Alicja Biala/Born 1993, Poznan, Poland; lives in London, United Kingdom; Iwo Borkowicz/Born 1990, Poznan, Poland; lives in Poznan, Poland

Totemy, 2019; wooden and hand-painted installation with QR code; 29 1/2 feet/9 meters tall; Poznan, Poland

In an extreme departure from the clinical aesthetic of charts and graphs, artist Alicja Biała and architect Iwo Borkowicz presented Totemy, in their hometown of Poznan, Poland. Bright, vivid patterns cover the surfaces of massive totem forms in an effort to raise awareness about climate change. Visually arresting in the downtown environment, the data behind the choice of colors and forms is not obvious to the viewer. It is only upon further investigation, by way of a QR code, that one finds the relationship between statistics for deforestation, air pollution, and plastic production and the shapes, patterns, and colors represented in three-dimensions.

The colors and patterns were hand-painted by Biala and the sculptural forms were created with the help of local woodworkers and volunteers as part of a workshop that further involved the community. The totem form is also significant for its connection to indigenous peoples and their notable connection to the forces of nature. As we may no longer have a mystical connection to Mother Nature, we must rely on scientific data to impart our impact and, hopefully, induce change. Working on a project in Portugal as well as planned proposals for other cities around the globe, Biala and Borkowicz look forward to using their visual platform to inform.

Biala is visual artist and designer working with different media from photography and drawing to large sculpture projects. She graduated from Via University College and The Copenhagen School of Design and Technology in Denmark and is currently studying at The Royal College of Art in London, United Kingdom.

Borkowicz is a laureate of 2016 Young Talent Architecture Award by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe as well as EAAE Prize by the European Architectural Medals Committee. He obtained his bachelor degree in Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Fine Arts in Poznań, Poland. He continued his education in Gent, Belgium at the International Masters in Architecture at KU Leuven where he obtained a Magna Cum Laude Master Degree. He is a member of Streetscape Territories, a research project focusing on the transformation of the urban fabric with streetscapes as its protagonist. He and his partner, Adam Siemaszkiewicz make up Jeju Studio, an architecture practice in Poznan, Poland.

http://alicjabiala.com/

https://jeju.studio/about-us/