Description
Freaks 2013. Piotr Skowroński. Vintage photography. Fine art.
Gołdap is a charming small SPA town in the North-East of Poland, in Warmia and Masuria region, near the Russian border. It is located in the historic land of Lithuania Minor. The former Szyłajty village received town privileges in 1570 from Duke Frederick Albert. The town has about fourteen thousand inhabitants. The name comes from the Old Prussian language, where Galdo meant a long valley and Ape – a river, which together signifies a “river in a valley”.
The town and the neighbourhood was the birthplace of many people whose story I try to present. Some of them are outstanding individuals: artists, craftsmen, entrepreneurs, mechanics, stonecutters, collectors, musicians, teachers, builders and many more. Most of them live in or are connected with Gołdap. The one feature that is common for all of them, regardless of materials status or level of intelligence, is fondness of alcohol.
This is a never-ending story. Because of the nature of the project, it lives its own life. The newcomers will write their own histories as well as that of the town itself. If they attract my attention, they will appear on the subsequent, now empty pages of the book of curious personalities of the town of Gołdap.
You are welcome to meet people whose behaviour and lifestyle is eccentric to say the least and sometimes quite shocking too.
Artwork framing is the most important part which decides about a work of art’s presentation and its exhibition value. There is conscious communication between the framing and a work of art, they complement each other and create the final visual effect of a photograph. A well thought-out choice of the right material gives a photograph a life of its own. Fine art photography which is intended for auction sale or exhibition, being not only an item of artistic value, but also of collector’s value, has to meet certain standards.
The wood used for making profiles has 8-12% of moisture content and usually is hardwood from beech, ash, alder, maple, oak, fruit trees or tropical trees. It is always the best quality timber, free of knots, sapstain or other defects. The wood I use for framing is usually seasoned in natural conditions for a few or more than ten years. Panels of wood, before they are milled, mature for a few weeks to prevent distortion of profiles. After obtaining a desired shape, the ready material is seasoned for another few weeks. A ready profile gets into my hands and the painstaking processing of each frame begins, one by one, for several months. Every frame is made with my own hands, thanks to this its uniqueness is exceptional. The material used to protect wood after processing is mostly oil. A photograph has no direct contact with the frame and glass.
Passe-partout is made of foam board which meets the requirements of ISO 90706 and has direct contact with the print, at the same time increasing its durability. ISO standards define requirements that have to be met by a product made from paper, so that it could have direct contact with print for many years. Passe-partout is a kind of packaging that protects the work of art.
ISO standards are as follows:
– acid-free quality – pH 7 minimum means the material is not acidic. Chemicals used in paper production, together with the environment pollution and climate cause acidification of paper, that is to say cellulose fibers are broken down making paper look yellowish and start to crack
-in order to make material more acid-free magnesium carbonate or calcium carbonate is added so-called buffer/alkaline reserve, according to the standards the content of a buffer should be between 3 to 5% – this is so-called durability.
-a vital factor in paper production is the choice of material that will be used for making the product. The standards require to use Alpha cellulose, material that has long and strong fibers. The material used for paper production doesn’t contain lignin. Thanks to high quality resources being used, no optical brighteners need to be added, which normally prevents efflorescence in paper.
-recycled material is not used in production.
A photograph is attached to a passe-partout only with an acid-free tape, durable, of 8,5 g/m2 with alkaline reserve. It has a natural, non-yellowing adhesive. If the passe-partout or the backing of a photograph has direct contact with the print, the acidic content will affect the cardboard. Thus, in order to keep the highest quality of a print, we use top quality foam board.
It’s also possible to frame a photograph in a UV glass. The main purpose of the glass it to physically protect a work of art against harmful factors such as: air humidity, temperature, dirt and scratching, and most importantly ultraviolet radiation.
Giżycko 11.07.2014, Screen restaurant, 12:44 pm
A meeting with Peter to write up the key events of his life.
“My name is Peter Skowroński, I was born on 22.09.1949 in Grodzisk. I received elementary education and completed a course in panel beating and car painting. Wife Janina, date of the wedding: 09.04.1971. I have two daughters: Renata born in 1971 and Aneta born in 1979. There are also four grandchildren: Emilia born in 1994, Hubert born in 2002, Julia born in 2002 and Michał born in 2003.
I had an 18-hectare farm and 12 cows, beef cattle. From 1996 I worked as a car mechanic, earlier until 1993 I smuggled cars from Germany.
Sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, confined in Giżycko, Olsztyn, Barczew, Żardeniki.
From 1998 contraband with Russia.
Favourite places are lakes, I like picking mushrooms and riding my motorbike. Yet, the thing I love the most is repairing old cars: Volkswagens, Beetles, Jaguars, MGs, Fords. In the past I used to photograph a lot and I dabbled in electronics. I had a Ford, Warszawa, Opel, Golf, BMW, Mercedes, Skoda, Wartburg …
Dates, girls, kisses – Emilia, Maryla, Eugenia … first kiss at Christmas … Emilia. I was a frequent visitor to village discos and dance parties in Banie Mazurskie, Lisy, Giżycko, Gołdap and Grodzisk. The scar on my chin is a token of a knuckle-duster, on my way back home after seeing off my girlfriend. I got another scar in a brawl in a park, I got stabbed in the stomach with a knife.
07.11.2012 – the event which changed my life forever. I was hit by a car at a zebra crossing, which immobilized me for a few years. A broken shoulder, pulled shoulder tendon, rupture of nerve plexus, serious leg fracture. Unremitting pain and another operation 05.04.2014 thanks to which the pain has finally disappeared, still I have to use crutches.
…what I think of my life … I haven’t wasted it, there have been ups and downs, my children are decent people, everything else is normal, health could be better … when you are healthy, all is ok, money can always be earned … ok, enough of this … ha ha ha …”
Technical characteristics:
– diptych Piotr Skowroński
– author Fryderyk Danielczyk
– one of the series of works Freaks
– place – Gołdap – old granary
– limited edition 7 pcs
– number ?/7
– made from a negative
– original print, Baryte paper – black-and-white photography
– original frame made of beech Wood 8-12% of moisture content, covered with matte oil based on natural Chinese oils, natural wood colour, original imprint in the lower right corner
– backing made of acid-free cardboard – original imprint in the lower right corner
– passe-partout made of acid-free foam board, with neutral pH adhesive and alkaline buffer, durable, without any optical brighteners. The board meets the requirements of ISO 9706 and PAT (Photographic Activity Test) standards and has an obverse and reverse
– date of making the negative 2014
– date of making the print 2014
– original print 2 x 40,5 cm x 50,5 cm
– print doesn’t have direct contact with the glass and frame
– signed on the reverse with a pencil
– fine art photography
Waiting period for the order completion 60 days
The entire series is available at www.fryderykdanielczyk.com