The underground world never ceases to excite our imagination. This “hidden foundation of our reality”[1] amazes, terrifies, and above all, inspires. One of the latest expressions of fascination with what lies beneath the surface is the exhibition “Underground. Subterra incognita”, which can be seen at the BWA Contemporary Art Gallery in Katowice from 17 February to 26 March 2023. On this occasion, Scientific Premiere Stage will host Marta Tomczok, PhD, DLitt, Associate Professor from the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Silesia and Paweł Szeibel, PhD from the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice.
The guests of the 30th edition of the Scientific Premiere Stage will talk not only about the underground on a universal scale, but will also refer to the history of Silesia, which for over two centuries has been based on a close relationship with the world under our feet. The topic of the conversation will coincide with the main issues of the exhibition, i.e. “the experience of the distant past circulating between the knowledge of geologists and the imagination of miners”. The past and the present meet the future, as coal mining is inexorably coming to an end, and “our underground needs to be rethought”.
What else does the underground hide? What is their place in history and art? How much do the worlds “above” and “below” interpenetrate and how much influence do they have on each other? All of these questions will be touched upon by Prof. M. Tomczok and P. Szeibel, PhD as part of the Scientific Premiere Stage on 16 March 2023 at 6.00 p.m. The meeting will be hosted by Ewa Niewiadomska.
The exhibition ‘Underground. Subterra incognita’ was prepared by employees of the Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Silesia. The exhibition is the result of cooperation undertaken as part of the Coal Zone during the 6th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE and is part of the activities of the Academic Consortium “Katowice – City of Science”.
The event will be translated into Polish sign language.
We would like to remind you that the previous meetings are available on the USil’s YouTube channel.
[1] All quotes come from the printed programme of the ‘Underground. Subterra incognita’ exhibition.
