Tomasz

Lublin is setting out on an extraordinary journey. This July, “The Magician’s Journey: Prologue” will take to the streets of Polish cities – the first instalment of a multi-year project delivered by the Sztukmistrze Foundation in cooperation with the Centre for Culture in Lublin and European Capital of Culture Lublin 2029. It is not only a contemporary circus performance, but also the symbolic beginning of a journey that will take Lublin artists across Poland and Europe in the coming years and, ultimately, back to Lublin in 2029.

The project draws on the principles of the RE:UNION programme. It references the Magician of Lublin, the protagonist of Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer’s novel, reinterpreting the figure in a contemporary context. The travelling Magicians Troupe becomes an ambassador for the city and the RE:UNION idea, telling the story of Lublin through the language of art. In the years to come, the project will continue to develop, gradually expanding to include more cities across Poland and Europe.

A performance that invites participation

“The Magician’s Journey: Prologue” tells the story of five travellers who meet passers-by and… invite them for coffee. Before anyone can sit down around a shared table, however, the artists have to work together to build an eight-metre structure, prepare the space, warm up and start the coffee machine. Only then does the high-energy performance begin, combining acrobatics, juggling, balancing acts and physical theatre. After the show, audiences will be invited to continue the conversation over coffee.

First stops

In July, “The Magician’s Journey: Prologue” will visit three exceptional events:

5 July – Festiwal Kuglarzy, Wodzisław Śląski
13 July – Festiwal Góry Literatury, various locations across Lower Silesia
17 July – SĄSIEDZI – Teatralnie. Cyrkowo. Po sąsiedzku, Bielsko-Biała (as part of the Bielsko-Biała 2026 Polish Capital of Culture programme)
21 August 2026 – Potocki Palace Courtyard, Radzyń Podlaski
4 September 2026 – Centre for Culture and Promotion, Piotrowice
5 September 2026 – Szerokie, Lublin – Święto Dzielnicy Szerokie

The Szerokie district celebration is an opportunity to spend time together.

“Prologue” marks the beginning of a larger story. In the years to come, the Magicians Troupe will expand its route, visiting more cities and festivals as part of the promotion of the European Capital of Culture Lublin 2029 programme.

Creative team:

Performers: Alisa Cheburkova, Daniel Chlibiuk, Artur Perskawiec, Marcin Borkowski, Krzysztof Pacholik
Dramaturgical and directing consultation: Jakub Szwed
Duration: approx. 50 minutes
Recommended age of recipients: from 5 months to 121 years old
Production: Sztukmistrze Foundation, Centre for Culture in Lublin, European Capital of Culture Lublin 2029

EVENT PROGRAMME

Translated by: Aleksandra Górecka
Proofread by: Gabriela Niewadzi

In the art world, everything works in a softer, more relationship-based and less procedural way. Someone sends an email in the evening, someone calls, someone sends a text; things happen along the way, things grow out of conversations. Here, I expected a reality that would be structured and somewhat impenetrable. I wondered whether it might be difficult simply to walk in, start talking, be the new person in a place that already has its own relationships and its own order.

It wasn’t fear in the literal sense, more of a slight tension that appears when you enter an unfamiliar world and don’t yet know its temperature. It very quickly turned out that this fear was completely irrational.

What does a company look like through an artist’s eyes? Not as an organisation or a set of processes, but as a living organism with its own rhythm and language. This was the everyday reality Barbara Gryka observed during her residency at Medisept, carried out as part of the “Culture at Work” project.

In conversation with Ralph Talmont, she talks about meeting people who work every day in laboratories, offices and production facilities; about the importance of attentive listening; and about searching for what lies beneath a place’s official image.

As she stresses, she is always more interested in the life inside a company than in its structure itself – the relationships and experiences that paint the organisation’s true picture. The residency also became an opportunity for the artist to reflect on the nature of work: its rhythm, repetition, the need for stability and the significance of everyday relationships.

It is a story about discovering that the worlds of art and professional work are far closer than they might seem.

We invite you to read the second conversation in our series summarising the artistic residencies carried out as part of the “Culture at Work” project. The interview was conducted and edited by Ralph Talmont.

READ THE FULL CONVERSATION WITH BARBARA GRYKA (SCROLL FOR THE ENGLISH VERSION)

Translated by: Aleksandra Górecka

Proofread by: Gabriela Niewadzi