Client: Polish Government, National Chamber of Commerce

Overview

The glass sculpture by Tomasz Urbanowicz “The Spirit of the Piano” was the main artistic element in the Pavilion of Poland at EXPO 2005 in Japan. The Pavilion of Poland designed by the architectural firm Ingarden & Ewý and the artist Aleksander Janicki was created as a metaphorical space, supporting the theme of the Polish presentation “See the Beauty”. The presentation itself was focused on the main theme of the persona of Frederic Chopin.

Goals

The focal architectural elements creating the exposition space were the wicker elevation of the pavilion, reminiscent of a cloud being carried by the wind as well as a symbolic separation of Poland, which was at the same time a multifunctional amphitheater for multimedia displays, musical concerts, meetings with authors, etc. In this space, above the stage, hung a monumental and illuminated glass sculpture of a piano by Tomasz Urbanowicz, which was greatly appreciated by Mr. Shoichiro Toyoda. Once the EXPO had finished, the sculpture was handed over to the President of Toyota Transportation- Mr. Tokuo Ogawa to be used in the Chopin Concert Hall that the Toyota consortium was intending to build in one of the most prestigious health resorts near Mount Fuji.

Process

The architects of Ingarden & Ewý architectural firm together with the artist Aleksander Janicki carried out a research on associations about Poland and polish culture among Japanese. It turned out that the strongest link leads to the polish famous pianist Frederic Chopin. Therefore the architects decided to place the glass scuplture of the piano in the central area of the pavilion and contacted Tomasz Urbanowicz to propose the artistc solution for the artwork. The original design is based on the author's interpretation of the spirit of the piano - raised and suspended in the air. The artistic glass elements weigh 300 kg each and are suspended in a innovative way on 3 assembly points.

Additional Information

Poland’s involvement in EXPO 2005 was organized by the National Chamber of Commerce as commissioned by the Ministry of Economy and Labor.