Conclusion of the Imagine sculpture competition!

We have chosen a winner for the design competition which was organised in order to select a sculpture to be erected in the public passageway between Imagine’s office complex buildings in Łódź. The main prize was awarded to Mikołaj Apelt-Ciupiński, author of the design entitled ‘Imagine. Imagine… New Łódź!’, 1st year undergraduate student of the Faculty of Sculpture and Interactive Actions of Łódź Academy of Fine Arts (ASP). The winner has been granted the possibility to execute his own sculpture on the premises of Imagine. This will be fully financed by Avestus Real Estate, developer of the Imagine office complex at the intersection of Aleja Piłsudskiego and Rydza-Śmigłego.

The aim of the competition organized by Avestus Real Estate and the Faculty of Sculpture and Interactive Actions of Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź was to select a large-format sculpture design which would become one of the elements distinguishing and identifying Imagine’s investment on the map of Łódź. The competition’s participants – students of the 1st and 2nd degree studies from ASP’s Faculty of Sculpture and Interactive Actions (WRiDI) and its graduates – were challenged to design a sculpture made from widely defined steelworks steel, processed with the use of widely defined methods of artistic iron-working. The initiative’s honorary patronage was granted by Hanna Zdanowska – Mayor of the City of Łódź.

The submitted works were assessed by a jury directed by prof. Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak, Rector of the Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. Furthermore, the members of the jury included, amongst other persons, Marek Janiak – Architect of the City of Łódź, prof. Lesław Miśkiewicz, Stanisław Brach Ph.D. as well as representatives of Avestus Real Estate.

The jury awarded the main prize to Mikołaj Apelt-Ciupiński for his design entitled ‘Imagine. Imagine… New Łódź!’ The winning sculpture’s design depicts an imaginative, abstract form, symbolising a boat with full sails which emerges between the Imagine buildings. The sculpture’s basis is a map of Łódź, made from corten, with a plan of the main streets on which the actual location of the complex is presented. Its shiny form, ‘emerging from the map’, is made from metal parts, aligned into a composition which doesn’t inhibit the movement but rather submits to it and enables its flow. This impression is further enhanced by the design method of its surface – a mirror pane fills the sculpture with life and enables its relationship with the surroundings and its audience.

“The Imagine Sculpture Competition was a good test of the quality of sculpture education offered by the Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. Once again it turns out that the creation of a sculpture course at our university was a response to the important needs of the local and other communities. We are proud that our students naturally develop their own independent sculptural life, supported by our academy and prestigious external partners such as Avestus Real Estate. It is a special joy to see the level of the created works of art, the feel for the specificity of the material, the individuality of each of the participants, their preparation for the completion of such large sculptures. In fact, each of the presented projects could be placed in the space of Łódź, which proves the emergence of a generation of young artists who identify with the future of the City and are able to sense the spirit of contemporary aesthetics of Łódź”, commented dr hab. Mariusz Włodarczyk, Associate Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Pro-Rector for Science, Development and Fundraising.

“The winning work by Mikołaj Apelt-Ciupiński is not only a modern form of sculpture which excellently takes advantage of the mirror surfaces of stainless steel contrasting with the steel foundation covered by rust, but it also incorporates a poetic symbolism referencing the name of our city. This competition is an excellent example of co-operation between the business and artistic educational establishments of Łódź. I congratulate all of the competition’s participants,” said Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of the City of Łódź.

Apart from choosing the winning sculpture, the jury selected two more works, the authors of which are Marta Szawel and Jakub Miszczak, 2nd year undergraduate students of the Faculty of Sculpture and Interactive Actions of Łódź’s ASP. The artists received financial awards and the spatial models of their sculptures will become an element of the interior arrangement of Imagine’s office complex.

“We are very impressed with the level of submitted works and the creativity of their authors. They exhibited various approaches to the competition’s theme, resulting in projects which may be interpreted by each of us in a unique manner. We are very glad that through the co-operation with the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, we established conditions for the students to test their abilities against the realities of business co-operation that at least some of them will undoubtedly work in after graduation. As the developer of Imagine office complex, we are entranced by the winning sculpture and we cannot wait for it to be unveiled in autumn this year,” said Mariusz Frąckiewicz, Director Poland of Avestus Real Estate.

The sculpture will be erected on the premises of Imagine, an office complex being executed by Avestus Real Estate at the intersection of Al. Piłsudskiego and Śmigłego-Rydza in Łódź. It consists of two 6-storey office buildings which will offer a total of 17,200 square meters of commercial space – including 14,800 square meters of office space and 2400 square meters of trade and services space. As part of the investment, an overground garage was also constructed, offering 356 car park spaces and 49 double bicycle stands. The commissioning of the full complex is planned for September 2019.