An art centre will open soon on the premises of a former heat and power station. The founders of the World Art Foundation and the city authorities plan to revitalize and develop nearly 2,5 hectares around Fabryczna Railaway Station. Marek Żydowicz – the director of the Camerimage Festival - speaks about this large enterprise.

Where did you get the idea for the World Art Foundation from and why did you call it like that?

Basically, ideas are born in one’s head. So was it this time. Three guys, during a conversation, came to the conclusion that they can do something together because they share the love of art, all kinds of art in all the corners of our planet. So this is where the name of the Foundation came from.


Why did you choose £ód¼ and the heat and power station EC1 to locate the Foundation? Why are you investing in the old factory walls? Are old factories the best places for art?

We met in Łódź. Here we were received with open arms and offered an old factory building to realize our ideas. The atmosphere in old factories is unusual. They were built another way than contemporary malls. In the past architects and constructors thought not only about the functionality and possibly the cheapest realization of their projects (I am depressed by all those malls or tin multiplexes because they are of a poor architectural quality and give you an impression that you are staying in a provisional shack…) In ancient £ód¼, factory owners wanted to express, through the appearance of their factories, their status – not only material but cultural too, to show the importance of their families, refer to the canons of European architecture, to national and professional symbols. The exceptional quality of that architecture is well worth preserving in full, not as some do – leaving only the outer walls.


What activities do you plan and when are you going to open the building?

First we have to take over the estate. We are waiting for the contract to be signed. Works are underway on the concept for the adaptation of the building. As soon as we have become rightful owners of EC1, architects will start their work. We hope to finish the renovation and put the building into use in three years’ time.
 
Is WAF supposed to bring profit or to be a non-profit institution? Do you plan any commercial activities? Of what kind?

The World Art Foundation will be a public institution. All profitable activities will be carried out so that we can develop our cultural activity, to earn money towards successive artistic initiatives.


Who will be responsible for the revitalization of the object? Has your project been endorsed yet? What will the object look like after the revitalization has been completed?

We are going to preserve what must be protected and add what is necessary…but also architectonically attractive. The best architects and constructors will work on it.
 
EC1 is located close to a railway station. Are they good neighbours? Do you plan to change the station itself so that the area is cohesive? Why?

We suggested to the city authorities that the EC1 premises and the station should be joined to build a modern City with a square centrally located. According to this concept, the railway station would be underground. Next to the World Art Centre we suggested building a huge festival-congress centre, a museum of modern art (so that the entire collection is displayed; now you can see only a small part of it), a museum of technology, a museum of cinematography, a planetarium, a technology park and all related infrastructure: hotels, restaurants, pubs, lofts, etc. The presidents were enthusiastic about the idea. It is also supported by the minister of culture. The idea of the museum of art has been accepted  by the Marshal. So we can really trust that the project proves successful.


The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGE is a cyclic event that takes place in Łódź. This year the 14th edition will be organized, it won’t be held in EC1 yet, but it was the festival that made you think about investing in the buildings. Please tell us what CEMERIMAGE will be like in the future.

Of course CAMERIMAGE is the main cause of our activity in EC1 and the Fabryczna Railway Station. It will be great when trains from Warsaw can reach the Festival Centre in under an hour. There will be a few hotels, restaurants nearby…The festival will be developing through presenting the best films in several new sections; we will host film-makers from all over the world and they will be arriving here as to the Mecca of art and of the latest film technologies. There are fewer and fewer places where the art of film making is spoken about without commercial pressure. Here we will also realize ideas born during CAMERIMAGE.
 
Do festivals such as CAMERIMAGE create and encourage entrepreneurial attitudes of film-makers? How?

Owing to the festival many people have realized they can fulfil their dreams without counting on others. It is possible to join efforts of creators and technicians from various parts of the world to make a film, an artistic event, to write a script, to create a place for meetings, workshops, courses, and for an ordinary conversation that may result in extraordinary actions. Here, at CAMERIMAGE, we fight against pathologies related to copyright protection, to advertising activities, etc. Here people can learn how to get funding from various sources, also from the European Union, to carry out their artistic and business plans.

How important is enterprise in the art of film making?

It is important. But the most important are creativity, passion and honesty.

Can you give examples of the best entrepreneurial attitudes you have seen at CAMERIMAGE?

Let others asses that. We consider ourselves resourceful.