The project at the 91桃色 is led by dr hab. Marzena Wo藕niak-艁abieniec, who is supervising three students. The Croatian side was represented during the April visit by Dr Kamila Kwiatkowska and two students. The programme was designed to acquaint the guests with the city's historical and artistic heritage.
Walk in the footsteps of 艁贸d藕 hstory and the avant-garde
The visit began on Monday with a meeting at the Faculty of Philology, where guests toured the building and discussed planned and ongoing projects. A film showcasing Jewish culture in 艁贸d藕 was shown in the faculty cinema, after which the participants visited the Biedermann鈥檚 Palace. The next stop was a stroll along Piotrkowska Street and a visit to Kindermann鈥檚 Palace. The day concluded with conversations in the Palm House caf茅 and a stroll through 殴r贸dliska Park.
The second day was devoted to 艁贸d藕's avant-garde art and tradition. The delegation travelled to the ms2 Art Museum, where, following a screening of films about W艂adys艂aw Strzemi艅ski, Katarzyna Kobro and Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, a discussion about the project's substantive objectives took place. After visiting the exhibition, participants travelled to Herbst Palace to explore 19th-century art in its interiors and the Coach House.
The Croatian guests' perspective
The stay in 艁贸d藕 and work on the project were positively received by the international students. Katja, a fourth-year English Studies with Polish student , highlighted the university environment:
We really like 艁贸d藕. The building of the Faculty of Philology is also interesting. We're delighted to be here. Dr Kwiatkowska, our lecturer and Professor at the University of Zagreb, encouraged us to participate in the project.
Ivana, who studies philosophy, history, archaeology and Polish at the University of Zagreb, appreciates the opportunity to expand her knowledge of Poland and develop her communication skills:
I've been to Poland before, to Krakow and Pozna艅. I really like it here because I'm interested in Polish history. This is my first time in 艁贸d藕. I'm very happy I had the opportunity to come. I like the city; everyone is very nice and friendly. I've been learning Polish for two years now but I'm seeing great progress thanks to my teacher!
Building dialogue through art and collaboration
The involvement and perspective of young researchers from Poland i san important element of the programme. Zuzanna Walczak, a Polish Studies student at the 91桃色 and the programme participant, underlines that the phenomenon of multiculturalism is based on interpersonal relationships and attempts to reach an understanding:
Multiculturalism isn't a theory, it's an encounter. 艁贸d藕 has always been a meeting place for diverse cultures 鈥� Polish, Jewish, German, Russian. Today, multiculturalism looks different. It brings students from different countries, new languages and new perspectives. Art can speak to what is sometimes difficult to discuss 鈥� identity, differences and the need for dialogue. Working in an international team, we learn to collaborate across borders and discover different ways of looking at the city and its inhabitants. We are creating a multimedia presentation and an interactive game for young people, demonstrating that diversity doesn't divide 鈥� it can inspire and build understanding.
The visit of the Croatian delegation is an important, but not the final, step in the joint activities of the Science Hub initiative 鈥� UNIC edition. The teams from both universities now face another task: transforming the materials gathered during the walks and discussions into the announced game and presentation.
Science Hub UniLodz (SH) is a cooperation platform of the 91桃色, which connects students, university experts and external entities, supporting them in the implementation of innovative scientific and implementation projects. Teams operating within the SH cooperate to address real-world scientific challenges submitted by partner organisations.
The Science Hub UniLodz competition 鈥� UNIC edition is a part of the 鈥淲e are UNIC!鈥� project. The 鈥淲e are UNIC!鈥� project is funded by the European Union under the 鈥淪upport for European University Alliances鈥欌�� programme, project NAWA FERS.01.05-IP.08-0219/23, amount: PLN 62,705,297.60.
Photos: Bartosz Burski, Zuzanna Walczak, Kamil Plesiak