On August 11, 2023, a poetry walk took place in Gliwice with the participation of poets Małgorzata Lebda, Maciej Bobula, Joanna Bociąg, Barbara Klicka, Jakub Kornhauser, Patrycja Sikora, Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało and Urszula Zajączkowska, entitled MUNDANENESS. Its beginning was located at the iconic Theater Bar. Before 6 p.m. participants began to gather – people of all ages, from youth to seniors, interested in poetry and a journey through Gliwice.
After a brief welcome and presentation of the assumptions of the “Poets of Today – Voices of Tomorrow” project (in which 5 partner organizations from Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Serbia and Finland are working to bring contemporary poetry to young people, teachers and local communities), the participants set out to meet the poems. This walk was unique – it was attended by poets whose poems inspired and also formed the canvass of the walk. But the walk is still available on the GAMA app – feel free to explore the unobvious backstreets of Gliwice and poetry on your own!
VR photo: Darek Bieniek
While walking around Gliwice, looking into the more and less popular places, we listened to the poems of the female and male poets involved in the project. We were led to eleven poetic stops by Wenancjusz Ochmann, telling us a bit about poets and making sure we didn’t get lost in the “meandering” streets. We were accompanied by the sounds of the city, those natural and recorded, and music prepared by Jack Sotomski.
Poems selected by poets corresponded perfectly with the passing places and objects (the concept of the walk was developed by playwright Veronika Murek and director Katarzyna Szyngiera): chessboard, bench, square, monument, market, cinema, Yiddish plaque, bus stop, bridge, park and finally the Victoria Theater Ruins. Participants in the walk has an opportunity to talk with the poets. Everyone had a great time finding their way to MUNDANENESS combined with a poetic experience.
The project is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
Photos: Michalina Kuczyńska
The walk is available on the GAMA app.
Downloadable map of the route.
More about the participating poets.
Partner of the walk: Centrum Kultury Victoria.
