Spirits of Wroclaw to inaugurate ECC 2016

The spirits were invented by Chris Baldwin, the performance curator of the ECC 2016. ‘After hearing hundreds of individual voices and stories, I selected four essences of the Spirits of Wroclaw,’ he says. ‘Wroclaw tells the history of Wroclaw to Wroclaw inhabitants and the rest of Europe. When the Spirit moves, specific buildings and places in Wroclaw come alive and begin to tell their stories,’ he adds.

Rehearsals for the outdoor performance ‘Awakening’, which will inaugurate the ECC 2016 in Wroclaw, have been performed in halls at ul. Fabryczna for a few months. Over 1,000 persons, including pupils from Wroclaw and Lower Silesian schools, prisoners, soldiers, professional musicians, acrobats and dancers.

‘Spirits are 3.5 metres high when they walk across the city. They cannot be higher, because a tram traction is suspended over the streets, but they grow up to 6 metres of height wherever possible, and when they reach the Market Square, they will be even higher in order to be visible to a large audience,’ says Chris Baldwin. ‘Spirits have no engines – they are driven by human strength,’ he stresses. ‘They are dragged, pulled or hoisted on ropes. This important function of Spirit movers is fulfilled by prisoners,’ explains the curator.

Every spirit will have a few stops on its route, during which various surprises – visualisations, installations and acrobatic shows. Times of stops can be checked here:

Spirits and their routes

For the time being, Spirits have a very provisional look. ‘These are basic structures, and they are not illuminated; for the time being, you can see maybe 16 per cent of what will be presented during the event,’ says Mary Sadowska, Chris Baldwin’s assistant.

The Spirit of Reconstruction will come out of the bus depot at ul. Grabiszyńska. Its story is a story of people who look for their own place in Wroclaw. This spirit is connected with searching for a new beginning and a new home. Two groups with suitcases (the baggage of the first group will be in an old tram, and the baggage of the second group will be on the spirit) will join a group of musician playing the instruments created by Paweł Romańczuk from the Małe Instrumenty group. They will have to withstand the adversities and overcome the obstacles.

The Spirit of the Flood tells a story of the flood that occurred in Wroclaw in 1997. It will begin its route from the Dąbie tram depot at 4:00 p.m. ‘The flood united Wroclaw inhabitants and showed that they need a huge event to get together and they don’t have to be managed to act,’ says Mary Sadowska. The Spirit of the Flood will pass by the Zoo and the Rondo Reagana roundabout, across the Pl. Społeczny square and near the Galeria Dominikańska mall.

The Spirit of Innovation will begin its route from the General Tadeusz Kościuszko Military Academy of Land Forces. It will pass along Asnyka, Kasprowicza, Żmigrodzkiej and Na Polance streets. ‘Wroclaw develops fast, but the question is whether we catch up with this and whether we are still people in the age of technology development. These are the questions that we ask when guiding this spirit,’ says Mary Sadowska. ‘Its story consists of experiences of individual people – a man who spent one year in prison or a mother whose child was put in a paediatric hospital. The Spirit of Innovation will stop by the installations that will present the history of the city.

The Spirit of Many Faiths will begin its march from the Depot at ul. Legnicka. It will refer to the multicultural history of Wroclaw and will ask its contemporary inhabitants if they are really open to other cultures and to other people. ‘We invited the religious aspect to this part, but in a manner that does not turn the sacred into the profane,’ stresses Mary Sadowska. ‘This part is accompanied by amazing music and a beautiful visual item about which I can’t tell you more. You must come to the inauguration and see for yourself.

All four spirits will reach the Market Square around 6:30 p.m., stand in its four corners and take part in the further part of the performance, the scenario of which is kept secret by Chris Baldwin. The spirits were designed by Philippe Geoffroy, and the persons responsible for them are Piotr Łukaszczyk (the Spirit of Reconstruction), Ewa Żurakowska (the Spirit of the Flood), Kamil Przyboś (the Spirit of Innovation) and Mary Sadowska (the Spirit of Many Faiths). The entire performance is directed by Chris Baldwin, and its musical part is being prepared by Paweł Romańczuk.