THE SKULL COLLECTORS

The performance/installation/lecture is a continuation of the research associated with the Gutta project, which has been running since 2021 and focuses on Central European contributions to the global colonial system. The research site and starting point becomes Poznań — one of the major Polish cities where the colonial past is hidden deep in the narrative stream. Like the story of the skulls stored in the Berlin Museum, whose temples bear the handwritten signature of Jan Czekanowski — the post-war director of the Anthropology Department at the University of Poznań. Or the photographs and trophies from overseas expeditions collected by Arkady Fiedler in the museum in Puszczykowo, visited by school groups.

We want to believe that Poland was a colonized country, not a colonial one, but this narrative seems very inconsistent and full of gaps. Like a phantom, Czekanowski roams the corridors of the UAM, the city's institutions, and the closets of private homes. The dream of the country's colonial power has faded somewhat, but its traces are still present in dusty corners and attics. Perhaps it is time to sweep them out and take a closer look.

Idea and realisation: Ludomir Franczak
Music: Robert Piotrowicz
Producer: Olga Strizhniova
Sound realisation: Maciej Frycz
Production: Społeczne Miejsce Kultury SCENA ROBOCZA
Photo: Maciej Zakrzewski

Ludomir Franczak is visual artist, theater director and curator. His main interest is the question of memory, identity and activism. Through intermedia actions, he creates complex projects using both visual arts and history or literature. He is the author of several artistic publications and sound works.
lfranczak.pl