Warkocze Białki

„Let’s plait the braid together, as long as Bialka River, and let’s protect it against river control! Let the common work bring us together just as rivers, water and common responsibility. Because it is an art project we can work on such idealistic and great challenges. Let’s save the river with the braids!”

Cecylia Malik

„Water is not a product as anything else, it is rather a heritage, which must be protected, defended and treated like one”

Directive 2000/60/WE

BIALKA’S BRAIDS. ART AGAINST THE RIVER DEVASTATION

Date: 04-27-2013 (Saturday) at noon.

Place: Bialka’s Gorge (Nowa Biala)

We kindly invite you for the performance and picnic – counting and braids plaiting.

Bialka’s Braids is an art campaign started in order to save the Bialka river – which is suppose to be regulated. The project was started during Cecylia Malik’s exhibition “The City Reserve” in Bunkier Sztuki in Krakow. The artist invited the experts in the field of environmental protection – Roman Zurek and Pawel Augustynek Halny. During the exhibition they presented the photographic documentation of the process of river devastation in Malopolska. The aim of Bialka’s Braids is an exposure of this problem in Poland.

Bialka has it’s roots in the Tatra Mountains. It is the only river like this in Poland - mountain wild. Each year it changes its course because of the raisings. The river’s character is a great symbol for polish mountains and it’s unique character. But there are clerks and experts who claim that it is nature who must put the people’s interest at the first place. They claim the need of “flood protection through the river control”. This unrealistic idea is a good catch phrase – for the people and government in the region. What is also quite important in this idea is European Union founding for such projects.

The campaign engages more and more organizations and people in different polish cities.

So far following organizations are involved: The Modern Art Gallery “Bunkier Sztuki” in Krakow, The Dunajec River Club, The Raba River Club, Gaja Club, Pawel Augustynek Halny, Małgorzata Nieciecka and Martyna Biernacka, Monika Kotulak, Sylvie and Krzysztof Derdacki (European Earth Center Foundation), Jakub Wesołowski and Students of Jagiellonian University (History of Art).

We will be happy to answer all your question, we can send comprehensive information about saving the rivers in Poland and we will teach you how to braid. Join us in Bialka’s Braids!

As we prepare for the campaign you can also join us for braids making in Krakow’s Main Square, on Saturday (04-20), at noon. There will be a press conference about the project held at the entrance of the old City Hall.

More info: www.warkoczebialki.blogspot.com

Cecylia Malik. Painter, performer, activist. The recipient of the title „Kulturystka of the year 2010” (Polish Radio Program III) and the Artist of the Year 2010 (Wyborcza Newspaper), scholarship holder (Ministery of Culture 2012). Her latest projects include 365 Trees, City – the Ikonostas, Modraszek Kolektyw, 6 Rivers.

www.cecyliamalik.pl, +48 501 321 952