Prize awarded by the jury composed of: Michał Chaciński, Mark-Paul Mayer and Łukasz Skąpski
In the late 1950s the Russians began their investigations in space travel - one of the most well known astronauts, alongside Juri Gagarin, was Laika. Russian researchers sent all together 48 dogs into space. Before each flight every dog was examined and biologically tested in the laboratories of the Aviation Medical Institute. Among the employees of the institute, lab workers were responsible for the well being of the dogs - one of these carers was a young Russian woman and she is the protagonist interviewed in the video "The Road to the Stars". The video "The Road to the Stars" is part of an installation entitled “Museum of Dogs” – it is a reconstruction of an old fashioned interior of a museum featuring artifacts, furniture and display cabinets, where photographs and memorabilia of the Russian dogs who participated in the first space flights are presented.
Michalina Mistrzak
I was born in Poznań, where I currently live and work. I am interested in art practice that is based on empathy towards human and non-human lives. Recently, I have been focusing on emotional attitudes within a scientific context. The moment of disintegration of scientific beliefs when confronted with ethical issues is of particular interest to me. On the other hand I am also interested in the role of artistic practice in everyday life, by which I mean the participation of amateurs in widely understood artistic activities.
EDUCATION: BA in Intermedia (Faculty of Multimedia Communication), University of Arts, Poznań, Poland (October 2010- June 2013); BA and MA in Cognitive Science, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland (October 2005-September 2010)
EXHIBITED WORK: Startpoint Prize 2013, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague, CZ, 2013; „Muzeum Psów” [Museum of Dogs], Galeria Siłownia, Poznań, PL, 2013; „Praca-Dom” [Work-Home], Klub/Księgarnia Zemsta, Poznań, PL, 2013; „Hotel Insomnia”, Hotel Bazar, Poznań, PL, 2013; „KontenerART”, Galeria Siłownia as well as Citylights, Poznań, PL, 2012; „Ciało zbiorowe” [Collective Body], Galeria BWA, Zielona Góra,PL,2011