Museum of Warsaw, 9.05-15.12.2024
The exhibition EUFORIA. About Warsaw's Club Scene after 1989 reminds us of important places on the clubbing map of the capital. At the time, clubs and club cafes operated in a broader cultural and social context, and were not just businesses or locations for concerts and events. The Polish reality between the fall of communism and accession to the European Union is worth looking at from non-obvious perspectives. EUFORIA is such an attempt.
The Warsaw club scene reflected the social, political and economic changes after 1989 in a non-obvious way. Fugazi, Filtry, CDQ or Bakery were independent, original initiatives that could only have been created in the first years of transition. Seemingly very different from each other, but united by pioneering energy, a pervasive sense of euphoria and community. In the 21st century, club cafes also appeared on the map of Warsaw. Le Madame or Chlodna 25 were no longer just venues for concerts and parties, but also engaged spaces. Non-governmental organizations were established there and social movements were formed. These venues influenced the development of clubbing and the associated music scene, but they were also outposts of independent culture - theater, visual arts, literature, and places that were far from inclusive and non-normative.
The biggest difference is that technology and the internet has speeded everything up tremendously in just a few years. We take the instant transmission of photos and text for granted. As a photojournalist for 60 years, I well recall a different time when I would send packages of undeveloped rolls of film with hand written captions to editors all across the world. DHL and FedEx were vital for my international work, even the regular mail system on occasion. Then digital cameras and the internet came along, changing everything, and a lot more time had to be spent at the computer. Newspapers were the first to take advantage of the technology as they require a quick turnaround for news stories and photo quality was less demanding. It took longer for color magazines to adapt, the sort I worked with, who had to wait until digital photography improved. Online media didn't exist at all until relatively recently but it certainly didn't kill print media, as some predicted. EUFORIA. About Warsaw clubs after 1989 is a subjective presentation of selected club venues in the capital, which appeared in the urban fabric at the moment of transformational frivolity and for many years defined the character of the Warsaw club scene, says Konrad Schiller, curator of the exhibition. - At the same time, it is a story about the short-lived nature of that time, with some venues disappearing from the map of Warsaw just as quickly as they suddenly appeared on it.
The exhibition is not only an insight into Warsaw's clubbing in the period of transition, but also an attempt to look at this aspect of Warsaw's cultural heritage, which has so far played out in memories. It becomes a contribution to writing the history of the city from a clubby perspective.
- The exhibition will show both photos from private collections, video footage, but above all numerous ephemeral prints: posters, tickets, zines. Many of them have never been presented to the public before," says Konrad Schiller, curator of the exhibition.
Moment of Glory: Fugazi and Filters
In Warsaw after 1989, anything was possible. Private businesses exploded on every conceivable scale, and spaces previously state-owned suddenly managed to be rented out. With a concerted effort, they were transformed into places that were original, specific and uniquely reflective of the climate of transformation fever.
Fugazi Club operated for just 11 months, from January 10 to December 2, 1992. Fugazi's history opened with a 21-day concert marathon, and the next 10 months saw 150 events and 350 bands, two stages and doors open almost around the clock. Established independent music stars have played at the club, to mention Kult, which gave a four-hour concert. Wilki, among others, made their debut, and a performance at Fugazi marked the beginning of Maanam's big comeback in the 1990s.
Advertising was not needed - one simply came to the former W-Z cinema. The energy of the never-ending rock party is captured in unique photos of the audience and legends of the independent scene, but also in posters, club cards or concert programs in the form of a distinctive triangular zine - everything was created by hand, in the DIY punk aesthetic. do it yourself - DIY). The colorful, psychedelic murals and paintings adorning the simple, modernist interior were created by Robert Brylewski and Krzysztof "Kain" May. Fugazi's active participants included Jurek Owsiak, who organized the event 50 rock'n'rolls for May 1. The concert of 15 bands featured a fundraiser for, among other things, the work of Monar. The event is considered a prelude to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.
Club Filters introduced electronic music to the capital from 1992 to 1994. The basement and boiler room of the Institute of Mathematical Machines - hence the pipes, boilers and valves - hosted the first techno parties and club raves, but also concerts or happenings. The Filters was also home to the pioneering institution of the resident DJ. The austere industrial look was complemented by fluorescent tribal paintings on the walls, ceiling and floor, glowing in ultraviolet and strobe light. At the intersection of music and performance, the Drastic Dracula Movement group (Xawery Zulawski, Michal Englert, Michal Szalajski, Mateusz Szlachtycz and Michal Rogalski) is intensely active.
The sense of great possibilities and freedom to create their own spaces for themselves and their environment collided with the reverse of transformational reality - the interests of the semi-literate and the merciless hand of the free market. Fugazi and Filtry, although they quickly disappeared from the club map of Warsaw, became a legend and a starting point for many subsequent initiatives.
Exit Block: Paragraph 51 and Alpha
Polish rap and hip-hop developed at an incredible pace in the 1990s. With more and more lineups and, most importantly, listeners, hip-hop culture began to establish official venues. Two key clubs for this environment were Alfa i Paragraph 51 (later called Fresh), where, in addition to concerts and DJ sets, there were regular breakdance performances and MCs battles. The Warsaw skate and hip-hop community was forming in these venues. The explosion of interest in hip-hop and Warsaw in the 1990s is brilliantly captured in the film Scandal. Molesta's Evenement, which alongside archival photos from clubs and excerpts from TV reports paints a picture of the early days of today's huge, diverse and largely commercialized music scene.
Clubbing in the mainstream: the Bakery and CDQ
The late 1990s marked the beginning of venues that stayed on the clubbing map of Warsaw for longer. Bakery For more than a decade, it attracted crowds with a thoughtful line-up and periodic events that quickly gained cult status. Musically, the Bakery served house, breakbeat and acid jazz. Bartek Winczewski and DJ Glasse initiated a series of "Import" parties - from then on, foreign stars played regularly at the club. The following ones were equally popular: "Back to Groove", "Acieed" or the legendary "Love Bomb!".
CDQ, or Central House of Qulture, became famous for its excellent and diverse concert and DJ line-up, and regularly hosted artists and artists from abroad. The club was close to freedom and art circles. Drum'n'bass, jungle or dancehall music resounded there, and events were held in support of free Tibet, Ukrainian independence or the Mia100 Women's Festival. DJ Vadim, Gogol Bordello, Jimi Tenor, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Mad Professor, múm, Peaches, Skatalites, Stereolab, Stereo MC's, The Ukrainians, Zion Train, Mr. Symarip, among others, played at CDQ.
New media: "Brum", "Plastic", "Slip", "Machina", Radio Station
The mainstream media in the 1990s devoted a surprisingly large amount of space to alternative culture, which, by the way, was not strongly separated from mass culture at the time. Announcements and coverage of parties at Filtra, Piekarnia or CDQ in Warsaw dailies did not surprise anyone, and neither did Radiostacja broadcasts straight from the dance floor. In addition to the option of starting a club, it was also relatively easy to start your own magazine. The exhibition will feature archival issues of "Brum," "Plastik," "Slide" and "Machina," as well as listening to the broadcasts of Radiostacja, the legendary independent radio station that broadcast a whole spectrum of sounds: from ethno music, electronica and hip-hop to metal and hardcore punk.
In the reality of economic and socio-cultural changes, the club scene influenced the development of the media before the nascent Internet. Both print magazines ("Machina," "Brum," and "Plastic"), radio (Radiostation) and public television treated the dynamics of the club scene as an important aspect of contemporary urban culture.
Community: Le Madame, Chlodna 25
The beginning of the 21st century was the time of a new type of venue - club cafes. They hosted parties and concerts in the evenings, but the venues were also equally vibrant during the day as open, social spaces.
Le Madame was/is a café, a dance floor, a theater stage, an art gallery, but also a place for public discussion and political activism. The clubhouse was characterized by radical openness and receptivity to groups marginalized by identity, sexuality or disability. Le Madame was a place open to the LGBTQ+ community, with activists including Greens 2004, Porozumienie Kobiet 8 marca, Kino Polska, Andrzej Wajda's Master School, the Institute of Applied Social Sciences at the UW, Pro Varsovia, the Drama Association and the Polish Association of Rationalists.
The community character of the place found expression in sad circumstances, as during a protest against the eviction of the club. The several-day occupation of the premises was recorded on film Le Ma! Joanna Rajkowska - it is easy to see in it that it was a haven of the most colorful people and an extremely important place on the map of Warsaw.
Chlodna 25 Since its opening in 2004, it has operated as a place open to all initiatives, responsive to the needs of visitors. Coffee was served, there were regular Sunday breakfasts, and concerts and parties were held in the evenings, but no less important were debates, workshops, film screenings, art exhibitions or neighborhood community meetings. This new format of activity led to the establishment of artistic and social initiatives on Chlodna, many of which today shape Polish politics and culture.
The Society of Creative Initiatives "Ê", the Anthropological Passage Association, the online magazine "Dwutygodnik", the Klancyk Improvised Theater, the Montownia Theater Foundation, and the Stocznia Research and Social Innovation Workshop were regulars at Chlodna 25.
DJ sets, curatorial tours, meetings and talks
As part of the accompanying program, from mid-May to the end of September, DJ sets will be held in front of the Wola Museum on the first and last Saturdays of the month, weather permitting. The first set is scheduled for May 25 and will relate to the activities of the Fugazi and Filtry clubs.
Three curatorial tours will be held in May: on May 11, 16 and 30.
Museum Night - May 18 - will be an opportunity to watch films and take part in a special guided tour.
In addition, there will also be meetings and talks with club creators and DJs, complemented by displays of archival materials related to other Warsaw clubs that do not appear in the exhibition.
Exhibition EUFORIA. About the Warsaw club scene after 1989 will last from May 9 to December 15, 2024 at the Wola Museum at 12 Srebrna St. The museum is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets: PLN 15 / PLN 10, on Thursdays free admission.
More about the exhibition and accompanying program:
www.muzeumwoli.pl/wystawy/euforia-o-warszawskiej-scenie-klubowej-po-1989-roku.
Media contact:
Aleksandra Migacz
Museum of Warsaw
22 277 43 45, 723 249 094
aleksandra.migacz@muzeumwarszawy.pl
Media materials:
www.muzeumwarszawy.pl/dla-mediow
COLOFON
curator Konrad Schiller
exhibition design Anna Sarnowska
production Michal Tanski
artwork Monika Nawrocka
poster design Joanna Drum
editing and proofreading Ursula Drabinskaya
implementation of the exhibition Ksenia Góreczna, Katarzyna Radecka, Leszek Sokolowski, Piotr Lipinski, Paweł Grochowalski, Tomasz Raubo, Artur Miniewicz, Michał Bogumił, Krzysztof Hernik, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Dariusz Sałański
multimedia Filip Wielechowski-Olszak, Tomasz Raubo
external rentals Janusz Kurczak
accompanying program Konrad Schiller, Magdalena Staroszczyk, Katarzyna Żukowska
implementation of the exhibition Ksenia Góreczna, Katarzyna Radecka, Leszek Sokolowski, Piotr Lipinski, Paweł Grochowalski, Tomasz Raubo, Artur Miniewicz, Michał Bogumił, Krzysztof Hernik, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Dariusz Sałański
multimedia Filip Wielechowski-Olszak, Tomasz Raubo
communications and marketing Joanna Andruszko, Małgorzata Czajkowska, Agata Fijałkowska, Agata Fronczyk, Klaudia Gniady, Dagmara Jędrzejewska, Daniel Karwowski, Anna Ładna, Aleksandra Migacz, Jowita Purzycka, Milena Soporowska
loans from institutions and private collections
National Library
Ninateka
National Digital Archive
TV Twist Foundation
BestFilm
Raban Foundation
Group Former Old Radio Station
Waldemar Czapski
Stanislaw Trzcinski
Matthew Szlachtycz
Tomasz Wójcik
Michal Narojczyk
Irena Herka
Daniel Dash
Jaroslaw Gula
Catherine Shustov
Grzegorz Lewandowski
Joanna Rajkowska
authors
Waldemar Czapski
Peter Wolfram
Tomasz Dominik
Piotr Rozbicki
Andrzej Rybczynski
Leszek Gnoinski
Tomasz Wójcik
Matthew Szlachtycz
Michal Narojczyk
Daniel Dash
Bartosz Paduch
Joanna Rajkowska
Irena Herka
Catherine Shustov