400 m2 of hope | Soundscape – concerts at dawn | SMOLIK with his band

Part of the performance inspired by the research and practice of Isabella Tree.

„The world is burning, and I am directing performances. I can create a show on stage, but I am unable to respond to the greatest crisis we face today. The climate catastrophe and species extinction require the engagement of each and every one of us.” (Michał Zadara, „Dziczenie. Eksplikacja nieprawdopodobnego, lecz możliwego spektaklu teatralnego”, Krytyka Polityczna, September 2022)

Director Michał Zadara (known for his excellent adaptations of classic and contemporary literature, but also for his bold, experimental productions) has initiated a performance in which the main roles are played by non-human performers: plants, invertebrates, small mammals, sun, soil, water… The starting point for the artist’s conceptualization of this project was the practices and research of Isabella Tree – a writer and ecological activist promoting the development of wild biospheres on previously managed lands. This April, the director, along with researchers from the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Protection at the University of Lodz, designated an area of approximately 400 m2 in the Survivors’ Park, where humans will not interfere for the coming years.

2 parts of the project

There will be two part of the project during the festival.

The first part of the project “400 m2 of hope” will take place at sunrise (6:30 AM) – the audience will have the opportunity to observe and listen to the rewilding area. The soundscape of the morning performance will be co-created by composer and multi-instrumentalist Andrzej Smolik and his band, along with the non-human entities.

The second part of the project will take place at 5 PM Michał Zadara will give a performative lecture (lecture with elements of theatre staging) on the ecological practices proposed by Isabella Tree. The dramaturgy of the lecture will also include descriptions of nature observations that will begin in June, research by naturalists and ecologists. After the lecture, around 6 PM you will be able to hear Smolik and his band live again.

Creators

• Concept and direction: Michał Zadara, non-human entities
• Dramaturgy: Weronika Zajkowska, non-human entities
• Soundscapes: Andrzej Smolik, non-human entities

Michał Zadara – A theater, opera, and film director. Born in 1976 in Warsaw. He studied theater and politics at Swarthmore College, oceanography at Woods Hole, and directing in Krakow. Since 2005, he has created over 60 dramatic, operatic, and multimedia productions in theaters such as Teatr Wybrzeże in Gdańsk, Stary Theatre in Krakow, Wrocławski Teatr Współczesny, Warsaw’s National Theatre, Teatr Powszechny and Teatr Komedia, Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin, HaBima in Tel Aviv, Schauspielhaus in Vienna; he has also directed at Collective: Unconscious in New York, Wrocław Opera, National Opera, Warsaw Rising Museum, and Komische Oper in Berlin. In 2013, he founded “CENTRALA”, an organization executing interdisciplinary creative projects. From 2016 to 2019, he was a lecturer at the The Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. In the academic year 2019/2020, he was a professor in the departments of theater and classical philology at Swarthmore College, where he taught Greek tragedy. He is the author of political columns on krytykapolityczna.pl, a co-initiator of the “Obywatele Kultury” movement, and a guitarist in the All Stars Dancing Band. Zadara was nominated for the Polityka’s Passport in 2006, 2007, and won the award in 2007. In 2014, he was honored with the Konrad Swinarski Award for directing „The Robbers” by F. Schiller at the National Theater in Warsaw.

SMOLIK – one of the most renowned music producers in Poland, known for producing songs and albums for many artists, as well as releasing his own records. SMOLIK’s music is a blend of subtle electronics and spacious, acoustic sounds. SMOLIK has also successfully produced music for films, theater productions, and television. He also is the author of music for numerous campaigns, commercials and feature films, including “NAJMRO”, “NINA” or TV series, including “ZACHOWAJ SPOKÓJ”, based on the prose by Coben Harlan. In September 2023, Smolik received the main prize for the music of the film “IMAGO” directed by Olga Chajdas during 48th Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia. SMOLIK’s name has consistently been a brand synonymous not only with music but also with good taste, the latest trends, and modern elegance. This is confirmed by the awards he has received in recent years, including the Polityka’s Passport, Fryderyk for Production of the Year in 2006 and 2009, Best Composer in 2003 and 2006, three nominations for the MTV European Music Award, and the Kreatura Award in 2008 for his contribution to advertising music. Recent projects SMOLIK has been responsible for include the live album MIUOSH | SMOLIK | NOSPR, the album HISTORIE, recorded in cooperation with Warsaw Raising Museum, EP Queen Of Hearts, and the album SMOLIK // KEV FOX, created together with the British songwriter KEV FOX, for which the artists received the Fryderyk 2016 Award. SMOLIK is also an excellent arranger and artistic director of musical projects created for special occasions, such as “Miasto jest nasze” for Opole, the 120th anniversary of Sopot, the 105th anniversary of Wielkopolska Rising or the musical direction of Męskie Granie Orkiestra (in 2014-2015) or Orkiestra Orkiestr (2019). In October 2023, another album was released under the banner by Kayax SMOLIK//KEV FOX entitled “Belly Of The Whale”.