Making a positive impact
“The Source of Life” is the title of Monika Nawacka’s work, which won the third prize in the 7R Warehouse of art ‘Young art for the planet’ competition for the Mural on a Fire Water Tank section. The artist argues that in an age of rapid urban expansion, people need to consider ecological solutions that will allow us to peacefully coexist with our natural environment.
The competition entry was inspired by urban infrastructure and how it treats the flow of water.
“The larger an urban area is the harder we need to try to manage the water. Wherever there is water, life will take a hold and without water life cannot exist. This particularly concerns water engineering. We need to be careful with our designs and be respectful of the limited water resources,” argues Monika Nawacka.
This is not, however, the only theme touched upon by this winning competition entry.
“Water is all around us and within us. It allows our bodies to work properly when it is well distributed so you can compare the human body to the water networks that are around us and this is also what I wanted to allude to with my design,” explains the artist.
The ecological side
The ecological aspect in the thinking behind the competition entry can also be seen in the choice of materials. The artist has suggested that photo-catalytic paint be used for the project to make it an anti-smog mural. And she adds that nature has been the inspiration behind many of her other works.
“Among other things, I made a film, the main theme of which was houseplants. I am passionate about them. As people, we need plants in our surroundings both near and far. I am also thinking about my next film. It’s main theme is going to be about the problem of concreting over Polish cities and the challenges involved with space renewal,” explains Monika Nawacka and then she adds somewhat humorously: “This is a particularly hot topic in the summer.”
Start with ourselves
The artist believes that the topics of climate change and protecting the environment is so important and urgent that she is not the only one who should be bringing them up in her work. These are not topics just for artists to talk about but topics that concern everyone.
Artists should feel a moral responsibility to raise these issues. There are an uncountable number of tools and forms to influence social consciousness. We can also start with ourselves. I’m a vegan and the production of meat requires a lot of water. I also don’t drink bottled water.
states Monika Nawacka and she adds that a competitions like 7R Warehouse of art ‘Young art for the planet’ is a great event because it has a positive effect on social awareness on the issue of environmental protection.
About Warehouse of Art
The 7R Warehouse of art ‘Young art for the planet’ competition was open to students and graduates of Warsaw’s Academy of Fine Arts. Its guiding motto was “Technology, Ecology, People, Coexistence”. The competition requirement was to create a project of utility art with an ecological theme in one of three categories: Ergonomic seating, murals on the side of a fire water tank and an ecological 7R gadget. In total, 26 entries were submitted. The awarded projects are available at 7rwarehouseofart.pl.
