your search for truth and original in finding its form. Be authentic and direct, and don't be afraid to ask difficult questions. The world you have found is not perfect. However, you can and should change it to make it better. Its future shape depends on your choices. Please, have courage! You have been given sensitivity and talent. It is a great gift! Also, do not forget to be open to other people. Accept diversity, because it is also a value. As artists, you are also a minority, and being part of a minority is an honor and a privilege. Don't forget that." - Łukasz Sędek
Fot.: Tobiasz Studniarski
Arkadiusz Sędek - doctor of fine arts, visual artist, teacher conducting classes "basics of photography and film" - coordinator of the entire project, responsible for the preparation of the art and photography contest "Noise of silence".
Łukasz Sędek - teacher, form tutor at the school's boarding house, runs the Alter Ego Amateur Theatre. He has many years of experience in theater work, including drama techniques. He provides support in preparing the performance by young people and looks over the theater group.
