In the 'hood

The latest exhibit from Warsaw's Centre for Contemporary Art (CSW), entitled "Concrete Legacy. From Le Corbusier to the Homeboys," is an exploration of the architectural history of urban housing developments in Poland from the 1950s to the present day.

The works on show are part of an ongoing debate about the future of such structures in an environment where the economy is developing at a rapid pace and perspectives on design are changing vastly.

An alternative aesthetic

The exhibit opens with a study on Le Corbusier, the twentieth-century pioneer of modern housing solutions for the underprivileged in major European and Indian cities.

An urban planner, writer, artist and sculptor, Le Corbusier (born Charles Edouard Jeanneret in Switzerland in 1887) gave life to a vision of monolithic towers of reinforced concrete, composed of identical apartments stacked one on top of another. At the time, many critics described his work as cell-like, sterile and divisive as the massive estates often physically and ideologically isolated residents from the rest of society.

Works from the artists in CSW's program provide a glimpse into how such buildings function within the framework of society. They include replicas of actual sites, built to various scales, along with paintings and photographs that focus on the geometric aesthetics of the structures.

The series also features a number of socially-aware "happenings," involving interaction between the artist and a particular community. Krzysztof Żwirblis interviewed and filmed inhabitants of two such major estates. As part of the project, he presented what he had filmed during the day to his subject-cum-audience in the evening, thereby creating a layered work of art that grew daily.

The subject in focus

According to the exhibit's curator, Ewa Gorządek, the emphasis is on an objective portrayal that does not focus on the political, ideological or economic circumstances that brought them into existence. Instead, the collection of works offers a comprehensive view of how these communities have evolved over generations and lends insight into products of "blok" culture, like hip-hop music, urban poetry and graffiti.

"The topic of modernism in architecture has recently seen a revival," says Gorzàdek. "This exhibit explores the wide range of architectural, social and existential implications of these dwellings."

The exhibit is scheduled to run until September 9 at CSW, Al. Ujazdowskie 6. For more information log on to http://csw.art.pl