Two evening performances have already taken place on the slope in the Market Square. On Thursday, the actors of Teatr Formy (Pantomime Stage from Wrocław) presented the pantomime and butoh dance happening “Burnt by the Sun”, while on Friday Żywy Teatr from Bielawa presented “Dance of Fire” – a fireshow performance. Both performances attracted a large audience.
On Saturday, visitors will be able to see three unusual ceramic kilns on the slope. The first of them, “Aquarium of Fire”, has been standing there since Thursday. It is an original construction by Mateusz Grobelny – a ceramic artist who is once again attending the Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival. Each time, he brings a different kiln.
This time, it is a construction with a metal frame covered in silica wool. Thanks to the wool, the kiln walls are transparent. When the kiln reaches the right temperature, you can see flames flowing in waves through its interior. Hence the name: Aquarium of Fire. Marta Cieślak, a ceramics student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, is working with Mateusz Grobelny.
Two more kilns will be built on Saturday: a Raku kiln and a Hungarian kiln. Raku is a firing technique originating in Japan. It involves taking a vessel out of the hot kiln and placing it on grass or sawdust. During this brief period, the most important processes take place on the surface of the pieces, determining the final appearance of the work. Two artists, Marta Kędzierska and Jarek Tratkiewicz, will demonstrate this technique.
The traditional brick Hungarian kiln, familiar to the residents of Bolesławiec, allows visitors to look inside thanks to the gaps between the bricks from which it is built. The Hungarian kiln will be constructed by Norimunds Langis, a participant in the ceramic plein-air workshop from Latvia.
On Sunday, Wojciech Tężycki’s paper kiln will be built on the slope.
All activities connected with the kilns can be viewed from 10:00 to 20:00. Visitors can also purchase original vessels fired in the “Aquarium of Fire”, distinguished by their interesting and original colours and by the fact that each vessel is unique.