Justyna Jochym shares a different approach to showcasing great writing
In 2002, Poet Michał Zabłocki sought to premiere an entire volume of poetry in a one-of-a-kind fashion. Everyday throughout the year, Zabłocki’s poems were projected onto the façade of the building in the centre of Krakow, and another in Warsaw. The programme – led by the Poemat Foundation – proved such a success that poetry has been ever present on the façade of the building at the corner of the Main Square and Bracka Street ever since.
Today, the projections are managed by Krakow UNESCO City of Literature as part of a wide ranging programme. They feature original writing from poets based in 11 UNESCO Cities of Literature – including Dublin, Edinburgh, Iowa City, Melbourne, Norwich, Reykjavik, Dunedin, Heidelberg, Prague, and Granada – and presented in both Polish and English. Through this it both strengthens international cooperation and connection across the UNESCO network and creates opportunities for the work of world-class poets to be presented to audiences in an unusual way that becomes part of the fabric of the city
And it doesn’t end there, either. The projections are part of eMultipoetry, a European Union funded programme seeking to ‘create a new multi-language international online space for poetry’ with a focus on writing, translating, education, and international exchange.
You can read more about the poems and the poets projected in Krakow here and here. And find out more about eMultipoetry here.
Commissioned as part of the International Literature Showcase 2015–2021; a partnership between National Centre for Writing, British Council and Arts Council England, supported by Creative Scotland, Arts Council Northern Ireland and Wales Arts International.
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