ORGANIZERS

INSTITUTE OF CULTURE STUDIES,
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES, UNIVERSITY OF SILESIA

Institute of Culture Studies was established in 1991 as the Institute of Cultural Studies of the Department of Philology of the University of Silesia (Uniwersytet Śląski). The name reflect the scope of research conducted by this academic unit, probing cultural issues from the perspective of academic disciplines as diverse as media studies, anthropology, communication studies, aesthetics, theatre studies, literature studies and film studies.

From its very beginning, the Institute has been known for its wide and active collaboration with local, domestic and foreign academic institutions, conducting and championing interdisciplinary cultural research, holding events such as conferences, symposia and art festivals, participating in distinguished publishing projects, promoting the Silesian region in Poland and abroad, and fostering education in cultural studies.

Cultural studies were introduced as a separate discipline into the University of Silesia in the mid 1970s to mark and accommodate the rising interest in comprehensive research in all culture-related issues. The scope of interests of the faculty members of the Cultural Studies Department warranted an autonomous critically-informed academic programme within the humanities framework. Over the years, Silesian cultural studies have become a trademark, recognized for its unique blend of anthropological reflection with a comprehensive approach to media of various generations.

ORIGINATOR

Małgorzata Kądziela
Doctor, Institute of Culture Studies, Department of Theory and History of Culture

FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE,
SILESIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The Faculty of Architecture is the main institution educating architects and urbanists in the region of Upper Silesia and one of the best-established schools of architecture in Poland. The Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology (Wydział Architektury Politechniki Śląskiej) is proud to be continuation of the pre-war Faculty of Architecture of the Lviv Polytechnic (Politechnika Lwowska), one of the oldest and most distinguished scientific and technical academic institutions in pre-WWII Poland and Central Europe. The Silesian University of Technology, then known as the Silesian Polytechnic, has offered architecture programmes nearly since its establishment in 1945 (whereupon it was known as Silesian Polytechnic), initially (starting in 1949) within the Architecture Division of the Faculty of Engineering and Construction, then within the Faculty of Construction and Architecture, and finally, since 1997, within the autonomous Faculty of Architecture.

The Faculty of Architecture has been widely known for its role in fostering the Silesian School of Architecture recognized for its rational and functional approach, rooted in the rich tradition of the industrial and largely urban Silesian region. The “School” is currently one of the most influential and inspiring circles of architects in Poland. Since 1996, the Faculty has also been a centre of qualitative research in architecture, establishing the highly-reputed Silesian School of Qualitative Research. The Faculty is recognized as one of the top schools of architecture in yearly national university rankings, both in terms of academic research and practical education.

ORIGINATOR

Katarzyna Ujma-Wąsowicz
Associate Professor, Arch., Department of Theory, Design and History of Architecture

SARP, ASSOCIATION OF POLISH ARCHITECTS
& MASTERS OF ARCHITECTURE

Association of Polish Architects (SARP) and Polish Institute of Architects (Izba Architektów Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) are the two key leading institutions in Poland, which focus on the matters of architecture, urbanism and spatial design. SARP is responsible for organization of public competitions, prize nominations, event organization, as well as broadly understood marketing and advertisement of architecture. SARP is an opinion-giving institution when it comes to the city consultations, governmental consultations, or any other formal discussion concerning architecture.

For many years, the Katowice branch of Association of Polish Architects (SARP Katowice) has been a place integrating both local architects and people interested in architecture and urbanism. It is well known because of organizing an international series of lectures entitled “Masters of Architecture”. The current president of SARP Katowice is Mikołaj Machulik.

The series of lectures entitled “Masters of Architecture” is organized by the Association of Polish Architects in Katowice. It is aimed to honour great international architects and to present their work to the Polish audience. So far we had the pleasure of hosting over 60 extremely interesting speakers from all over the world. The first speaker ever was Simon Foxell, who was a president of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) at the time. Afterwards, between 2004 and 2019, the MA series was attended by Pritzker Prize winners (Eduardo Souto de Moura), Mies van der Rohe Award winners (Alberto Veiga, Henning Larsen Architects) and many more.

“Masters of Architecture” series was created by Wojciech Małecki. His activity has been continued by Tomasz Bąbski and Paulina Adamczyk. Since mid-2017, the lectures curator is Wojciech Fudala. The events are often accompanied by exhibitions and presentations.

TUP, SOCIETY OF POLISH TOWN PLANNERS

The Society of Polish Town Planners (TUP) is a spokesman for the public interest in the development and use of Polish Urban Landscape. It is a social and civic organization, open to all who through their economic and political activities, thanks to their skills and possessed knowledge, improve the quality of Polish space, that it would become more and more attractive and competitive in the modern world.

The society was founded in 1923 by a group of artists and scientists, and at the same time social activists, operating at the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology.. Today TUP society has about 1,000 members in over a dozen regional departments and problem sections. It is a member of the International Associations of City and Regional Planners, bringing together individuals and similar organizations from around the world.

The current TUP president is Tomasz Majda, and Silesian branch is Katarzyna Ujma-Wąsowicz.