No More War

Technique: wall painting

Dimensions: 32 m (height of the wall)

Object: No More War was designed by Marcin Budziński and created together with Dawid Osiński and Łukasz Szpak, with whom the artist regularly collaborates. It was commissioned by the “Lwy Północy” (Lions of the North) Association of Lechia Gdańsk Supporters. The mural was painted on the western wall of a block of flats at 90 Piastowska Street in Przymorze Wielkie. The location near Chłopska Street, the main artery of the Przymorze Wielkie district, increases its visibility. The mural was painted on the wall of one of the famous Falowiec “wave” blocks, which is 32 m high. In the centre of the composition, in the foreground, there is a figure of a sitting lion with one paw extended towards a falling olive branch, symbolizing peace. The figure of the animal was painted in a way that resembles a monument made of stone slabs. This is a deliberate gesture in reference to the Monument to the Defenders of the Coast in Westerplatte. When painting the lion, a symbol of bravery and courage, but also of Gdańsk, the artist incorporated inscriptions from the Westerplatte monument into the slabs forming the silhouette of the animal: “To those at sea”, “Glory to the heroes”, as well as the names of the places where Polish soldiers fought (Oksywie, Hel, Dunkirk, the English Channel). The figure of the stone lion sits in the water, which is another reference to the famous monument. In the southern, lower edge of the wall, there is a slogan reading “No more war”, whose original counterpart is in close proximity to the Westerplatte monument. The entire composition was given a natural light background and the upper edge of the northern part of the wall features the address of the building. The mural was created in the course of two weeks, with the drawing itself taking the artist three days.

Place: The mural was painted on the wall of an 11-storey block of flats on Piastowska Street, the so-called Falowiec built according to a design by Danuta Olędzka. It is located in the area of Wielkie Przymorze, which is situated on the eastern side of Chłopska Street and forms part of a larger development, the Przymorze Wielkie estate. The estate was built between 1963 and 1986 as a result of a competition announced in 1959 by the Association of Polish Architects (SARP) and the Society of Polish Town Planners (TUP) for the architectural and urban development of the Oliwa – Przymorze Wielkie estate. The authors of the winning concept, implemented following the necessary corrections, were Tadeusz Różański and Józef Chmiel (the latter did not take part in the actual implementation). When creating the design, Różański and Chmiel cooperated with Tadeusz Zwolak and Marian Kossakowski. The team led by Tadeusz Różański was joined by architects Danuta Olędzka, author of the Falowiec (wave) residential blocks, and Janusz Morek, author of the low-rise residential blocks, street furniture and landscaping. The design envisaged dividing the housing estate into four smaller units A, B, C, D by marking out three green belts running perpendicularly to the seashore. Long gallery-access blocks of flats were built along each of these lines, their zigzag shapes reminiscent of sea waves. Each of the smaller housing estates had a different surface area and urban layout, subordinated to the changing rhythm of the large Falowiec blocks and the grouping of lower blocks. The building on Piastowska Street is located in Unit A and was the second constructed Falowiec.

Information about the author: Marcin Budziński (b. in Gdańsk) is a visual and graphic artist and designer. He studied at the Faculty of Graphic Arts of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, graduating from Prof. Sławomir Witkowski’s studio. He has taken part in numerous exhibitions and competitions, including the Polish Poster Biennale, the International Poster Biennale in Wilanów and the Festival of Advertising Posters. He was nominated for the Student Graphic Design of the Year award in Gdańsk and came third in the same competition in Kraków. Budziński works in advertising, specializing in designing printed materials and creating graphic signs. He is the author of various murals in cities around Poland. In Gdańsk, his works may be seen on the walls of buildings at 90 Piastowska Street, 16, 3 Maja Street and at the intersection of Biała and Wajdeloty streets. He also designs advertising murals.

Condition of the object: no remarks

Owner/guardian: Przymorze Wielkie Housing Cooperative

Author of the entry: Dorota Kucharczyk