Care and mindfulness – premiere of the seventh issue of Architecture Snob
Photos: Vlad Baranov
The celebration of the release of the seventh issue of the quarterly magazine Architecture Snob took place at the National Library in Warsaw. The choice of venue, as with every AS’s premiere, was not coincidental. The revitalized interiors of the building had been awarded multiple times, and the individuals responsible for the renovation had frequently been featured in the magazine itself. The event consisted of three chapters, each delivering a substantial dose of culture and experiences.
The premiere of the new issue was a traditional opportunity for networking with invited guests. Among them were Aylin Joo Liem (Chilean ambassador), Marlena Happach (architect, City of Warsaw), Anda Rottenberg (art curator), Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys (President of SAP), and Barbara Schabowska (director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute). The event also attended the editors from other architecture and design magazines, including Ewa P. Porębska (editor-in-chief of Architektura-Murator), Agnieszka Gruszczyńska-Hyc (editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest Polska), Anna Grużewska (editor-in-chief of Czas na Wnętrze), Piotr Żabicki (editor of “Zawód:Architekt”), business partners of the magazine, female and male architects, designers, artists, as well as enthusiasts of good architecture.
The first chapter of the premiere began with a welcome drink and an improvised performance by the duo: a tenor and a soprano. Rafał Bartnicki is a graduate of the Vocal and Acting Department of the Karol Szymanowski’s Academy of Music in Katowice, under the guidance of Prof. Eugeniusz Sąsiadek. He made his operatic debut as Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, directed by Maciej Prus, at the Grand Theatre – National Opera in 2002. Since then, he has been in constant collaboration with this stage, performing worldwide and working with numerous orchestras and philharmonics. Recognized as a proponent of Stanisław Moniuszko’s music, he received the Small Scepter from the Foundation of Polish Culture, presented by Maria Fołtyn.
On the other hand, Katarzyna Drelich is a graduate of the Vocal and Acting Department of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, specializing in solo singing under the tutelage of Prof. Ryszard Cieśla. Although she officially started her musical education at the age of 7 in a guitar class, she debuted as Despina in W. A. Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Świętokrzyskie Philharmonic in 2017. She regularly performs both nationally and internationally.
In the second chapter, DJ Vanaque, the musical persona of Marcin Wabnik, kicked off his set. He is one of the most recognized DJs in Poland and accompanied the invited guests throughout the rest of the evening.
The third act of the premiere, hosted by journalist Katarzyna Jaroszyńska, began with a welcoming regards to the guests. The host also shared with the audience what had transpired in the earlier parts of the evening and provided information about the venue itself. The National Library building was designed by Stanisław Fijałkowski and his team in the 1960s. The project’s realization spanned over thirty years, occurring in multiple stages and concluding in the 1990s. In 2015, Konior Studio won the competition for the modernization of the National Library, and three years later, the interior renovation commenced. The majority of the original stone cladding was preserved, while new materials such as copper, steel, and wood were introduced. The hosts of the venue, Tomasz Makowski, and the architect, Tomasz Konior, were welcomed to the stage.
The evening also featured discussions on the leading theme of the seventh issue of Architecture Snob: care and mindfulness. Both of these values are essential for creating a magazine with high intellectual content and a commitment to ecology. For the second consecutive time, the periodical qualified as the only magazine included in the Responsible Business in Poland report. Partners of the evening were warmly welcomed, as they contribute to the magazine’s development: Omnires, Spectra Lighting, Duravit, Wise Habit, Geberit, Balmain Hair, Sucre Cukiernicza Workshop (which prepared a delicious three-tiered cake), and Tesla (whose cars were stationed at the entrance with invitations for test drives). The banquet also saw the personal presence of Wojciech Sieńczyk, the Director of Wealth Management at Santander Private Banking, a bank that has aimed to provide international standards of service since its inception, blending tradition with modernity.
Among the evening’s partners were also liquor producers whose offerings could be sampled at the National Library that night. Wyborowa Pernod Ricard set up a tasting corner with experts discussing the limited-edition Secret Speyside collection and other whiskies from Wyborowa’s portfolio.
The Macallan, represented by brand ambassadors, guided guests through the world of luxury whiskey, delving into its history. They also presented the latest tasting bottle from the A Night on Earth series, with its Polish premiere taking place just a week prior. Attendees also had the opportunity to taste Polskie Tango liqueurs from Lumi Spirits. Polskie Tango stands out not only for the quality of its ingredients but also for the elegant design of its bottles. Each bottle not only contains a unique flavor but also tells a story—an invitation to a virtual dance.
The Editor-in-Chief of Architecture Snob, Marcin Szczelina, made his usual appearance onstage, sharing his perspective on care and mindfulness in architecture. Together with the host, they connected with the cover figure, Alejandro Aravena—an exemplary architect known as a leader in care and attentiveness approach in architecture.
– When Alejandro Aravena became the director of the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016, he invited me and Hugon Kowalski, an outstanding Polish architect, to create the project ‘Let’s Talk About Waste.’ We later traveled with the exhibition to various places in Europe—it appeared, for instance, at the European Parliament in 2017 (just before the introduction of European Union regulations on the circular economy) and at the Silesian Museum in Katowice during COP24. It was one of the world’s first exhibitions that, in an accessible way, explained how we currently face the massive global waste problem. For me, it was also one of the first attempts to answer the question of how architecture can contribute to minimizing the damage we inflict on the planet. This invitation and project changed my approach to my own work and how I think about architecture. I understood that architects should be expected to create spaces and buildings that are as healthy as possible for humans and as minimally harmful to the planet. Criticism of architecture should draw attention to this, popularize pro-ecological solutions, and educate society in this regard. Because at that time, no professional media in Poland saw value in this, I founded the magazine Architecture Snob – explained Marcin Szczelina.
The finishing touch of the third chapter of the premiere of the seventh issue of Architecture Snob, was a performance by Aleksander Dębicz, one of the most versatile Polish pianists and composers. The artist started with improvisation and original music, often blending it with classical elements. In Aleksander’s work, there is a passion for cinema. At the National Library, she performed improvisations inspired by the new interiors of the library.
On that evening at the National Library, discussions about contemporary architecture continued into the early morning hours.
