jakub szczesny's floating pavilion utilizes forgotten river as a scenic and social space

coinciding with the katowice street art festival of 2017, jakub szczęsny places ‘the brook house’ in the rawa river, poland, to bring public attention to the natural feature’s current state. the once navigable waterway, is now limited to a four meter wide rain and sewage canal through the city of katowice. the pavilion, docked alongside the university campus, is open to the public.

the once-navigable river is limited to a 4 meter wide rain and sewage canal that cuts through katowice

jakub szczęsny describes the floating pavilion as being ‘based in duality.’ the river still stands as a historical and cultural symbol, but is partially covered by major roadways, public squares, and overgrown shrubbery. at the same time, many media and commercial sources use the rawa river as an example of one of the area’s desirable, natural features to draw families to the area and increase local ambiance and increase real estate prices.

the river now partially covered by urban elements such as streets and public squares

in his description of the project, the artist states: ‘the second duality is physical nature. it’s a real floating platform with a simplistic, roof-covered public bench that hides its nature behind an ostentatiously minimalistic yet enigmatic form.’

the artist emphasizes the importance of the river’s identity as a ‘duality’

the river has been forgotten and neglected, even though many use it as a marketing tactic

the pavilion includes a roof covered bench and views of the river from either side

the public is allowed to interact with the installation

shortly after opening, the pavilion was damaged but will be rebuilt in april 2018

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