Marysia lewandowska biography sample

Renowned Polish-born and London based artist Marysia Lewandowska has been the inaugural resident a variety of the Jencks Foundation at The Intercontinental House. Lewandowska, whose practice over high-mindedness past 20 years has explored honourableness public functions of archives, museums plus exhibitions was invited to review loftiness holdings of the Jencks archive explore a crucial formative time for both the archive and the institution. Authentic from the notion of the narrate as an open-ended construction of benefaction and interpretations, Lewandowska’s artistic research meanwhile her residency engaged with the birthright of Maggie Keswick Jencks as constrain is framed by the multiple histories of The Cosmic House: once unadulterated family home, a built manifesto rejoice Post-Modernism and a meeting place demand the movement’s main protagonists, and at this very moment a museum.

‘Marysia Lewandowska: Histories Without dialect trig Voice’, is a transcript of proposal artist talk at The Courtauld School of Art, London, 11 May 2023 presenting her research residency at Prestige Cosmic House.

In every new project, class most important part of the promise with the institution is the shape of invitation. It is in mosey moment when the approach has antique made and the invitation issued meander a future project begins to pay for its initial shape. In this foremost slide, a scene is set gross three women who were responsible school making this invitation; they are Loftiness Cosmic House director Lily Jencks person in charge daughter of Charles Jencks and Maggie Keswick Jencks, its artistic director Eszter Steierhoffer and trustee Catherine Ince. Uncontrollable met them for the first patch during a Salon gathering organised chunk The Cosmic House in June 2021. The idea of inviting me came from Eszter Steierhoffer who has been aware observe my practice exploring archives, interrogating high society institutions and re-imagining contributions made hard women excluded from the historical narratives.

Let me turn to the site delightful the residency, the house itself – formerly serving as a family habitation to Charles, Maggie and their one children, John and Lily. Acquired comic story 1978, for the following five eld the building underwent a major revolution with an aspiration of becoming systematic built manifesto of Post-Modernism, following keen detailed programme devised by architectural registrar Charles in collaboration with Maggie see many others. A substantial back grounds was designed by Maggie, while influence central part of the house, rectitude Solar Stair was developed by contriver Terry Farrell, who was involved address the engineering side.

At the bottom virtuous the stairwell, embedded in the demolish, sits The Black Hole, a brochure mosaic by the artist Eduardo Paolozzi, a friend of the Keswick next of kin from Scotland.

In the first few weeks of the residency, while getting come close to know the house and its subject, something caught my attention and short what I call the first ‘turning point’. Even though I was very much aware of the scope of loftiness original invitation to focus on depiction contribution of Maggie Keswick (who became Maggie Keswick Jencks in 1978) nurse the design of The Cosmic Household, I was looking for signs cut into her presence in the house unacceptable inside the narrative created by character display. I was conscious of intrusive the material traces of an establishing at the inception of its attractive a museum. Having worked with discrete public museums for the last cardinal years, I'm always interested in fкte the values they represent are artificial and perpetuated. On this occasion Frantic noticed a hand-written pencil inscription turning over Paolozzi’s design for The Black Hole: ‘For Maggie, happy birthday’. I afoot my residency on 4 October (my mother’s birthday), Maggie’s birthday is emergency supply 10 October. I felt that that moment of commemoration and inception damaged a clear direction.

I spent two life each week in the house with bated breath through slides, books and magazines, be first meeting people. For the rest enjoy the week there was so some to process: reading typed and hand-written documents and letters, listening to tapes, traversing a vast and unfamiliar view of other people’s lives. But Raving also wanted to bring something acquiescence my resultant presentation which has nada to do with The Cosmic Give you an idea about itself, but has a lot be carried do with my attention to histories and to the voice.

What you note here is an image of unadulterated damaged porcelain coffee cup. This flagon is the only surviving object liberate yourself from my grandparents’ home in Warsaw, who survived the Second World War. This perverse black shape on the cup critique the residue left by a ablaze flame which engulfed their house close the bombing of Warsaw. Fleeing birth fire, they managed to grab unified cup each. An individual’s relationship enhance history is not the same aim each of us. In my kith and kin, there is no material trace tension history pre-1945. But, of course, in that my grandparents and my parents survived, I am here. The awareness practice my particular history in relation become a generational gesture of handing double up of values has played an tingly role in this project.

Let’s look scornfulness another site, where I continued inaccurate research. Within the first three weeks of the residency, I felt focus Maggie’s presence in The Cosmic Demonstrate was very insubstantial. So at interpretation end of October 2021, Lily station I travelled to Portrack, formerly Maggie’s parents’ house in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

Maggie was there in 1941 to John don Claire Keswick. After Maggie’s death style cancer in 1995, most of present personal belongings, as well as squash archive related to school years, sketchbooks, correspondence, garden-design work, Chinese garden investigating, photographs, slides and Super 8 motion pictures, were moved to Portrack and located in a separate building. In command to set up a private complexity of the films I invited virtuoso and filmmaker David Leister, who commission probably the only person in Writer who has all the equipment abrupt screen any format.

Visiting Portrack House allowing another turning point. I was counterfeit by the presence of clocks, folk tale the fact that none of them were chiming. All the clocks were silent, in fact they had bent stopped when Maggie died at position age of 53. Here occurred added turning point, as around that prior I began thinking of sound submit voice as a way of articulating the missing narrative. Lily offered round negotiate with her brother John, who lives in the house, to seizure the clocks. Once they were make tracks again, she recorded the chimes unexceptional I could use those sounds increase a site-specific sound installation I was creating for The Cosmic House.

My happening exchanges with Lily and other affiliates of the family led to probity building of a necessary trust.

During illustriousness first trip to Scotland, I looked through Maggie’s archive.

Charles attempted to wait a range of disparate materials person in charge make them accessible in what feels like a commemoration room, with topping focus on Maggie’s work as uncut designer. But there is also tidy lot there that is unsorted, uncurated and easily escaped any classification.

Whenever Farcical encountered this kind of material Uncontrollable kept an open mind as say nice things about whether I could use it. Frenzied spent time on my own hopeful through Maggie’s notebooks and sketchbooks, wildcat letters and correspondence with publishers. At hand was a rich mix of exceptional and professional material, impossible to undo just by looking through it.

In that photograph, Maggie is four years hold on. Her father is teaching her still to plant; this is a take hold of touching foundational image of Maggie’s womb-to-tomb interest in plants, in nature, boring gardens.

Maggie Keswick Jencks, photo from nobility Keswick Jencks family house in Portrack, Scotland

Maggie Keswick Jencks, photo from significance Keswick Jencks family house in Portrack, Scotland

Even the soap she used weather buy was called Fleurs des Alpes, by Guerlain, fitting with the lace with of her interests. The design restraint the packaging reminded me of doubtful mother, who used perfume by justness same brand in the 1970s.

These unlooked-for associations, when my own history suffer memories overlaid with what I was researching, were special moments. I began to notice how Maggie was award herself through photographs and collages, individual of them captioned, ‘This book belongs to Maggie Keswick’.

Notebook belonging to Maggie Keswick Jencks

In a scrapbook I institute a newspaper cutting with Maggie delineated as one of ‘London’s Smart Girls’.

A series of photographs shows Maggie nondescript 1962 launching a ship accompanied jam her father, the chairman of Jardine, Matheson & Co., a trading troop based in Hong Kong. Maggie's narration was inextricably linked to China defeat her upbringing and her father’s carve up and service.

Maggie Keswick Jencks with prepare parents, photo from the Keswick Jencks family house in Portrack, Scotland

In nobility late 60s, her social life was thriving. At the time of Fashionable London she opened a fashion mill with a friend, called Anacat. With you see their invitation to what looks like a great dinner business at the London Planetarium. At that point Maggie is becoming an dispersed and creative woman.

There was also put in order writer’s side to Maggie: She scan English at Lady Margaret Hall, Town. And there was a design version to Maggie: in 1970 she registered at the Architectural Association, London, swivel she met Charles Jencks.

Then came on turning point for me – noticing how much she is present persist the camera.

Alongside writing, designing and draught, Maggie was an image-maker, constantly engaging pictures and documenting, as well renovation gathering reference material for her book.

Maggie Keswick Jencks, photo from the Keswick Jencks family house in Portrack, Scotland

In the early 70s she made go to regularly trips to China, which led make somebody's day publishing in 1977 an important retain on the Chinese garden, where she explores both its history and philosophy.

In the 1970s it was unheard racket for a Westerner and a lady to become an authority on that subject. With the publication of rectitude book, Maggie established herself as clever public intellectual: being interviewed by high-mindedness BBC, giving lectures in the Allied Kingdom, the United States, Canada present-day Hong Kong.

In 1987, in Vancouver, she gave a lecture which was sound recorded.

Coming across that recording provided alternative turning point for me: I heard Maggie’s voice for the first date. It is also when her mind as a passionate public speaker was revealed to me.

Maggie used watercolours mid her travels and in her disused related to garden design.

In 1988 she was diagnosed with cancer. Maggie’s bore to tears in Chinese cosmology and her referencing of the Dao philosophy, which strategic ‘the way’, became more frequent take profound then. You can detect saunter in her multiple drawings of picture scholars’ rocks which she was circumscribed by both at Portrack, where they were part of her parent’s egg on, and later at her and Charles’ home. There's a sense of judgment through very deep time, as outward show ancient Chinese culture, in which amity does not think about the closest week, month or year; it's assessment ahead a thousand years.

Chinese scholar's rocks at The Cosmic House

A set embodiment unopened Kodak processing envelopes addressed be selected for Mrs Charles Jencks at 19 Lansdowne Walk provided another moment of caring reflection for me: Why were these never opened?What did they contain? Become peaceful, more disturbingly, the envelopes demonstrated accomplish something Maggie’s identity disappeared into a ‘wife-shaped void’. The contents were Super 8 films, a typical format for impress movies. Lily and I watched interpretation films for two or three twelve o\'clock noon, and her two young children attended us for a while. I was witnessing a generational continuity live despite the fact that well as recorded. We never perceive Maggie in the films – she is behind the camera. And she's an excellent filmmaker: patient, attentive, bit by bit letting the scene unfold.

This early set had reaffirmed my desire to both recover Maggie Keswick from Mrs River Jencks and to discover how depiction two were related.

It led me infer start looking for signs of Maggie’s role in the 1978 transformation flash the house at Lansdowne Walk. That set of staged photographs taken about a shoot for a magazine unit composition shows the couple sitting at interpretation dinner table in what is get out as the Summer room. Maggie job pictured with her notebook, which Uncontrollable later discovered contains details of honourableness house’s design, logistics of construction, option of finishes and furnishings.

Notebook belonging kindhearted Maggie Keswick Jencks

View of Time Pleasure garden at The Cosmic House designed toddler Maggie Keswick Jencks

Apart from being take part in in the design process and consignment management, Maggie often participated in Charles’ intellectual journey during numerous trips hide East Asia. Europe and the Collective States, while carrying out her publicize research. Here is a picture free during one such occasion in 1981, showing Maggie and Charles after capital lecture at École des Beaux-Arts agreement Paris, the photograph was taken make wet a well-known Polish photographer Eustachy Kossakowski.

During my residency I encountered mostly imagery materials, which I very much welcomed.

Despite not being physically stable, they naturally express their own technological past. Beholding these for the first time offered a particular kind of excitement. Negation one had pre-selected or curated man of it for me, so Berserk could begin from anywhere, introducing obtain inventing my own methods. You engender a feeling of an inexplicable pull, a tug most modern an inner hunch without a order that it will lead anywhere.

Material come across the Keswick Jencks family house compel Portrack, Scotland

After my very first go again to Portrack in October 2021 Lily and I brought all of rectitude audio tapes to London with integrity intention of having them digitised. Amidst them were ‘Portrack Seminars’, another melodic rich part of Charles' and Maggie’s life.

The Portrack Seminars in Portrack, Scotland

Maggie Keswick Jencks in Portrack, Scotland

Material affinity to Maggie Keswick Jencks from picture Keswick Jencks family house in Portrack, Scotland

Halfway through my research residency, Raving organised a workshop on the concept of ‘voicing the archive’.

I invited limelight historian Catherine Grant and curator Jess Fernie – both have done sort out around women's histories, the public domain and archives – artist Ella More appropriate, herself working with voice and acceptably, and artist/curator Karen Di Franco, who presented her research on Carolee Schneemann. This very intimate session helped well to gain confidence through mutual bet on with peers as well by pivotal early ideas for the possible indicator outcomes.

Catherine Grant, Karen Di Franco, Lily Jencks, Jess Fernie, Ella Finer, humbling Eszter Steierhoffer in Time Garden power The Cosmic House

In June 2022, on the subject of turning point occurred during a above trip to Portrack. I unexpectedly came across a notebook which Maggie reserved between 1982 and 83 – punctually during the transformation of The Large House. If I needed any endeavor of Maggie’s actual involvement in decency design and realisation process, it was to be found there.

This brings resolved to the first of the join site-specific audio artworks I made primate a result of the research where one lives stress at the house. I used prestige notebook as an invitation to believe with its content, and chose expressiveness as my method of displaying be a success. Artist Ella Finer (http://www.ellafiner.com) whose practice has for many years been invested fell sound, has lent her voice stall read out the content of pre-selected pages. My instruction was that she reads out everything she could representation on the page; including the wits of the Biro ink, every mark mark, every swish and arrow. Like this that you could visualise the tome without seeing it. Her voice guides our imagination through endless lists tinge taps, lamps, fabrics, carpets, fittings. Careful to her is one way show consideration for acknowledging Maggie’s significant contribution to distinction conceptual as well as actual labour carried out during the transformation deadly the house. This recording is false in Maggie’s former study on distinction first floor of The Cosmic House.

The second audio work was conceived orang-utan an imaginary introduction to the house–museum by Maggie herself. Its source substance is an audio recording of boss lecture Maggie gave in Vancouver in relation to the history and philosophy of Sinitic gardens. The more I listened nominate that recording, to the passionate turf tender delivery, the more I became committed to work with it. That is, ultimately, what an artist has licence to do: provide access constitute history by way of fiction.

So what I ended up doing was creation a narrative by editing the instant recording in a new way. That construction had to first work because a written text. I was aided by Wing Chan, a book copy editor from Hong Kong, as we experimented with the sequencing in a ‘cut and paste’ analogue way.

Once we finalised the new narrative, the sound case in point could begin. Collaborating with Robert Colours, an incredibly skilled and sensitive expression editor, we set out to fabricate a convincing audio introduction to authority Cosmic House given by Maggie immaculate an unspecified time. In the endorsement piece, installed in the Spring continue, her voice is emitted from rendering existing concealed loudspeakers. These belong divulge the architecture of the house, viewpoint had never been previously used provoke the museum. The fifteen-minute recording begins with the sound of a break in clock and ends with that timbre played backwards.

I wanted the project type open on 10th of October – Maggie’s birthday, of which I empathize with from Paolozzi’s dedication.

Opening of how get into pass through a door at Honesty Cosmic House

My first turning point became the beginning of the public flinch celebrating Maggie’s intellectual and artistic charge to the house. Visitors receive grand free booklet, allowing for a self-guided visit. In collaboration with graphic establisher Stefan Andersson (https://www.karlstefanandersson.com/) I have created smart companion publication, acting as a token of the visit, highlighting the position Maggie played in the transformation abide the subsequent cultural and social authenticated of the House. It contains topping transcript of the text spoken unhelpful Maggie in one of the sound works, together with an image drug the sound wave which discreetly gives away how the original Maggie’s talk recording from Vancouver was re-imagined.