1st Symposium of Artists and Scientists in Puławy, 1966 (1-50/454)
The symposium "Art in the Changing World" was held at Zakłady Azotowe in Puławy. Its originator and organizer was a critic Jerzy Ludwiński. The concept and title of the event referred to a popular at the time idea of bringing art, technology, science and industry together. Besides their propaganda-like character that artists cleverly used to get the officials' support, these ideas also demonstrated the prevailing in the 60s fascination with technology, cybernetics, new scientific concepts, and their impact on everyday life.
As in case of other events of that type hosted in big factories (e.g., Biennale of Spatial Forms in Elbląg), the artists were provided with working space, industrial materials, and the workers' assistance. During the month that the artists worked on new structures, the critics and scientists held discussions and debates on the role of art in the face of society's needs and the growing role of industry and technology in society's life. During those meetings a group of critics from the Foksal Gallery, which included Mariusz Tchorek, Anka Ptaszkowska, and Wiesław Borowski, read "Ogólna Teoria miejsca" and Włodzimierz Borowski performed his 4th Syncretistic Show entitled Furnace offering.
About 40 artists participated in the exhibition, among whom were Jerzy Bereś, Włodzimierz Borowski, Jan Chwałczyk, Jerzy Fedorowicz, Wanda Gołkowska, Tadeusz kantor, Grzegorz Kowalski, Edward Krasiński, Lilianna Lewicka, Henryk Morel, Andrzej Pawłowski, Ryszard Winiarski and Jan Ziemski. Two exhibitions were organized: pre-plein-air (opened August 2 in Zakłady Azotowe) and post-plein-air (September 17 till October 15, 1965) in BWA in Lublin.
Grzegorz Kowalski, one of the symposium's participants, later wrote: "To some extent, the symposia held in Elbląg and Puławy fulfilled the myth of participating in culture and establishing beachheads in mass culture. Workers and technical intelligentsia from the plants which hosted the symposia, participated actively in our work. This gave us the illusory feeling that they understood art, that they both needed and accepted it. In time it occurred to me that for them art was a mirage which brought a momentary feeling of festivity. Then, traces of artists' activities were left abandoned, covered by dust and rust".
(Grzegorz Kowalski, „The 1960s at a glance.”, Idee sztuki lat 60., Seminaria Orońskie Tom II, red. Jan Stanisław Wojciechowski, Orońsko 1994, s. 108-109)
