Rewitalizacja przestrzeni miasta poprzez sztukę. Przypadek Stoczni Gdańskiej

Abstract

Revitalisation through art. A Gdansk Shipyard case study

The paper addresses the problem of revitalisation – or gentrification, as both terms are interrelated and difficult to distinguish – through artistic activities: a case study of the Gdansk Shipyard. When the shipyard was declared bankrupt in 1996 part of its premises were deprived of their manufacturing functions. The new management of the area, together with public officials, invited artists to live and work there in order to protect this zone from further degradation. Such an intervention was supposed to stimulate this area and change its perception in conventional wisdom of the Gdansk inhabitants via art and alternative culture. Artistic events have been held here since the year 2000 as a tribute to the process of the urban regeneration. Gdansk Shipyard, the birthplace of the ‘Solidarity’ trade union, is seen as a symbol of political change and freedom as well as a symbol of artistic liberation now. The most interesting initiatives include: the Colony of Artists; the Shipyard mural by Iwona Zając; photographs and video films by Michał Szlaga, documenting the changing post-industrial landscape and people around; the Subjective Bus Line – a special tour guided by former Shipyard workers; Wyspa Institute of Art or International Contemporary Visual Art Festival Alternativa.