The pots are part of the exhibition Vase for Water. Hydrobotany in Małachowskiego Square by the CENTRALA group. The exhibition consists of a microclimatic niche and three pots. The whole is intended as a reminder of the need to combat climate change and to show that public spaces can easily be transformed into more pleasant zones.
The architectural exhibition Vase for Water. Hydrobotanics at Malachowski Square is a response to the heating up of the city. The elements set up in front of Zachêta made it possible to create a local zone of respite. This is not the first such intervention in space.
Already in 2018, in front of the Zachęta building, CENTRALA reconstructed a “water vase” – a pot with water plants. The concrete pots, which used to be common in the space of Warsaw, were used, among other things, as ponds – they formed a system of ponds to irrigate and aerate the city. A recipe for a waterbed recreated in collaboration with the staff of the Botanical Garden at the University of Warsaw, then repeated at other locations in Warsaw as well as in Gdansk and Kielce, is an attempt to return to urban water gardening on a wider scale.
A total of three pots were placed in front of the Zachęta building. One is already six years old. Two others are new. Filled with water and plants, they have made it possible to create a microclimatic niche in the square on Małachowskiego Square. The space can be used by people and insects, which are also part of the city.
The presence of water affects the air temperature and humidity. It creates habitats for plants and animals, positively influencing species diversity. Water circulation is responsible for most atmospheric phenomena.
The exhibition is open to the public daily, free of charge and with no time restrictions. It is accompanied by a programme of events available on the gallery’s website.
concept and arrangement: CENTRALA (Małgorzata Kuciewicz, Simone De Iacobis)
curator: Aleksandra Kędziorek
graphic design: Zofka Kofta
producer: Michał Kubiak
installation: Artmontage (Alena Trafimava, , Aleksander Trafimau)
exhibition communication: Zofia Koźniewska, Milena Liebe, Alicja Malicka,
Aleksandra Sienkiewicz, Alicja Sznajder, Justyna Wydra
accompanying programme: Aleksandra Kędziorek, CENTRALA, Jędrzej Zakrzewski
Water Vase. Hydrobotanics at Małachowskiego Square
18.07-13.10.2024
Zachęta National Gallery of Art
pl. Małachowskiego 3
00-916 Warsaw
photo: Kuba Celej
source: Zachęta National Gallery of Art
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