Saturday, September 21, 2019 in the Multimedia Auditorium of the Polish Social & Cultural Association, at 12:00 PM
(238–246 King Street, London, 4th floor)

What kind of cultural meanings can influence space and its urban planning? How do decision makers use the semantics of a place in order to exert influence on society? Can literary studies help to reconstruct the experience of a space at a particular historical time, and how could the metamorphosis of the place become part of the symbolic struggle? Researchers representing distinct branches and research centers will try to answer these questions. They will also raise the matter of ‘imagined architecture’, which is slowly becoming a carrier of identity (for example when it needs to be supported abroad).
The research carried out by the international Architectural Literary Studies team, from the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, is a model of exploring ‘difficult places’. These are areas whose semantics bring on a decision-making problem regarding its transformation. We wish to expand previous research on this topic by adding a context of imagined space in terms of specific ideas that are shaped by émigré milieus. Those that exist in actual space, which are, however, ‘created/imagined’ places (located outside one’s homeland) are important not only in terms of identity, but because they exist in various realities of social and cultural life, and can thus have a significant impact on defining contemporary research methodologies.

The symposium feature scholars from the Institute of European Culture, The Institute of Technical Sciences of the Polish University Abroad in London and participants of a study group working on behalf of The Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Science.

The Scientific and Organizing Board:
Prof. D. Sc. Halina Taborska (The Institute of European Culture, Polish University Abroad in London, London)
Ph.D. Justyna Gorzkowicz (The Institute of European Culture, Polish University Abroad in London, London)
Ph.D. Aleksandra Wójtowicz (The Institute of Literary Research of The Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw)
Ph.D. Marian Zastawny (The Institute of Technical Sciences of Polish University Abroad, in London)
MSc Halina Stochnioł (Secretary of Polish University Abroad, London)
MA Jarosław Solecki (The Institute of European Culture, Polish University Abroad in London)

Programme:
12:00 Welcome speech by Prof. D. Sc. Tomasz J. Kaźmierski, PUNO Rector
12:15 Introduction
Ph.D. Justyna Gorzkowicz (The Institute of European Culture, Polish University Abroad in London)
12:30
What are the architectural literary studies and ‘difficult places’?
Ph.D. Aleksandra Wójtowicz (The Institute of Literary Research of The Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw)
13:00
Seen from the bottom? Lecture about the possibilities in writing the history of culture of the Royal Route.
Ph.D. Igor Piotrowski (The Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw)
14:30
The phenomenon of the Saxon Garden as a summer parlour of Warsaw
MSc Krzysztof Mordyński (The Polish Academy of Science, Institute of Art/ University of Warsaw Museum, Warsaw)
15:00
Places of identity in terms of emigration regarding to “imagined architecture”
Ph.D. Justyna Gorzkowicz (The Institute of European Culture, PUNO)
15:30 Coffee break
15:45 Discussion, moderator: Prof. D. Sc. Tomasz J. Kaźmierski
16:30 Conclusion

The research is funded as a part of the National Programme for the Development of Humanities of the Minister of Science and Higher Education in the years 2016–2019. Grant “Architectural Literary Studies”, IBL PAN, project manager: Ph.D. Aleksandra Wójtowicz, 0176/NPRH4/H2a/83/2016.

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