Thought Amplifier

Technique: metal installation

Dimensions: –

Object: Jerzy Dobrzański and Joanna Zemanek’s Thought Amplifier 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.

Thought Amplifier won second prize in the festival competition and was consequently erected in the Ronald Reagan Park. The installation consists of three aerophones made of metal and painted in three colours: red (tube at the bottom), blue (tube on the right) and yellow (tube on the left). Owing to their arrangement, seen together, the tubes form one large aerophone. They vary in length to achieve a more artistically (visually and acoustically) interesting effect. In the original design the colours were supposed to be metallic, but this was not ultimately implemented. The installation refers very clearly to the idea of freedom of speech, views and beliefs, while encouraging passers-by to use it.

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: Jerzy Dobrzański (b. 1976 in Rzeszów) is a sculptor and designer. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and received his PhD at the Faculty of Industrial Forms of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He creates sculptures, installations and functional objects meant for the public space. In his art, he is especially fond of subjects related to social and political phenomena. Dobrzański has won the Must Have award at the Łódź Design Festival and Top Design Award at the Arena Design in Poznań. His designs include the façade of the New Praha Cinema in Warsaw and the statue of Kazimierz Deyna together with the surrounding space in Starogard Gdański.

Joanna Zemanek (b. 1979 in Łęki near Oświęcim) is an interdisciplinary artist, set and costume designer, exhibition curator and lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. She graduated from the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. In 2018, she was conferred the title of doctor habilitatus in the Fine Arts. She works with the Drama Theatre of Warsaw and Proxima Nowy Theatre in Krakow.

Condition of the object: partly damaged

Owner/guardian: Gdańsk Community Foundation

“Author of the entry: Dorota Kucharczyk