LANDSCAPE OF TALES

Perception of the word “heritage” is constantly changing, as collective awareness transforms, basic concepts are being redefined. Frames of aesthetic categories also change over time. Industrial activity is not associated with beauty, however, it was a heavy industry that became the most characteristic element of the Silesia region in Poland and contributed to its development. The landscape in this area is full of industrial artifacts in the form of heaps, decaying former factories, mines, shaft towers, and freight train tracks. How to find value in these controversial leftovers of human activity? Should we consider industrial artifacts as part of the heritage or unwanted waste? The project encourages to rethink the definition of regional heritage. What kind of legacy is worth preserving, and what is the spectrum of aesthetic value? Through a new approach to the matter occurring in the region of Silesia, there is a chance to discover non-obvious beauty in structures, textures, forms, and desaturated colors. The title of the project “Landscape of Tales” refers to a genre in painting ( fr. paysage ) creatively interpreting natural scenery. The project is located on the former coalmine heap in the southwest of the Silesia region. It takes the form of a spatial installation that consists of objects without a strictly defined function. All elements loosely spread in the heap create a large-scale garden of curiosities. They don’t tell any literal story of the place, but rather mark and suggest the unusual origins of this landscape form. By creating surreal conditions and atmosphere, the project gives space to visitors for their interpretation of the postindustrial tale.