Three Trees

Three Trees is a sculpture installation from 2017, created by Adam Arabski, located in the Idea housing estate in Przymorze, Gdańsk.

Object: Three Trees is a group of three kinetic sculptures positioned close together in a green space within a housing estate. Each sculpture consists of a slender cylindrical steel rod approximately 3 metres tall, from which thinner rods branch out at right angles, resembling tree branches. Attached to these ‘branches’ with eyelet hooks are numerous even thinner rods. At the end of each rod, there are semi-transparent, colourful discs of irregular, organic shapes and forms. Each disc is an individual sculptural form made from epoxy resin. These rods with colourful discs move with the wind.

Arabski’s sculpture clearly draws inspiration from Alexander Calder’s ‘mobiles’. Invented in the 1920s, these kinetic sculptures also integrated delicately balanced elements, creating a harmonious dance of shapes and colours. Their lightness and fluidity allowed the sculptural elements, animated by natural forces, to transform the surrounding space into a dynamic visual experience.

Location: The installation is situated within the Idea Estate, among modern residential buildings, in a green space near a pedestrian-cycling path, a playground, and small architectural features. The development was built on land previously belonging to the International Gdańsk Fair. The concept for the site’s redevelopment was prepared by a consortium of architectural firms from the Tricity area: Degutis Studio Architektury and Rayss Szymanski Architekci. The project, realised by Euro Styl, is a small residential district with diverse architectural styles, commercial facilities, and publicly accessible spaces. Despite the dense layout, the buildings were arranged to create view corridors and perspectives through windows and passages. The estate is notable for its innovative approach to communal spaces: the designers wanted them to stand out artistically and visually, while serving as distinctive landmarks. One such feature is the open-air art gallery.

Each block within the estate includes works by artists that lend it a unique character (such as Anna Waligórska’s installation Cyclists: https://gaps.gda.pl/obiekt/rowerzystki/). Artistic installations and paintings by artists such as Dorota Krzyżanowska, Zuzanna Dolega, Robert Seikon, and Oskar Podolski (Oesu) also adorn stairwells and corridors inside the buildings. The activities on the Idea Estate align with the mission of the Dom Development City Art Foundation, which aims to stimulate the development of art and culture in public spaces.

In terms of the administrative context, the estate lies within the Przymorze Małe district. Originally a village established in the mid-13th century by the Cistercian Abbey of Oliwa, its first recorded name (1279) was Primore, later changed to Prsimore in 1283. On 1 April 1907, along with the village of Jelitkowo, the land was incorporated into the municipality of Oliwa, and from 1 July 1926, into the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk. Przymorze Małe is characterised by predominantly low- and medium-rise buildings, except for a few eleven-storey tower blocks in the western and northern parts, as well as sparsely developed industrial areas.

Preservation: Unfortunately, the delicate construction of Three Trees has suffered damage in several places – some mobile elements have been detached, and a number of colourful discs are missing.

Information about the author: Adam Arabski (b. 1978) is a Polish sculptor from Gdynia. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, he earned his degree in 2004 in the studio of Prof. Sławoj Ostrowski. Since 2007, he has led the sculpture techniques studio as a certified teacher at the Secondary School of Art in Gdynia Orłowo. Arabski is the creator of the bench with a sculpture of Dr Marian Pelczar outside the Gdańsk Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences (https://gaps.gda.pl/en/obiekt/bench-with-a-sculpture-of-dr-marian-pelczar/) and the Aviator sculpture in Zaspa (https://gaps.gda.pl/obiekt/pomnik-mew/). He has participated in several sculpture competitions, winning numerous awards, including the Third Prize in the national competition for the design of the Witold Pilecki Monument at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk (2019) and Second Prize in the national competition for the concept of an abstract sculpture visualising the idea of ‘collision’ at the Motława waterfront in Gdańsk (2016).

Dimensions: ca. 300 cm x 200 cm

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: Euro Styl S.A.

Author of the entry: Anna Szynwelska