ARTIFAKE: Paweł Kulczyński, “2+2=5”

Sound installation in public space as part of the ARTIFAKE project.
01.09-15.10.2021

event: here

Located on the Tamka island in Wrocław, Paweł Kulczyński’s work imitates the public information sound system by broadcasting utterly false messages into the city space with the utmost seriousness. The announcements can be immediately verified as blatant lies on the basis of rudimentary knowledge about the world. This tactic violates in real time our belief in the truthfulness of media announcements from allegedly reliable sources. To assess the veracity of the broadcast, no reflection is required; the instinctive experience of cognitive dissonance simultaneously causes a gasp and brings satisfaction in exposing the untruth.

The Orwellian title makes a direct reference to the rich history of propaganda (in which public address systems were effective tools of spreading disinformation at rallies, in workplaces or educational institutions), while sharing an affinity with the lightness of the avant-garde performance. This strategy avoids the temptation of putting on airs in theoretical writings, and instead opts for pressing the right levers to give vent to the inflated context, hinting at the legacy of the Orange Alternative in Wrocław.

The temporary “radio station” broadcasts short messages recorded by a professional actress – Maria Zieba, read out with the full solemnity of the office or somewhat ironically, perversely or with surprise. In this way, a subtle game of meanings is initiated, playing with different interpretations of each of the slogans repeated as part of ephemeral episodes at quarter-hour intervals from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. – like a clock with chimes. Phrases such as “Autocracy is democracy,” “Disease is health” or “Wisdom is stupidity” are preceded by the introductions “The ministry informs” or “The institute informs.” The non-existent ministry or institute functions as a representative of the broadly understood system of authority, which compulsively produces new “axioms” for domestic and public use, during the week and at the weekend, for social and national needs, and above all – for its own.

Paweł Kulczyński, also known as Wilhelm Bras / Lautbild, is a musician, experimenter and sound artist, author of outdoor concerts, sound installations and theater music.

He cooperates with leading festivals and institutions in Poland and abroad. He has performed, inter alia, at the Unsound, Sacrum Profanum, CTM Festival. He creates avant-garde electronic music at the intersection of genres, with an unidentifiable idiom, flirting with a niche club culture.

In recent years, he has played over 100 concerts on 3 continents, at international festivals and in small clubs.

More information about ARTIFAKE: here