Façade decoration at 58/60 Szeroka St.

Technique: painting, casting (aluminium)

Object:

One of three historicist façades covering a block of flats built as part of the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. In 2017, the façade underwent a major refurbishment under the ‘Gdańskie Fasady OdNowa’ project, which aimed to improve the quality of public spaces in Główne Miasto by adding architectural decoration to existing buildings that were omitted during Gdańsk’s reconstruction.

The central, triaxial façade received a painted decoration combined with metalwork elements. A creamy orange and blue op-art pattern reminiscent of honeycombs has been painted in the strips of inter-window space on each axis. The painting sequences in the horizontal plane are linked by metalwork elements, enclosing the painting ornament.

Place:

The building is located in an area designated as a heritage site. It forms part of the historic urban layout of Gdańsk. Szeroka Street was destroyed in 1945 during World War II. Most of the tenement houses were rebuilt without respecting the historical layout. Historic remnants can only be seen in the distinction of the separate façades with gables and in the ridge layout perpendicular to the street. The height and width of the buildings were standardised, and consequently, the historic parcelling was not maintained. Retail and service units were located in the ground floor. Szeroka Street acts as a boundary between the historicising reconstruction and modern development: a place where the two ways of post-war reconstruction intertwine.

Information about the authors:

Alicja Buławka-Fankidejska graduated from the Faculty of Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She presented her graduation work in 2010 in Professor Sławoj Ostrowski’s studio. She currently works an assistant in the Artistic Ceramics Studio at the Department of Sculpture and Intermedia. She has taken part in group exhibitions, national and international competitions.

Dmitry Buławka-Fankidejski graduated from the Department of Sculpture and Intermedia of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He presented his graduation work in 2016 in Professor Mariusz Białecki’s studio, for which he received the Academy of Fine Arts Rectors’ Award. He has taken part in group exhibitions in Poland.

Michał Wirtel graduated from the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He presented his graduation work in 2017 in Professor Maciej Świeszewski’s studio. He currently works as an assistant in Professor Zbigniew Gorlak’s Drawing and Painting Studio. Wirtel designs posters and album covers. He collaborated on the reconstruction of the ‘Polish Sky’ fresco by Jan Zamojski and Bolesław Cybis. He works with contemporary sacred art. Since 2015, he has been working with the Urban Forms Foundation on the Gdańskie Fasady OdNowa project. He has taken part in many national and international exhibitions and plein-air events.

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: Residential community

Author of the entry: Noemi Etush