He is an author of artistic projects that aim at activating different age and social groups, and focuses on designing and shaping residential space and public green areas. He studies the meaning and selection of plants in residential multi-family housing and their place in urban eco-structures.

“The project aimed at activating senior residents of villages situated along the Bug River. I wanted to show their openness and distance to life by creating a series of portraits of unreal kings of Podlachia. During the festival I prepared costumes which referred to royal attributes. The costumes were mostly made of natural materials, as grass, wild flowers, bark or dried fruit.

When looking for models in Bubel Stary, Bubel Granna and Bubel Łukowiska villages. I invited more than 50 senior citizens to participate in the project. 13 of them agreed to be photographed in the costumes. In the end I selected 10 portraits for the final series.

During the session, the heroes were telling unusual stories of their lives and the area. They revealed in them a totally different, almost unreal reality, describing themselves as an isolated community. Depopulation of their villages and impoverishment of the community was a recurring topic in their stories. They also pointed to the lack of entertainment for elderly people. Death, treated as something natural and tamed, was a common thread of our conversations.”

The Bug River: Part 2 cycle is a continuation of the 2015 project. To enrich and complete the story of unreal kings of Podlachia, I decided to work with children from Bubel Granna, Bubel Łukowiska and Gnojno villages situated in the Bug River valley. The costumes, which I created during the festival, were once again made of natural materials that constitute a real value of that land.

To participate in the project, children had to give their assent and get the permission of their parents. Although hard to control at times, they turned out to be perfect models to shoot. They were really convincing in conveying the mood of the cycle and the roles they were asked to play. A great advantage was that most of them knew the first cycle of senior Kings, which helped them understand the idea of the project and the purpose of make-up, costumes and photos.

My work on the second cycle was different from the first part, both in terms of methods and mood, and the pace of work. Instead of being melancholic, reflective or touching, it was rather energetic, idyllic and spontaneous. We talked about playing in the country, ways of spending time and daily tasks. Meeting with a younger general of people living in Podlachia has revealed to me yet another fascinating face of that land.