Entrega del discurso

This subsection of the chapter presents the case of the acceptability of subjective voices in Poland. It does so by presenting the confident implementation of a new Neo-vernacular style on the Southern borders of the country and the diversity of political views expressed in a publication of Architecture and Construction. It is this confidence that may represent a key difference between the Soviet version of the self and the image of the self in Poland. Polish architects often criticised old and established ways of designing and developed novel architectural styles. This was made possible by a culture which nurtured what Foucault would refer to as the ‘Knowledgeable man’ (1995, 305): a lack of a singular concept of citizenry defining what a conceptual personae should be.

There is considerable evidence that Polish architects nurtured individuality and

independence. The overriding affect of liberation and self-assurance directed the interest of Polish architects towards the newly-forming architectural theories within the country and abroad. Architecture and Construction presented opportunities to express conflicting opinions. There is clear evidence in that journal that the contributors valued openness to

the novel architectural concepts and stylistic variation. Architecture discussed in the journal may have represented a wider trend in Poland.

The opportunity to present in the journal was open to a wide range of opinions from across the political spectrum. The voices of the Polish people were always contested and

challenged however never silenced. This atmosphere fostered an organic growth and evolution of the power/knowledge network. The plurality of acceptance was also present in architectural projects which explicitly reflected the state of the government. Two opposing political factions were represented in Architecture and Construction. One was aimed at reflecting the far left wing of the political spectrum by discussing the notion of social housing using Marxist phrases (Syrkus 1928). The other was represented by the atmosphere accompanying the death of General Józef Klemens Piłsudski(an alleged Polish hero and patriot) in 1935 who was an icon for the right wing political spectrum (Architecture and Construction, issues 3 and 4 1935). The knowledge circulation was liberated and each individual opinion could be heard; Foucault would say that the ‘knowledgeable man’ was constrained only by societal factors and no overpowering, political hierarchy. Both political factions were represented and had the chance to have an impact on architecture by being voiced.

Szymon Syrkus writes about Witold Witkiewicz’s project that was to house a significant number of people in a large tower block embracing a Marxist notion of communality (Syrkus 1928). This would be a workers’ house equipped with luxurious amenities such as a lecture theatre and a swimming pool so that every worker could benefit from the wealth of the nation (Fig. 3.31). This building and the positive way it was described shows the

affordance of the Polish architectural circles to accept such a philosophy next to ones that clearly aligned themselves with allegiance to capitalism.

Fig. 3.31 Marxist housing project (Syrkus 1928, 284)

A representation of an architectural example of the opposing views in the political spectrum is the design for the National Agricultural Bank in Warsaw by Marian Lalewicz (Wędziagolski 1928). The design is clearly Neo-classical and expresses signs of exclusivity by directing several routes of circulation. One is facing the entrance, presumably for the public, who did not know the building, and one is on the periphery of each wing in the building, presumably for the workers of the bank. This implies an exclusivity in the way the bank operates.

The openness of the information flows allowed for far-reaching criticism. Lalewicz’s design was discussed by Wędziagolski, who analyses a neo-classical edifice (Figure 3.32-3.34) (ibid.). In his opinion the symmetry and classical rhythms of the building are conservative and do not leave any room for creativity. Neo-classicism, in Wędziagolski’s opinion, is dishonest as it does not express the design capacity of the architect of the building in an evident way. In his article Wędziagolski presents his disapproval of the style in spite of the established order in which Neo-Classicism was used extensively at the time, in Warsaw, for buildings with a mostly municipal and commercial character. The liberty of disagreeing with the established order of Warsaw as the capital set the scene for a debate and opened the debate to subversivity within the Polish architectural movement.

Fig. 3.32 The plan of the building (Wędziagolski 1928 324)

Fig. 3.34 The section of the building (Wędziagolski 1928 322) A key example of the strength of personal convictions might be the confidence of development of a newly emerging style on the southern borders of Poland. In an article called ‘Scout and tourist retreat in Kostrzenica, Czarnohora’ (Harcerskie schronisko turystyczne na Kostrzycy w Czarnohórze) published in 1936, Jerzy Zukowski evaluates the emerging Neo-vernacular style being developed on the southern border of Poland in the Tatry Mountain chain (Żukowski 1936). The style was conceived in Warsaw and

implemented as a holiday retreat for the wealthy citizens of the capital as a reaction to the city’s formal and orderly character. Contrary to the prevailing style of municipal buildings in

Warsaw, which were discussed in numerous issues of the journal, the new Neo-vernacular style represents liberation from the classical orders. Żukowski notes that the style was much more site-specific and responds to its location much more intimately than buildings in Warsaw. It retained a pitched roof geometry and the external appearance which signifies its contextuality within the landscape of the mountain chain but the planning and

sectionality is much more liberated.

Fig. 3.35 Own sketch showing the view and approach to the interior and the section of the building (Żukowski 1936, 211)

Fig. 3.36 The section of the building (Żukowski 1936, 209)

The plan of the building is based on a courtyard, as most Neo-vernacular buildings of the region were. The section however is very developed. As Figure 3.35 shows, the first floor and the attic are mezzanine levels which overlook the entrance. What is also important to note is that the building takes advantage of the view by means of a large window facing the entrance. One of the key moves in the retreat is the basement level which, due to the nature of the site, is also facing the view of the hills and forms the key space in the whole composition; both warm and secure but at the same time offering a grand view of the context.

The confidence of exploring the new style implies the strength of the ‘knowledgeable man’ aspect of the ‘self’, which rejected a singular authority and felt free to explore intensities of what felt right to the individual. It can be argued that this was a result of the allowance of the Polish culture for not confining (and even supporting) diversified individualism and its expression in the civic debates. The negotiation for space, in this respect, was free. The individual opinion in the Polish cultural flow was free to be developed even if it represented a non-normative approach. As Foucault writes ‘[t]he knowledgeable man is the object- effect of […] analytical investment, of this domination-observation’ (Foucault 1995, 305). Foucault also refers to the ‘knowledgeable man’ as consciousness or individual: without it the body of the citizen would only follow the regulations of law but with it, the citizen can challenge the norm and become a counter-conductive entity. Developing a new architectural style is an example of such a counter-conduct.

During the inter-War period the Polish architects seemed interested in developing their own subjective understanding of spatial design, to demonstrate the openness of the

architectural community to new styles and ways of thinking of the period. It allowed each architect to develop a personal attitude towards site and context. The approaches ranged from Neo-classicism to Neo-vernacularism. They scrutinised philosophies and approaches internally as well as abroad.