The Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget of the Olivia Centre changes our immediate surroundings and allows us to implement interesting projects of the local community. See below a report from one of the winning ideas of last year’s edition. Or maybe you have your own concept for an event, a neighborhood meeting, a workshop, a trip, a concert (what plays in your soul, there are no limits here). You can apply for it now and receive funding for its implementation!

The history of districts told in a collage. Final of the “Time and Image of Gdańsk” project

Nearly 40 original collages, 32 postcard designs and meetings of residents aged 6 to 80. The next edition of the “Time and Image of Gdańsk” project has ended, this time dedicated to Oliwa and the Little Littoral. The initiative of the Atelier Jerszow Foundation was co-financed as part of the Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget of the Olivia Centre. The project combined art, local history and memories of residents. The starting point for his creative work were old postcards and archival photographs of Oliwa and the Little Littoral. The participants juxtaposed them with contemporary materials, their own experiences and the image of districts they know from everyday life.

Four workshops and nearly 40 collages

As part of the project, four open collage workshops were held. Two meetings were organized in the Homband – Neighborhood House in Małe Przymorze, and the next two in the Oliwa Town Hall of Culture. At a common table, residents created their own stories about the districts. They talked about architecture, changes taking place in the immediate surroundings, the memory of the place and how Oliwa and Małe Przymorze may look in the future. About 40 people participated in the workshops. Among them were residents of different ages, from children to seniors, as well as people from Ukraine and Belarus. For some of the participants, it was their first contact with the collage technique. During the meetings, nearly 40 works were created. Selected collages became the basis for the preparation of 32 original postcards, which were printed in a total of 500 copies.

Art went beyond the gallery

The finale of the project was the opening of the exhibition in the Oliwa Town Hall of Culture, which was attended by about 40 people. The exhibition could be viewed until 30 May. The works of the residents were also presented during a neighborhood picnic organized by Hombanda. Selected collages were printed on plates and placed on the fence of the Neighborhood House. Thanks to this, the exhibition went beyond the gallery space and became part of the everyday life of the district.

As part of the project, there was also a curatorial tour with the participation of a group of outsider artists from the Don Quixote Academy in Sopot. The meeting was an opportunity to talk about individual artistic language, different ways of talking about the city and the role of art in preserving local memory.

A place to talk and build relationships

“Time and image of Gdańsk. Oliwa i Małe Przymorze” was not only an artistic project. Creating collages together became a pretext for conversations, exchanging memories and getting to know neighbors. The project helped participants to look at familiar places from a different perspective, discover the history of districts and reflect on their transformations. At the same time, it created a space for intergenerational and intercultural integration.

The resulting collages, postcards and exhibitions are a lasting effect of the joint work of the residents. However, new relationships, memories and a sense of co-responsibility for the place where they live are equally important.

Other districts on the artistic map of Gdańsk

“Time and Image of Gdańsk” is a long-term project implemented by the Atelier Jerszow Foundation. So far, its subsequent editions have taken place in Stogi, Nowy Port, Oruń, Oliwa and Małe Przymorze. Each edition documents a different part of Gdańsk through collage, archival materials and stories of residents. The next edition of the project will be carried out in Siedlce.

The project was prepared by the Atelier Jerszow Foundation. Its author and coordinator was Anastasiia Spitsina. The partners of the initiative were the Oliwa Town Hall of Culture and the Nowy Warzywniak Gallery, the Gdańsk Community Foundation and Hombanda – Neighborhood House.

The project was co-financed with PLN 6 thousand as part of the Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget of the Olivia Centre.