Ok - first of all I am writing to you from a picnic bench surrounded by seven Polish men who just finished what I can only assume was a long day of work. We have been talking for about an hour now - One of them, Bobi, speaks decent english and has been explaining what it is they do. Basically they go into places like WalMart and assemble the shelving. They move from one city to another, usually traveling for weeks on end, working pretty long hours and concluding each day by drinking plenty of beer.
(2 hours, 1 Tyskie and many ridiculous conversations both in English and Polish after I wrote the paragraph above...)
A lot has happened since I was able to make my last post. I have been running on fumes for the last three or four days but the progress has been unbelievable. I am going to keep it brief and try to hit on some of the key moments.
1. (08.20.11) Jan The Lawyer - I met with a lawyer Krakow who specializes in real estate and is very willing to help me out as I move forward with both the acquisition of property in Oswiecim as well as whatever it is I decide to do about my grandfather's property in Nieznanowice - This deserves its own post... truly remarkable. I will recap at a later date.
2. (08.20/21.11) Met with Lukasz Surowiec and his close friend and talented critic/curator Aneta. Marcin Golebiewski (see #3) put us in contact and I am glad he did. The two of them are incredible and both had some wonderful insights on the Oswiecim Project. Lukasz is currently working on a project for the next Berlin Biennial involving Auschwitz. We exchanged ideas for over 2 hours and I look forward to meeting with him again soon. Possibly next week in Katowice, where he lives.
3. (08.21.11) Awesome meeting with Marcin Golebiewski, Co-Founder of ArtBoom. The guy is like a shinning star shedding light on contemporary art in Krakow and beyond. We will speak again soon so more on that at a later date.
4. (08.22.11) NIEZNANOWICE! - MORE SOON!
5. (08.23.11) Drove to Oswiecim / Brzezinka. Toured the towns in the smart car and met briefly with Lukas and Luisa, volunteers at the Oswiecim Jewish Center. Both Lukas (Austrian) and Luisa (German), non-jews who chose to come to the Oswiecim J.C. and volunteer in order to fulfill their civil service duties, were extremely enthusiastic about
being in Oswiecim and eager to be of assistance. I am looking forward to spending more time with them during the week.
6. (08.24.11) Spent the morning at the Auschwitz archives sifting through actual SS
architectural drawings created during the planning phases of Auschwitz I and Birkenau. The Director of Archives, Mr. Wojciech Płosa, is probably the nicest man alive. He has been welcoming from the first time I emailed four months ago and continues to outdo himself. I understand it is his 'job' to assist individuals searching for information but simply put, the man goes above and beyond his obligatory responsibilities and not only does he dig up incredible information but he does it with a smile. Mr. Płosa, if you are reading this, thank you. I am excited to go back to the museum tomorrow and continue my research.
7. Today. Finally, after months of emailing, I shake hands with Jacek Cyganik, a real estate agent I can get down with. Jacek is a stand up guy who understands the business and will, hopefully someday soon, find the Oswieicm Project a permanent home. Together, along with a local agent, we saw approximately seven properties. Much like looking for an apartment in New York, each came with a catch. There was one located just a few hundred meters from Birkenau. You could see almost the entire south side of the camp from the plot - breathtaking in so many ways... but it was in a residential area and interjecting this space into a tight knit community / neighborhood might not be what I am going for. Then we saw a beautiful plot in downtown Oswiecim. It will remain on the top of my 'possible sites' list - but it brings up the ongoing question of - Oswiecim or Brzezinka... Interestingly enough it happens to be around the corner from the Oswiecim J.C. - with plenty of parking and foot traffic it could be great (if that is the road we are going to take). Two other plots were basically perfect but literally just sold today. There were some others and will be more next week. I did stumble upon something rather interesting... an opportunity to get the word out about the project and also begin working with artists, locally and abroad... but will have to leave you with that for the time being.
So, while I am positive I left something out, there you have it. I will enjoy some juice and try streaming a movie while the gentleman downstairs enjoy some more Tyskie and listen to Kanye West.
Tomorrow I attend an event at the International Youth Meeting House in Oświęcim and speak with the Director, Leszek Szuster.
My friends,
origamiaround
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