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O negatywach z Muzeum Techniczno-Przemysłowego

Abstrakt

THE MIRROR OF MEMORY. ON THE NEGATIVES FROM THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY IN KRAKÓW

In 1967 the Library of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków donated to the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków a  collection of glass photographic plates from the former photographic workshop of the Museum of Industrial Art, i.e. from the Municipal Museum of Industry which had ceased to exist in 1950. The collection that was taken over by the Historical Museum comprises 1790 items, including glass plates covered with gelatine bromide emulsion, cut sheet films, and colour separation sheets for  printed reproduction. Along with the plates, the donatedcollection also included storage cards with reference numbers and brief descriptions of the plates, which made tchem easier to identify. The Museum of Science and Industry in Kraków was established in 1868 on the initiative of Adrian Baraniecki (1828–1891), a_physician and social activist who had spent several years (1864–1868) in England. Having become acquainted with the collections and research of South Kensington Museum, he collected about five thousand exhibits which he subsequently donated to the City of Kraków in 1868. The collection consisted mostly of samples of materials, machine models, and tools. It grew rapidly thanks to the public campaign launched to collect donations from Polish society. The museum also had a_permanent acquisitions fund, and from the establishment of the model museum workshops onward the collection was gradually enriched by the products manufactured by those worshops, as well as post-competition items. The surviving negatives oer us glimpses of the Musem itself, as well as its collections, extensive research and activity. They constitute documentation of the range of vocational and training courses run by that institution, its workshops and services, as well as the promotion of its exhibitions and publications. Events which were organized by the Museum itself, but beyond museum facilities as such are also well documented and presented in an interesting way. Such an approach represents a_rather modern way of thinking about the promotion and marketing of an institution, including an element of conscious brand building of the Museum. The collection is traditionally associated with the name of Stanisław Kolowca (1904–1968) who ran the photographic workshop at the Museum of Industry for 14 years (from 1925 to 1938). Kolowca left behind visual documentation of exhibitions, objects, places and people, yet his photographs possess an unquestionable artistic quality as well. The artistryis the result of his choice of perspective, the way he builds the inner space within the frame, and the way he handles light. Formal perfection combined with the artist’s skillful perspective on the subject create the impression that we perceive itas remarkably realistic. Stanisław Kolowca’s photographs set a standard of excellence for anyone who documents, inventories, and digitalizes works of art.