vernissage: Thursday, 11 May, 6.30 pm

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 Galeria Bielska BWA occupies the site of a former synagogue, which stood here from 1881 until September 1939, when it was destroyed by the Germans. The present gallery building was erected in the 1960s. The aim of this move was to obliterate the memory of the original structure and "block" the space, thus preventing any attempt to rebuild the synagogue.

The exhibition is a kind of case study of the present-day art gallery. With its help, we wish to explore the concept of building the identity of a place and the role of its historical context, stratification of new meanings and functions, and the types of relations and tensions between these meanings. According to Yi-Fu Tuan "What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place as we get to know it better and endow it with value". The oft-complicated relations between the different values also contribute to, or indeed define, the identity of a place.

The title TANCEBA derives from the Hebrew ה.ב.צ.נ.ת [TNCBH]. This is an abbreviation of a Jewish tombstone inscription, loosely translated as : Let his / her soul be preserved in the memory of the living. With the use of historical records, source materials, interviews and observation, we attempt to explore the identity of this place. We ask the question of how the popular reception of a place changes with the change of its purpose. The way in which events can mark, stigmatize, affect the significance of a place and its popular reception. Is there such a thing as "memory of space"? Who was right: Christian Norberg-Schulz who claimed that every place has its genius loci, and consequently, we perceive a place in a static way, as a function of features emanating from the physical and spatial environment, or Yi-Fu Tuan who perceives a place as a purely internal experience?

TANCEBA is not an attempt to prove any of the theories of architectural phenomenology - our goal is rather to seek and ask questions. We do not try to defend, criticize, settle old scores or erect monuments. We are more interested in the possibility of reaching deeper, perhaps still unexplored, contexts and meanings of the space around us.

TANCEBA is not a closed project, the presented works will develop and change throughout the duration of the exhibition. The finissage will serve as a summary and complement of the several weeks of work on the project.

Curated by: Małgorzata Łuczyna, Jacek Złoczowski

Artists:
Patrícia Corrêa (Portugalia), Emilia Kina, Małgorzata Łuczyna, Szymon Nowak, Filip Rybkowski, Jacek Złoczowski

Vernissage:
Thursday, 11 May 2017, 6.30 pm

Patrícia Corrêa (Portugal) - performance entitled 613 nasion

Matthias Seitner (Austria) - 3D visualization of the synagogue

Finissage:
Thursday, 22 June 2017, 6 pm

- Małgorzata Łuczyna, Jacek Złoczowski - project summary

- Jacek Proszyk - "Spirit of Place" - a story of Bielsko Synagogue

- concert (square outside the gallery)

Cooperation:

Jacek Proszyk - historical consultation
Matthias Seitner - 3D visuals
Wojciech Kłaptocz [IMMOGEO] - geodetic survey
Grzegorz Łuczyna - Interface programming
Marcin Szendoł [TV Bielsko] - camera
Piotr Złoczowski [Digital Crafts Studio] - camera
Marek Głowacki - promotional materials
National Archive in Katowice, Branch in Bielsko-Biała
Social and Cultural Society of Jews in Bielsko-Biała
Jewish Religious Community in Bielsko-Biała

The exhibition runs from 11 May to 22 June, 2017.