Relaxation

Technique: installation made out of fence panels

Dimensions: 4.5 m (H), 6 m (W), 2.06 m (entrance width)

Object: Kacper Wereski’s Relaxation installation forms part of the Gdańsk Open-Air Sculpture Gallery. It was created as part of the “Crossroads of Freedom” Festival of Spatial Forms, inspired by the idea of freedom in Gdańsk. The event took place from 2009 to 2019 and included an international spatial form and artistic installation competition, an international wood sculpture plein-air, a seminar on art in public space and numerous accompanying events. Freedom, the main idea of the festival, was also the theme of the annual competition. It was understood not only in terms of the subject matter, but also form of execution and freedom of artistic expression.

Relaxation received an honourable mention in the art installation category of the festival competition and was consequently erected in the Ronald Reagan Park. The form of the installation is a tricky interpretation of the gate motif. It beckons one to enter, but it was made of panels used for fencing off e.g. allotment gardens. The installation is maintained in light colours and its openwork form gives it a very delicate character, thanks to which it does not interfere with the space, but blends in gently. Wereski referred to the former character of present-day Reagan Park, i.e. allotment gardens, popularly associated with community, relaxation, but also having your own piece of land in the city, which gives a sense of security and privacy/intimacy.

Place: The Gdańsk Open-Air Sculpture Gallery, established as part of the “Crossroads of Freedom” Festival of Spatial Forms, is located in the park named after President Ronald Reagan, an honorary citizen of Gdańsk. The gallery may be found in the part of the park situated in the Brzeźno neighbourhood. The 85 ha park stretches along the coastal belt of Gdańsk, encompassing the districts of Przymorze Wielkie, the western part of Brzeźno and the eastern part of the Żabianka-Wejhera-Jelitkowo-Tysiąclecia quarter. This area used to be occupied by temporary allotment gardens and wasteland. The plan to develop the seaside area for recreational purposes was drawn up in 2001 and implemented in stages until 2014. In addition to areas where one can relax, engage in physical activity or make a bonfire, the park was diversified with outflow ponds with living shorelines and nesting islands for waterbirds. In 2008, the Ronald Reagan Park in Gdańsk received a distinction from the Society of Polish Town Planners (TUP), which recognized it as the best managed green space in Poland.

Information about the author: Kacper Wereski is an artist and photographer. He graduated from the Faculty of Painting and Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. He collaborates with the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław as a photographer.

Condition of the object: no remarks

Owner/guardian: Gdańsk Community Foundation

Author of the entry: Dorota Kucharczyk