The Season of Dutch Design
February 26, 2017Renowned for its variety of thoughtful innovations, the decade-old Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven has grown into a must-see event on the city’s calendar
by Anna J. Kutor
Polish Summer Festivals
February 26, 2017From klezmer-jazz fusion to new-age world music, creatively revitalized cityscapes
to art-house cinema screenings, Poland’s festival scene has fast become one of
the most vibrant and exciting in Europe. When the weather heats up, Krakow does
too with festival after festival transforming the city into a nonstop cultural
carnival. Warsaw takes over the festival reins in autumn with a line-up of events
that inspire and surprise visitors.
by Anna J. Kutor
A cinematic celebration matching Krakow’s distinguished cultural heritage, this acclaimed
film bash, which dates to 1961 showcases short films, documentaries and
animated features. Theaters around town unspool some 80 cinematic efforts, with
the ground zero of Kijow Centrum devoted to the shorts block. Vying for viewers’
attention in the documentary section will be, among others, Return
to Homs about two men in the Syrian revolution and Killing Time, which dissects the trials and tribulations of the American capital punishment system. Britain’s cinematography will take center
stage in the ‘Focus On’ section, while films on forbidden rap in Cuba and Gypsies
playing Andalusia flamenco in Seville will be standouts of the DocFilmMusic
competition.
Cinematic Krakow
Krakow’s renowned architecture and rich culture make for a stunning cinematic backdrop. Scenes
from Stephen Spielberg’s Schindler’s List were shot in the moody streets,
buildings and historic synagogues of the old Jewish district of Kazimierz,
while the Communist-era aesthetics of Nowa Huta play a central role in Andrzej
Wajda’s Man of Marble. Bollywood has also set its sights on the city’s timeworn
facades, with the Old Town serving as a vibrant backdrop for the spy-action
thriller Azaan.
Quickly gaining momentum as a European leader in photographic displays, this year’s
Krakow Photomonth Festival explores the intimate relationships between
photography, searching and research. United under the title ‘Re:Search’ by
American photographer and curator Aaron Schuman, the festival’s main program sees
a set of nine collections - including the works of David Campany, Wojciech
Nowicki and Clare Strand - presented in prestigious museums and galleries
alongside the Echoes exhibit at Bukier Sztuki and Masters’ Series meetings with
artists and curators. Feast your eyes on experimental imagery at the Krakow Photo
Fringe exhibit, which runs parallel to the festivities.
Marking the ongoing revival of Krakow’s Jewish community, the Jewish Cultural Festival returns for the 24th year. Sounds of traditional and contemporary klezmer music will fill the streets and bustling
spaces of Kazimierz, the city’s former Jewish quarter, but as always, the
cultural offerings bring an eclectic mix of history, literature, cinema, crafts,
art and academics. They range from the curious (see the guided tours of
Synagogues and Prayer Houses in Kazimierz and the Former Ghetto in Podgórze or
the graffiti workshop of Broken Fingaz) and the culinary (see Benzion Millers
workshop ‘Shabbat in the Kitchen’ or ‘Beyond Bubbie: Schmooze’, an event
dedicated to Polish and Jewish culinary recipes from Galicia) to the downright
controversial (see discussions of Poland’s contemporary Jewish culture and Jews
in or from countries with a Muslim majority).
If this year’s multidisciplinary happening is comparable
to those of past seasons, audiences can look forward to plenty of color,
experimental artistic dialogue, and re-imagined historic landmarks and spaces.
The rococo neon figure of the lady named Markiza will shine anew in Plac
Centralny while new murals brighten the buildings as part of the rich program
of visual works, performances and social activities designed to redefine the cityscape of Nowa Huta, the
socialist realist district built around a giant industrial steelworks.
With a name like Warsaw Cross-Culture Festival it should come as no surprise that this
decade-old fete delivers an alternative to more mainstream musical happenings,
grabbing a vibrant mix of talent from across the globe and sticking it in a
small tent at the foot of Warsaw’s iconic Palace of Culture and Science.
Warsaw International Film Festival
Of all the annual cultural events in the Polish capital,
this ten-day film fiesta draws the most advance-ticket-buying excitement, so be
sure to reserve in time if you wish to enjoy the stellar selection of 200 films
from 50 countries, including world premiers, undiscovered gems, and acclaimed
art-house successes from other festivals.
From Cotton to Cutting-Edge Commerce
February 25, 2017The metamorphosis of Manufaktura, Lodz’s legendary cotton mill
The Wine Lovers Guide to Fröccs
February 25, 2017
When the weather gets hot in Hungary—and stays hot for months—there’s
nothing like a cool, fizzy fröccs. Fröccs (which translates as
“spritzer”) is a mixture of soda water and wine, which refreshes (and
gives a mild, long-lasting buzz). It’s the ultimate summer go-to drink
in Hungary, and there are plenty of places in Budapest to explore the
drink in its many variations. Wine puritans may scoff at the idea of
diluting wine, but in Hungary and the rest of Central and Eastern Europe
fröccs drinking is the rigeuer de jour once the sweaty season arrives.
For all its variations and new-wave popularity, this fizzy refreshment
is imbibed by men and women of all ages and social classes. In short,
fröccs is Hungary’s best prescription to beat the heat.
Bubbly History
While Magyar ingenuity is legendary, bringing the world everything
from matches to ballpoint pens to the deceptively complicated Rubik’s
cube, not many know that even the humble wine spritzer has it’s origins
in Hungary. Inventor Ányos Jedlik (the creator of the world’s first
electric motor) is known said to have been the first one to devise a way
to create soda water on an industrial scale in 1826, effectively
leading to the beloved combination of the fizzy water with wine.
According to local lore, the term fröccs was later coined by poet
Mihály Vörösmarty, who in the company of Jedlik, drank copious amounts
of the drink and even wrote a poem about it. By the late 19th and early
20th century it became a staple sold throughout the country—from
Budapest’s many ritzy coffeehouses to the busy railroad stations—and was
consumed by people of all walks of life. The term “fröccsözni” (to
drink one or many wine spritzers) became as popular as the drink itself,
appearing in the works of many of the era’s famous authors, including
Sándor Bródy, Gyula Krúdy, Ferenc Molnár, and Sándor Márai.
Fröccs Lexicon
Hungarians took to fröccs with the fervor of religious crusader and
after a long process of experimentation and sophisticated alchemy, there
are now more than 20 variations of the drink based on different
proportions of wine versus soda water. The most common varieties are
kisfröccs (small fröccs: 1 dl of wine and 1 dl soda water) and
nagyfröccs (big fröccs: 2 dl wine and 1 dl soda water), but other
popular version include hosszúlépés (long step: 1 dl wine and 2 dl soda
water), házmester (landlord: 3 dl wine and 2 dl soda water),
viceházmester (vice landlord: 2 dl wine and 3 dl soda water), while the
super-thirsty opting for polgármester (mayor: 6 dl wine and 4 dl soda
water).
There’s a roundup of the best-known fröccs types in the image below, but smartphone users also have an app for that: Fröccs by Kitchen Budapest.
Wines Good for Fröccs
While wine spritzers may feel like a wishy-washy option for purists
who may see it as a way of making a mediocre bottle more acceptable,
there are many fine wines that are perfect source material for this
refreshing, undemanding beverage. Sweet, full-bodied, barrel-aged, or
wines with high minerality are usually not recommended for fröccs.
Fruity, aromatic, and unoaked white wines usually work best with the
dilution. A fröccs is usually made of white wine, but sometimes from one
of Hungary’s increasingly delectable roses. A fail-safe option is a
young white which is mildly fruity and provides crispness, vitality, and
sharpness. The key is finding the balance between bubbles and wine,
with neither one stealing the show. But the best idea is to do a little
DIY experimentation and see which combo creates the most satisfying
spritzer for to your taste. In terms of Hungarian white varietals, Irsai
Olivér, Olaszrizling and Cserszegi Fűszeres are a few popular options.
Best Fröccs Spots in Budapest
In Hungary, the general rule is where there is wine there is fröccs,
but high-end wine bars and sommeliers might get offended by the request
of diluting their precious libations. There are, however, several specialist wine bars and fröccs joints throughout Budapest which offer obscure varieties and delicious fröccs specialties, including ones
flavored with syrups. Fröccsterasz (1051 Budapest,
Erzsébet tér 1, +36 30 651 3170) in the heart of the all the night-life
activity in central Pest treats its namesake drink as a real cocktail,
offering a dazzling variety to suit all tastes. The newly-opened little
sister of Kiosk is Terasz (1052, Budapest, Március 15.
tér 4). This compact little fröccs shack is surrounded by plenty of lawn
chairs and sells the usual stuff alongside more adventurous cocktails,
including ones with cinnamon, vanilla, rosehips, and
raspberry-elderflower syrups. Well-stocked wine bars like Drop Shop (1055 Budapest, Balassi Bálint utca 27) and Palack (1114 Budapest, Szent Gellért Tér 3, +36 30 997 1902) pour various
types of fröccs with finesse, but for the real laid-back experience
there’s no better places than a bar within a cool garden, such as Csendes Társ (1053 Budapest, Magyar utca 18) next to Károlyi Garden, WNDRLND on Margit Island or TáBor (1024 Budapest, Kis Rókus utca 16-20) in the Millenáris Park.
Polish Design Goes Green
February 25, 2017
Plugged into the current zeitgeist of sustainability, Polish designers are increasingly crafting
environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible creations that equally appeal
to earth-conscious shoppers as well as less concerned patrons.
by Anna J. Kutor
In recent years ‘sustainability’ and
‘environmentally sound’ have fast become the order of the day for designers and
style mavens in Poland. Some wish to re-connect modern life with nature,
rediscovering basic values through craft and innovative technology. Others
focus on using renewable resources or less polluting production methods to
create new products. A good example of the latter variety is 60 Bag,
a biodegradable carrier-bag made out of flax-viscose non-woven fabric, a
recycled industrial waste product that requires minimal energy during its
production. This green alternative to planet-wrecking plastic bags was born
from the collaboration of designer designer Katarzyna Okińczyc and photographer
Remigiusz Truchanowicz. Eliminating the costly process of recycling or
disposals in landfills, this patented material completely decomposes in just 60
days, hence product name.
Adding new functionality to old materials is the mantra of Tomasz Kopyłowski and Anna
Kamiñska, an eco-designer team giving discarded billboard skins and plastic
truck covers a fresh start as bags and fashion accessories. Their company,
Ho-Lo Studio stationed in the northern town of Koszalin,
manufactures unisex fashion bags that strike a balance between sustainable and
style.
“We use materials that you can see all around the city that would originally be
destined for the junkyard,” says Kopyłowski. Since the studio’s inception in
2004, the dynamic twosome have turned attention-grabbing outdoor posters into a
variety of striking bag models, ranging from backpacks, shopping bags and
wallets to shoulder satchels and laptop cases. “Re-using old billboards and truck
covers is not just good for the environment, but because they were made to
withstand the toughest of outdoor conditions they make for sturdy materials
that are fun to work with, colorful and individual.”
Agata Kulik and Pawel Pomorski, the brains behind the Gdansk-based design collective Malafor, are
great exemplars of how a combined passion for propagating good design and
conserving natural resources can lead to the creation of functional and
intelligent products. Blow Sofa, for instance, is an inflatable couch made from
two recycled dunnage bags which are held in place with a few sturdy metal racks
and rubber bands. Compact and lightweight for easy mobility, this ergonomic
chair is equally at home in the living room and in the garden and it’s cushions
can be easily exchanged when worn. The couple has also turned painted PVC pipes
into functional furniture, by strapping them together to form a book case in
‘Pipe Line’, or molded together like a bee’s nest to store magazines in ‘News Table’.
“Numerous designers are adopting a more eco-friendly outlook because they want to stop
for a while, take a few steps back and rediscover a time when simple thing
where enough” says Warsaw-based architect Lech Rowiński, who with his
architect wife Marta makes up the cross-disciplinary design outlet Beton. From architecture to fashion, everyday industrial design to
graphic creations, the twosome are experts at designing something understated
and simple-looking on the one hand, yet decidedly versatile and form-breaking
on the other. Applying geometric principles, the pair used flat pieces of
polyethylene foam to fold into funky handbags in Fi Bags and wrapped it around
chairs for a cushy cover in S Chair Transformers. Similarly experimental and
playful in approach are their cardboard systems Wall 1, Wall 2 and PUDEL, a
series of paper modules connected without the use of glue or stitches that turn into elaborate spatial objects.
“Sustainability is present in our way of thinking about design, as we
focus on reducing materials and source inspiration from our non-urban
surroundings.”
Also taking into consideration the triple
bottom line of people, planet and profit is the Poznań-based Ah&Oh Studio run by Magda Kałek and Kamil Jerzykowski. Their cute-as-a-button BugPlug helps save electricity by motion sensing technology.
Inspired by urban vinyl toys, this smiling household eco-gadget with two
snail-like antennas monitors the room for movement and turns on/off any power-sucking
unused appliance via an individually programmed timer when users enter or
exit.
The all-female design quartet of Knockoutdesign brings
together a host of projects with shifting cultural and social perspectives of
responsible design. Drawing on the strong eco-minded creativity of Magda
Juszczak, Dorota Kabala, Maya Ober and Marta Florkowska-Dworjak, who met while
attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, the studio’s works spans multiple
disciplines, from product to urban and fashion design. Among their planet-smart
creations is Make Me Up!, a foldable coffee table made of cardboard and
shoelaces and Arenasietno, a glossed waterproof plywood that when pushed into
sand becomes a makeshift beach chair.
“We believe that as designers we have a great responsibility, and using the industry ought to be well balanced
environmentally and socially,” explains Ober, who collaborates from the
studio’s second branch in Tel-Aviv-Yafo, Israel. To draw attention to
sustainable design that are guided by a philosophy of reduce, recycle and reuse
in terms of material and technology choice, the group was commissioned to
curate and design Re.product, a series of exhibitions and events first held in
Poznań in 2009 and then at the Gdynia Design Days last year. Displayed on a
series of cardboard drums during these events were environmentally-friendly
design solutions and innovative production processes from talented designers
from Europe, Asia and North America. “The Polish market is transforming
and consumer’s consciousness about environmental issues is growing with
initiatives such as Re.product, but there is still a long way to go before
people become truly mindful of waste and how their actions impact the
environment.”
