Tęcza (Warsaw)

Coordinates: 52°13′11″N 21°01′05″E / 52.21972°N 21.01806°E

Tęcza, fully constructed again, May 2014
Tęcza, fully constructed, October 2012
Tęcza, burned after riots, November 2013
Tęcza, burned after riots, November 2012, with some volunteer decorations

Tęcza (pronounced [ˈtɛntʃa], meaning "rainbow") is an artistic construction in the form of a giant rainbow made of artificial flowers, designed by Polish artist Julita Wójcik, located on the Savior Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in the Polish capital of Warsaw since summer 2012.[1] It is maintained by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.[1] It has been vandalized several times, generating significant media coverage in Polish media, usually in the context of the LGBT rights in Poland.[2]

History

This installation is a third in a series of similar installations created by Wójcik; the second one was featured in front of the European Parliament in Brussels during the Polish presidency of the European Union since 8 September 2011.[1][3] The Warsaw Tęcza is based on the Brussels one, which was moved to Warsaw on 8 June 2012.[1] For this project, Wójcik received the Paszport Polityki award.[4] The installation is supposed to evoke positive feelings related to the rainbow, such as love, peace and hope, and should be a universal, apolitical symbol.[3] However, far-right nationalist and Catholic groups identified it with the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBT movement.[5]

Vandalism and controversies

As the rainbow symbol is also associated with the LGBT movement, locating the Tęcza in the Savior Square in Warsaw has proved controversial.[2][6][7] The installation has been damaged five times as of November 2013, with the usual method of vandalism being arson.[8] The installation was damaged on 13 September 2012, 1 January 2013 (this one was ruled to be an accidental fireworks damage), 4 January 2013, July 2013 and once again during marches on Polish Independence Day on 11 November 2013.[7][8] The November 2013 incident occurred in the background of a wider riot by right-wing nationalists, who clashed with police and vandalized other parts of the city as well, also attacking the Warsaw's Russian embassy.[9]

The installation has been criticized by conservative and right-wing figures. Law and Justice politician Bartosz Kownacki derogatorily called the installation a "faggot rainbow" (pedalska tęcza).[2][9][10] Another Law and Justice politician, Stanisław Pięta, complained that this "hideous rainbow had hurt the feelings of believers" (attending the nearby Church of the Holiest Saviour).[5] Priest Tadeusz Rydzyk of Radio Maryja fame, described it as a "symbol of deviancy".[11]

Following the November 2013 incident, reconstruction of the Tęcza has garnered support from left-wing and liberal groups, with slogans such as "Freedom cannot be burned"; over 50,000 people have expressed support for a Polish Facebook page supporting its rebuilding.[5][8][12] President of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz from the Civic Platform, declared that the installation "will be rebuilt as many times as necessary".[5][13] Several Polish celebrity figures have endorsed the installation, such as Edyta Górniak, Katarzyna Zielińska, Monika Olejnik and Michał Piróg; it has also been endorsed by the Swedish ambassador to Poland and LGBT activist Staffan Herrström.[8]

On December 7, 2014, the rainbow was lit on fire by an unknown man just before 1:30 AM in the morning. The flames were put out quickly by a police officer. The man who lit the rainbow on fire was not apprehended.

According to some commentators, the controversies over the Tęcza installation exemplify the divisions within the Polish society, between the "progressive Western ideas of civil society and traditional, Catholic Polish values".[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Instytut Adama Mickiewicza - Warsztaty towarzyszące odnowieniu Tęczy na Placu Zbawiciela". Iam.pl. 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Julita Wójcik, autorka "Tęczy": Tęcza, zwłaszcza ta spalona, ma być symbolem opamiętania - Wiadomości - WP.PL". Wiadomosci.wp.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 ""Tęcza" Julity Wójcik w Warszawie" (in Polish). Culture.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  4. ↑ "warsztaty Julity Wójcik odnowienie Tęczy - wydarzenia | archiwum - Zachęta – Narodowa Galeria Sztuki". Zacheta.art.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Stay informed today and every day (1939-08-31). "Poland: Burning the rainbow". The Economist. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  6. ↑ "Jest reakcja właściciela tęczy. "Agresja żuli"". Wiadomosci.onet.pl. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Julita Wójcik, autorka 'Tęczy': Ktoś ich musi powstrzymać" (in Polish). Wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Polityczna historia tęczy z Placu Zbawiciela | Tęcza na miarę naszych możliwości". Polityka.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Why Poland's Right-Wing Thugs Keep Burning Rainbows | FP Passport". Blog.foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  10. ↑ Polityka. ""Pedalska tęcza". Kownacki podtrzymuje swoje słowa - TVP Regionalna - Telewizja Polska S.A". Regionalna.tvp.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  11. ↑ "Rydzyk o tęczy: Symbole zboczeń nie powinny być tolerowane". Fakt.onet.pl. 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  12. ↑ "Tysiące lajków dla tęczy. Na Facebooku zawrzało" (in Polish). Warszawa.gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  13. ↑ "Odbudują tęczę. "Ile razy trzeba będzie, tyle razy będziemy"". Tvnwarszawa.tvn24.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rainbow at Zbawiciela Square in Warsaw.