Event summary
Honesty in culture
On April 30, 2022, another meeting in the "Values in culture" series was held at the Lentz Villa. This time, the participants reflected on the issue of honesty in culture.
The following persons accepted the invitation to participate in the debate:
Joanna Pieciukiewicz, director and screenwriter, author of documentary films, including Honor Generała dedicated to General Stanisław Sosabowski and Grudzień Nasz i Wasz about the December revolution in Szczecin in 1970.
Maciej Dębowski, discoverer of an unknown painting by Petr Jan Brandl in the parish church in Żabów near Pyrzyce. He has dedicated all his professional life to research, protection and popularisation of monuments. From 2010 to 2018, he managed the Department of Real Estate at the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Szczecin, and from 2018 the Municipal Conservation Officer in Szczecin. Early music lover and co-organiser of artistic events organised by the Academy of Early Music Foundation and the Roztoka Castle Foundation.
Jerzy Undro, photojournalist of the CAF Central Photo Agency and then the Polish Press Agency (PAP). In Poland, he documented the most important events of the last few decades, including August 1980, martial law's introduction, the oil eruption near Karlino and the tragic fire of the famous Kaskada. In 1980, he photographed the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Literature to Czesław Miłosz in Stockholm and then the Nobel Prize winner's trip around Poland. Undro witnessed, among others, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. As a war correspondent, he frequently travelled to Iraq, Chad and Afghanistan.
Grzegorz Czarnecki, artist photographer, cultural manager, organiser of exhibitions and cultural projects, publisher, initiator, author and co-author of many publications, editor-in-chief of the Zeszyty Szczecińskie series, head of the 1839 Association, initiator of social campaigns, including Green Yards of Szczecin.
Rafał Bajena, production manager – president of the FilmService Foundation. Since the 1990s, he has been creating various events in the general field of art.
Aleksander Cywiński, doctor of social sciences in the field of pedagogy, lawyer, educator; former probation officer for adult cases at the District Court Szczecin – Centrum in Szczecin. He deals with the issues of human rights, family law, and the functioning of the probation court service.
The debate was hosted by Agnieszka Kuchcińska-Kurcz, a journalist and museologist, author of press reports, and co-author of documentaries and books about groundbreaking events in Western Pomerania. Originator and curator of the National Museum in Szczecin – Dialogue Centre Upheavals, educational and social projects.
The questions the debate addressed included: Do we expect honesty when communing with culture, and what does it mean? When can we say that culture is fair? When can we say that artistic work, a cultural activity, is dishonest? Should the creator of culture be honest with the recipient? What does it mean?
The debate started with attempts to define the concept of fairness. In addition to the definitions of the term "honesty" quoted by Aleksander Cywiński (e.g. following the "Dictionary of the Polish language": "honest – reliable in proceedings, respecting someone else's property, incapable of fraud, or: proving such features; following the adopted rules or law; consistent with reality or truth; colloquially "as it should be") the speakers presented their own definitions in relation to the activities they perform. Rafał Bajena spoke about the fact that cultural activity must be marked by social responsibility, and he associates honesty in this area with honesty. Joanna Pieciukiewicz maintained that the creator of a documentary film must not hurt the protagonist by, for example, revealing their secrets or lacking empathy when creating the film. According to the documentalist, also feature films that claim to be historical should be based on reliable facts. If they depart from them in connection with, for example, experimenting or playing with convention, their creators should inform the viewer fairly about it.
Michał Dębowski wondered whether the act of creation, an artistic transformation of facts and reality, can even be compared to the notion of honesty in a common-sense since the essence of culture is the changeability of conventions. The speaker emphasised that honesty is the basis of a social contract and cannot be tantamount to meeting anyone's expectations. Grzegorz Czarnecki drew attention to an important issue: the relationship between the intentions, projects of the creator, and the possibilities of their fulfilment, often dependent on the rules of adjudication of competitions affected by the projects. He emphasised the importance of substantive honesty in the evaluation of projects and organisational honesty – he mentioned the reprehensible practices of organising competitions in which "relatives and friends of the rabbit" win. He judged it to be a legacy of the previous epoch – well-preserved remains of "homo sovieticus", which were kept in the clerical sphere. Jerzy Undro emphasised the importance of respecting decency in the mass media. He considered the illegal use of other people's works and copyright infringement reprehensible. He told about the falsifications during international photo competitions, where the creators presented prepared photos that skilfully "improved" the reality. The rules of competitions were to be changed as an antidote to this type of practice, eliminating the possibility of forgery. He also took up important issues of plagiarism appearing in the entire, broadly understood sphere of culture.
Other speakers also cited examples of dishonesty associated with the abuse of the recipient's trust but also the co-creator of the work. The most extreme example presented by Aleksander Cywiński was a situation in which, during the filming of "The Last Tango in Paris" directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, the actress playing the leading role, Maria Schneider, was raped. The director was supposed to recognise that real emotions would be filmed this way, not just their imitation.
During a discussion with the audience, one speaker pointed out that what's natural doesn't have to be fair, and what's honest doesn't have to be decent. This statement was a pretext to take up another topic about moral elements in culture. There was also talk of honesty as a goal of culture or dishonesty in public spaces. Social media has become a good example in which fake news often dominates the facts and completely changes the perception of reality. Michał Dębowski drew attention to one more issue – the responsibility of the recipient of culture, who should be able to separate truth from falsehood.
In the end, Agnieszka Kuchcińska-Kurcz mentioned what honesty at the Dialogue Center Upheavals is – it is the presentation of history in accordance with the facts, different points of view and perspectives, maintaining balance and harmony between macro-history and micro-history, respect for various sources: testimonies of history, documents, photos, videos, objects. Relationships with donors, who are informed about the methods of using the collections, are also built on honesty, and the copyright is respected. It is also necessary to treat every viewer fairly and ensure equal access to culture, regardless of their psychophysical condition and material status, as well as fair treatment of project partners.
The summary was a list of other concepts that appeared during the debate, completing the definition of honesty. Diligence, quality, mindfulness and transparency were considered the most important.
Joanna Pieciukiewicz, director and screenwriter, author of documentary films, including Honor Generała dedicated to General Stanisław Sosabowski and Grudzień Nasz i Wasz about the December revolution in Szczecin in 1970.
Maciej Dębowski, discoverer of an unknown painting by Petr Jan Brandl in the parish church in Żabów near Pyrzyce. He has dedicated all his professional life to research, protection and popularisation of monuments. From 2010 to 2018, he managed the Department of Real Estate at the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Szczecin, and from 2018 the Municipal Conservation Officer in Szczecin. Early music lover and co-organiser of artistic events organised by the Academy of Early Music Foundation and the Roztoka Castle Foundation.
Jerzy Undro, photojournalist of the CAF Central Photo Agency and then the Polish Press Agency (PAP). In Poland, he documented the most important events of the last few decades, including August 1980, martial law's introduction, the oil eruption near Karlino and the tragic fire of the famous Kaskada. In 1980, he photographed the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Literature to Czesław Miłosz in Stockholm and then the Nobel Prize winner's trip around Poland. Undro witnessed, among others, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. As a war correspondent, he frequently travelled to Iraq, Chad and Afghanistan.
Grzegorz Czarnecki, artist photographer, cultural manager, organiser of exhibitions and cultural projects, publisher, initiator, author and co-author of many publications, editor-in-chief of the Zeszyty Szczecińskie series, head of the 1839 Association, initiator of social campaigns, including Green Yards of Szczecin.
Rafał Bajena, production manager – president of the FilmService Foundation. Since the 1990s, he has been creating various events in the general field of art.
Aleksander Cywiński, doctor of social sciences in the field of pedagogy, lawyer, educator; former probation officer for adult cases at the District Court Szczecin – Centrum in Szczecin. He deals with the issues of human rights, family law, and the functioning of the probation court service.
The debate was hosted by Agnieszka Kuchcińska-Kurcz, a journalist and museologist, author of press reports, and co-author of documentaries and books about groundbreaking events in Western Pomerania. Originator and curator of the National Museum in Szczecin – Dialogue Centre Upheavals, educational and social projects.
The questions the debate addressed included: Do we expect honesty when communing with culture, and what does it mean? When can we say that culture is fair? When can we say that artistic work, a cultural activity, is dishonest? Should the creator of culture be honest with the recipient? What does it mean?
The debate started with attempts to define the concept of fairness. In addition to the definitions of the term "honesty" quoted by Aleksander Cywiński (e.g. following the "Dictionary of the Polish language": "honest – reliable in proceedings, respecting someone else's property, incapable of fraud, or: proving such features; following the adopted rules or law; consistent with reality or truth; colloquially "as it should be") the speakers presented their own definitions in relation to the activities they perform. Rafał Bajena spoke about the fact that cultural activity must be marked by social responsibility, and he associates honesty in this area with honesty. Joanna Pieciukiewicz maintained that the creator of a documentary film must not hurt the protagonist by, for example, revealing their secrets or lacking empathy when creating the film. According to the documentalist, also feature films that claim to be historical should be based on reliable facts. If they depart from them in connection with, for example, experimenting or playing with convention, their creators should inform the viewer fairly about it.
Michał Dębowski wondered whether the act of creation, an artistic transformation of facts and reality, can even be compared to the notion of honesty in a common-sense since the essence of culture is the changeability of conventions. The speaker emphasised that honesty is the basis of a social contract and cannot be tantamount to meeting anyone's expectations. Grzegorz Czarnecki drew attention to an important issue: the relationship between the intentions, projects of the creator, and the possibilities of their fulfilment, often dependent on the rules of adjudication of competitions affected by the projects. He emphasised the importance of substantive honesty in the evaluation of projects and organisational honesty – he mentioned the reprehensible practices of organising competitions in which "relatives and friends of the rabbit" win. He judged it to be a legacy of the previous epoch – well-preserved remains of "homo sovieticus", which were kept in the clerical sphere. Jerzy Undro emphasised the importance of respecting decency in the mass media. He considered the illegal use of other people's works and copyright infringement reprehensible. He told about the falsifications during international photo competitions, where the creators presented prepared photos that skilfully "improved" the reality. The rules of competitions were to be changed as an antidote to this type of practice, eliminating the possibility of forgery. He also took up important issues of plagiarism appearing in the entire, broadly understood sphere of culture.
Other speakers also cited examples of dishonesty associated with the abuse of the recipient's trust but also the co-creator of the work. The most extreme example presented by Aleksander Cywiński was a situation in which, during the filming of "The Last Tango in Paris" directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, the actress playing the leading role, Maria Schneider, was raped. The director was supposed to recognise that real emotions would be filmed this way, not just their imitation.
During a discussion with the audience, one speaker pointed out that what's natural doesn't have to be fair, and what's honest doesn't have to be decent. This statement was a pretext to take up another topic about moral elements in culture. There was also talk of honesty as a goal of culture or dishonesty in public spaces. Social media has become a good example in which fake news often dominates the facts and completely changes the perception of reality. Michał Dębowski drew attention to one more issue – the responsibility of the recipient of culture, who should be able to separate truth from falsehood.
In the end, Agnieszka Kuchcińska-Kurcz mentioned what honesty at the Dialogue Center Upheavals is – it is the presentation of history in accordance with the facts, different points of view and perspectives, maintaining balance and harmony between macro-history and micro-history, respect for various sources: testimonies of history, documents, photos, videos, objects. Relationships with donors, who are informed about the methods of using the collections, are also built on honesty, and the copyright is respected. It is also necessary to treat every viewer fairly and ensure equal access to culture, regardless of their psychophysical condition and material status, as well as fair treatment of project partners.
The summary was a list of other concepts that appeared during the debate, completing the definition of honesty. Diligence, quality, mindfulness and transparency were considered the most important.
