THIRD EDITION OF THE LOST CULTURE FESTIVAL GOES DOWN IN HISTORY
This year's edition of the original project by the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk began with the unveiling of a mural promoting the third edition of the Festival. A memorable event of the Lost Culture Festival was a concert by performer O.S.T.R., in which he premiered songs from his new album ‘XX’, created in collaboration with the Museum. The third edition of the Festival concluded with a dance party at the Elektryków venue, performed by the Small Dance Orchestra.
On May 18th, 2024, the third edition of the Lost Culture Festival kicked off with the unveiling of a mural by Marcin Czaja. On the gable wall of a tenement house on Grunwaldzka Avenue, we can now admire a dynamic composition featuring Zofia Stryjeńska, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy), and Henryk Wars—representatives of various fields of the interwar Polish artistic community: visual arts, literature, theater, and music. The artists are accompanied by two paintings. The first is one of the most valuable paintings from the Polish collection lost during the war, Raphael Santi's ‘Portrait of a Young Man.’ The second is a portrait study of a young woman by Leon Wyczółkowski. By including these paintings in his composition, the author references the numerous losses suffered by Polish collections in both domestic and foreign art.
The following day, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk hosted a screening of the film ‘The Beast’ (1917) with a musical arrangement by the Ludwik Sarski Orchestra, who performed live for the audience. Additionally, an intriguing introductory lecture was given by Professor Krzysztof Kornacki, a film scholar specializing in the history of Polish cinema.
Another event within the third edition of the Festival was a street performance by Teatr Migro at Długi Targ. The show attracted viewers of all ages. The artists, dressed in colorful costumes, demonstrated extraordinary acting skills, creating live images depicting a story full of emotions and drama.
On the last day of May, the rapper O.S.T.R. performed on the outdoor stage at MSWW! The popular performer, kmown as ‘Ostry’ in Poland, performed songs from his new album ‘XX’ before a large audience, created in collaboration with the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk. The music transported listeners to the interwar period. Through O.S.T.R.'s eyes, the audience could imagine the culture, art, and technology of the time and experience the flourishing nightlife, cinema, music, and sound development of that era. The artist's characteristic multi-layered sound, blending different musical styles with jazz in the background and period instruments, was prominent. The song lyrics are also enriched with expressions characteristic of the 1920s era.
On Saturday evening, June 2nd, as part of the third edition of the Festival, the Guliwer Puppet Theatre performed the family play ‘Ale kino’ in the conference hall of the MSWW. Numerous families with children watched the story of Mr. Soczewka, a film camera operator from Jan Brzechwa's poem, who was preparing to make a film. The characters included characters from the poems of popular Polish poets: Jan Brzechwa, Julian Tuwim, Maria Konopnicka, Henryk Sienkiewicz, and Ignacy Krasicki.
The cultural events concluded on June 15th with a dance party at the Elektryków venue. The twelve-member Small Dance Orchestra provided numerous reasons for celebration for the large crowd gathered at the Studio Solidarity of Salsa. Attendees could listen to songs from the interwar period by composers such as Alfred Schutz, Fred Melodyst, and Henryk Wars, performed in the spirit of the times while maintaining their unique original style.
Thank you for joining us during the third edition of the Lost Culture Festival! We encourage you to take part in future events organized by the MSWW!
