There is a chance the sculpture will be erected in a little island called Wyspa Daliowa. The idea came from the designer himself. The city is now considering his proposal and will make a decision to start the talks with the artist and the Regional Water Management, the latter responsible for water traffic in the area. If everything turns out for the best, the Daliowa sculpture will have been erected in the island by the end of the year. 6 to 7 metres in height and 15 metres in width, the sculpture will be composed of polished stainless steel arches that, as Oskar Zięta suggests, will be reflecting the surrounding area in a variety of ways depending on the season. Daliowa, which is a working title of Zięta's design, is still only a suggestion. The idea has gained approval, but it needs a number of formalities to go through. "We now have to enter binding talks with Oskar Zięta and then with the the Regional Water Management, and start a public procurement procedure. So that's just the beginning, but it's all feasible and quite likely that the sculpture will be mounted this year," says Jerzy Pietraszek, Deputy Head at the Culture Department, Wroclaw's City Office.
Oskar Zięta by his mock-up design. The final colour will be different, as steel is going to be polished into shining silver. Photograph: Tomasz Walków
The name of the island, "Wyspa Daliowa", hardly rings a bell with the majority of Wroclaw's residents, notwithstanding its central location. It is located near other islands such as Wyspa Piasek and Wyspa Słodowa, in the immediate vicinity of the Piaskowy Bridge (to reach Wyspa Daliowa you need to turn left past the Piaskowy Bridge and cross a wooden bridge). A bionic sculpture would fill in the empty space of the island. "The sculpture is also likely to become one of Wroclaw's architectural landmarks," adds Jerzy Pietraszek. The design had been ready for a year before Oskar Zięta chose Wyspa Daliowa out of 11 different settings in Wroclaw for his sculpture. The fantastic location was only one of the factors. "I do hope the design will contribute in the regeneration process of the island, which is really beautiful," says Oskar Zięta. He is also dreaming of creating another access point to the island. The only path that leads to the island is through Wyspa Piasek.
A visulisation featuring Zięta's Daliowa sculpture. Photograph: zieta prozessdesign
The design, together with its execution, transport and installation is estimated to cost 1 million 300 thousand PLN. Additional expenses will have to be incurred to regenerate the island. The large-format sculpture will be seen from ul Grodzka and is quite likely to become one of the modern symbols of the city. Oskar Zięta is convinced that innovative architecture attracts new visitors. One such example is the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao or the celebrated Cloud Gate in Chicago. The latter took 23 million USD to complete in 2006, but it soon paid off as the users pay lots of money every month to rent space in the building. "That's what we call the Bilbao effect, which goes to show that it pays off to invest your money in the arts," says Oskar Zięta. Jerzy Pietraszek from the Culture Department, Wroclaw City Office says that the design may be executed as part of the European Capital of Culture 2016. "Spaces for Beauty is one of the slogans in Wroclaw's ECC proposal. The sculpture in Wyspa Daliowa can soon become one of such spaces in the city," he adds.
Magdalena Talik
