The exhibition “Face to face – university is made up of people” was launched on 19 January 2010. Teresa Klimowicz came up with an idea of the project which would present service staff of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, which evoked a bit of confusion. After the project had been advertised in media, the university authorities protested against the exhibition, especially as it had been planned to be presented at the Academic Cultural Centre “Chatka Żaka”. At the beginning the university authorities refused the organisers the exhibition venue (the excuse being the organisers failed to book the venue in a proper way) and the Deputy Rector, Stanisław Michałowski, promised to explore “the depth” of the project.

Controversies concerning the exhibition were caused by the fact it was supposed to be held under the patronage of “Krytyka Polityczna” (Political Critique, http://www.krytykapolityczna.pl/dmdocuments/What_is_Political_Critique.pdf) and according to some, had political implications.

This “political” aspect of the project is, however, interpreted in two different ways by Sławomir Sierakowski representing “Political Critique” and Stanisław Michałowski, Deputy Rector (student affairs) of the MCSU. The first states that a political aspect of the project helps to extend the public debate. Members of “Political Crtitique” participate in cultural events, especially concerning social issues, and form left wing opinions, yet this has got nothing to do with the left wing parties' activities. The Deputy Rector, on the other hand, states he's not going to tolerate political activities at the “Chatka Żaka” centre, but hopefully it does't mean he's going to restrain freedom of speech in the public space, as he turned up at the opening of the exhibition, made a speech and listened to others speaking, which proves he is not against the debate.

The coordinator of the exhibition had to make a compromise and minimise the role of “Political Critique”, which seems unfair, as its members participated very acively in fundraising and organising the exhibition.

The MCSU authorities must have been worried the exhibition would give rise to a scandal in its inconvenient political-social context. The project coordinator admits the idea of the exhibition appeared as a result of the financial decisions made by the authorities. The university planned to make economies by making some of the service staff redundant, no matter if they were single mothers or women in their fifties with no chance of being employed in the future. The exhibition “Face to face” was supposed to be an argument in the debate on the role and function of a university, it also personalised its staff, gave them a chance to show their faces and tell their life stories. The project involved the whole academic milieu: technical workers spoke of their fears concerning the future, students recorded these interviews and took photographs. The final stage of their efforts – the exhibition was presented at the academic venue, namely the Academic Cultural Centre “Chatka Żaka”. The project brought back an idea of a univeristy understood as a community of people.

The opening of the exhibition brought together cleaning ladies who appeared in photographs and films, as well as Deputy Rector Stanisław Michałowski, students and audiences. The exhibition venue became a place of dialogue, not disturbed with any act of censorship.

Joanna Jawiczuk


Sources:
Sławomir Sierakowski w rozmowie z Piotrem Mareckim, Po pierwsze: nie bać się polityczności
P. R. Reszka, Burza wokół sprzątaczek w Chatce Żaka


Joanna Jawiczuk – a graduate of philosophy and art history, and currently doing her PhD at the Institute of Philosophy of the MCSU, a participant of the Indeks 73 Laboratory in Poznań. She's cooperating with the Association of Monuments Protection (Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zabytkami) in Lublin; and with the Association 'Studnia Pamięci'.

Translation: Małgorzata Głombiowska