Kuyavia and Pomerania, celebrating the Year of the People of Science, will host a week under the theme Copernicus (Remix) at Expo 2025 in Osaka. From 11 to 17 September, art will meet science, fashion with technology and tradition with pop culture there. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the region’s history and achievements, in front of visitors to the Poland Pavilion.
When we think of Kuyavia-Pomerania, gingerbread from Toruń, Gothic walls and the calm current of the Vistula come to mind. This region is just getting ready to show how to combine tradition with a futuristic vision and delight Japan. Voivodeship Marshal Piotr Całbecki sees this project not only as a promotion for the region, but also as a story about the identity of its inhabitants: – Kujawsko-Pomorskie is a place where you live well. It is a space where you can stop, relax and at the same time reach further – all the way to the stars. That is why our presence in Osaka shows not only the beauty of the region, but also its innovation and openness. We want the world to see us as a community that draws strength from tradition, while at the same time boldly experimenting and looking for new ways to develop ,” emphasises the provincial host.
Armour like from an anime, crystal like from a CPU
The biggest star of the programme will be the “Czochralski Armour” – a fashion costume based on a concept by Jan Świerkowski, curator of art & science, designed by Rad Duet, winners of the Golden Thread Award, and brought to life by the panGenerator collective, awarded the Polityka’s Passport in the digital culture category. The story of the installation is reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki’s manga: a girl climbs into the attic and finds the notes of her brilliant grandfather – a sketch of unusual armour. Once completed, the costume allows her to feel the breath of cosmic radiation and transforms the girl into a superheroine. – I was inspired by the figure of Pałuki-born Jan Czochralski, a scientist whose method of producing silicon crystals opened the way to the computer age,” says Jan Świerkowski, curator of the Copernicus (Remix) exhibition.– “Czochralski’s Armour” shows that science can be a source of emotion and imagination and, when combined with art, changes the way we look at ourselves.
On the one hand – Pałuckian handicrafts and local ornaments. On the other – a multimedia light grid and the aesthetics of science fiction. A meeting of the past and the future in one artistic costume – and also a nod to the region, where the modern Professor Jan Czochralski Kuyavian-Pomeranian Science and Technology Centre has recently been operating.
Retro-games that tell the story of the cosmos
Another attraction is the B61 Institute’s games exhibition ‘The Copernican Principle’, created in collaboration with artist Tomasz Wlaźlak. Three arcade machines, flashing with neon lights, will take visitors on a journey through the cosmos. However, this is not about a so-called ordinary shooter. The question of ethics is at stake here. Do we always have to destroy in the galactic pursuit? What happens when we cannot cast ourselves as heroic conquerors?
The filmmakers wink at Japan – a country that loves the retro aesthetic of the 1980s and 1990s – and in Osaka, a city of neon lights and old arcades, these slot machines will find themselves right at home. And by the way, they will remind you that it is Kujawsko-Pomorskie – the region of Copernicus – that has been looking to the skies for centuries, posing questions that give a new direction and outlook on the world.
Music, gingerbread and the Sun
In the evenings, the stage will belong to music. Steve Nash and Nina Minor’s Project Piano will show how electronic music, which has cult status in Japan, sounds in Poland. Mariusz Lubomski will add melancholy and lyricism to the programme. And those who prefer to be creators and not just receivers will sit down at the consoles in DJ Funktion’s installation to create their own 8-bit symphony. ‘ I’d like my installation to not only be a lot of fun, but also an invitation for the Japanese public to play and explore sounds together,’ says the three-time IDA DJ World Champion.
Copernicus Principle, photo by Adrian Chmielewski
And since Kujawsko-Pomorskie will appear in Japan, so will spicy delicacies from Toruń. But not the kind we know from confectioneries. Visitors to the EXPO will taste gingerbread ice-cream and cosmic gingerbread in a futuristic version, as well as dishes prepared by renowned chef Artur Moroz. Flavours from Kuyavia and Pomerania will combine tradition with experimentation – just like the entire programme.
There will also be no shortage of science in its purest form – from Copernicus to contemporary researchers who are developing his legacy. During astronomy shows, visitors will be able to take a peek inside the Sun, listen to flares and explosions – and for a moment feel like Copernicus’ pupils ,” says astronomer and science populariser Sebastian Soberski.
Japan is a country of the future woven from memories of the past. Retro-consoles stand right next to skyscrapers there, and manga is as important a medium as classical music. It is no wonder that Kujawsko-Pomorskie is keen to showcase its capabilities here. As Marshal Piotr Całbecki says: ” Our region has two faces: the historical one, based on a rich cultural heritage – and the modern, bold one, reaching for the stars. We want the EXPO to show both our pride in the past and our look to the future. This is how we understand freedom: being rooted in culture and daring to reach out to the cosmos. In Osaka, these two worlds will merge into one coherent story.
source: press materials
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