Ahead of the installation of “Colours of Differdange” in the Place des Alliés and “Play and Park” in the Place Jehan Steichen – two of the five projects that will be realized in Differdange this summer in the framework of Esch22, the winners of the spaces – Julia Zasada and Jakub Witkowski shared with us bits about themselves and what motivates them to create.
Tell us a bit about you, how your background affect the art you create?
Jakub: I come from Gdansk in Poland. I lived and studied architecture in Belfast and in Stockholm. For these two projects, we are really trying to make them colourful which is not very often present in architectural projects but we are trying to go out of that norm. On a personal level, we wanted to create something different and fun as the places were really asking for more colour. It’s less artistic, more special.
Julia: I studied in Poznan during which I went for one-year Erasmus exchange in Spain and in Italy. This exposure to different approaches, ideas and environments helped me to understand architecture globally. I worked for an exhibition in Berlin and I was also part of the team of Spanish Pavilion at Biennale last year. All these helped us better understand DiffMix project.
What does being an artist mean to you?
Julia: Architects are artists who shape the space. You shouldn’t think of architects as only people who design the construction of buildings, but also artists who plan and oversee exhibition spaces or other public places like squares and gardens.
What motivated you to participate in DiffMix?
Julia: We worked very well together before and we decided to give it a shot. Only by trying and opening to the world you would be discovered.
Jakub: We went through the briefs of the different projects and we got really excited. Finally, we picked three spaces to work on. As we discovered DiffMix competition only ten days before the deadline, we worked very intensively from early morning to the late night. The time pressure made us to be as creative as possible.
Where did you find inspiration for your DiffMix suggestion?
Julia: We built on each other’s ideas. We decided that our projects should be colourful to bring a joy.
Describe how art is important in shaping the urban space?
Jakub: DiffMix is about interaction with the public. We are trying to respond to the needs of the community, and make sure what we create is both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
What you were busy with when you learned you’re one of the winners of DiffMix?
Julia: We already lost our hope of winning when a friend of mine called and said that our projects have won. Jakub was in Stockholm at that time so I was super happy to share the great news with him.
What’s your first step to materialize your idea?
Jakub: We have received necessary information from the city and are currently checking what’s technically possible and what’s impossible. As for any architectural project, we start with the drawing, selecting and calculating the amount of materials we would need, etc.
