The baroness ball gown - a performance in the forgotten village
created by the local teenagers with Agnieszka Tarasiuk - a visual artist and Monika Jakubiak- a fashion designer..

In 2007 we organized a project in the village of Heronimowo, located on the border of Poland and Byelorussia. The project was an initiative of the artist/curator and the cofounder member of "Widok" art foundation Agnieszka Tarasiuk. For the location she chose the ruins of a palace of the local noble dating back to the XVIII century: Baroness Rumm. Later it became a communist state run farm.
Now completely run down and inhabited by unemployed people unable to undertake any action to change their situation. The combination of these two contradicting concerning past structures are the inspiration for the project. Agnieszka Tarasiuk inwited to this specific location a fashion designer, a film maker, a classical ensemble and as a main character, a group of local teenagers to create an event that is going to reflect on the historical conditions of the area in the manner of modern art practice.

The project refers to the situation in art world that is declaring the connection to the marginal culture without actually interacting with it. It usually only communicates with the elite art world. This project takes upon reversal activity; an exclusive music ensemble will perform in the forgotten village on the outskirts of the cultural map. The artists give up their artistic competencies to the local participants of the project making them partially responsible for the outcome of the event.
The gallery public is being taken out of their usual settings to the fringe of the culture. The question of art as a tool for the social transformation is being stated. For the local community the project is an experimental history class, as well as stimulation of their ability to take risks and break through the wall of impossibilities of the life in the small village.
photos taken by children from Hieronimowo >>

The project consists of 3 parts:

1. A workshop of clothes-making 1-7th September 2007.
A group of girls (11-21 years old) designed fantasy ball gowns under the supervision of Monika Jakubiak, a fashion designer and lecturer on the St. Martins College of Art and Design in London. The important part of this process was an inside into its historical context.
more photo of the workshop by G. Dabrowski >>

2. A performance 8th September 2007.
The completed designs were presented on the celebration during the elegant evening celebration in the location of the abandoned old palace park.
The local community was actively participate in the preparation of the evening pastry and joining the celebration. There was also a shuttle bus organized by the leading polish modern art Gallery Arsenal in Bialystok for the event.
time : at the sun set
music : life performance by the New Art Ensemble - Mozart, Prokofiev, Tchaykowski, Strauss
desert : home made cakes and tea from the
more photos of the performance, by G. Dabrowski >>

3. A film documentation.
An art documentary was made during a process of preparation and on the actual evening of the performance. The professional filmmaker are involved in the project: Anna Kaplinska, Marta Pruska and Zofia Golebiowska.

We are planning to show the video in the modern art galleries in Europe, and let the girls to perform they ball gowns in the galleries. Would you like to invite us? :-)

Project by:
Agnieszka Tarasiuk
agnieszkatarasiuk@o2.pl
Monika Jakubiak
monika@soulstitch.co.uk

Partner:
www.galeria-arsenal.pl

sponsrs:

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Annieand Stanilław Szczepańczuk
Serafina Sama and Marcjia Bylicki
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Ewia Lipskiej
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