Therefore, it pays tribute to Tadeusz Kantor (1915 – 1990) – director, event creator – great reformer of 20th century theatre and avant-garde painter, one of the most important figures in artistic life in Poland. Founder of the Underground Independent Theatre during the occupation. Graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Founder of the Cricot 2 Theatre, where he created famous original performances: “The Dead Class”, “Wielopole, Wielopole”, “Let the Artists Die”, “I Will Never Return Here”, “Today is My Birthday”. And the founder of “Cricoteka” in 1980 as a living archive of the Cricot 2 Theatre.
Cricoteka was awarded at the 8th edition of the Życie w Architekturze competition in the category of best public utility building 2013-2014 – for an ambitious attempt to build a public space that is both stage and audience – a place of constant spectacle where, as in the Kantor Theatre, the boundaries between actor and spectator are eliminated.
It also perfectly fulfills another function – it symbolically connects the center of Krakow with the dynamically developing Podgórze district.
Celebrating Cricoteka’s anniversary
Cricoteka will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the building’s inauguration from September 12 to 15. The anniversary program includes meetings with architects and urban planners, outdoor events, tours of the building and exhibitions, and a final picnic.
From 12 to 15 September, you will also be able to listen to a sound installation composed especially for the Cricoteka building as part of the REZONANSE project, which treats the building as a large sounding board. A series of sound installations: in the elevator, on the staircase, in the exhibition hall and in the archive, were designed by Polish composers and composers of new music: Zosia Hołubowska, Antonina Nowacka, Aleksandra Słyż, Julek Ploski.
On September 12, a debate will be held during which a group of experts will talk about how the emergence of Cricoteka on the banks of the Vistula River changed the surroundings, influenced the development of the district, Krakow and the community of residents. Among others, the following will be present: Piotr Nawara and Agnieszka Szultk – designers of the Cricoteka building; Bolesław Stelmach – director of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning, Małgorzata Tomczak – editor-in-chief of the magazine “Architektura i Biznes”; Michał Wiśniewski – architect and art historian, co-founder of the Institute of Architecture, Tomasz Malkowski – editor and architecture critic, author of the books “Archiprzewodnik po Polsce” and “Archiprzewodnik po Europa”, Natalia Zarzecka – director of Cricoteka.
