Maciek Salamon
Swansong | installation, 2018
Swans made from tyres are a common sight in home gardens all over Poland, not just in Oliwa. They usually adorn flower beds and lawns, gracefully bending their long necks towards the ground, often accompanied by other handmade garden friends, such as wicker gnomes or mushrooms with caps made of old bowls. Thanks to Maciej Salamon, some of the swans decided to leave the safe space of the homely flower bed and perch on the shore of the picturesque Młyński Pond. Their mysterious fluorescent glow must be a source of envy for the live specimens of this species, which are permanent residents of the neighbourhood.
Salomon’s installation of rubber swans is not meant to mock or ridicule our aesthetic wants. Quite the contrary: the act of liberating the dignified birds from the context of picture-perfect gardens may be interpreted as glorifying our natural need to surround ourselves with beautiful objects. For some, this will mean hanging Old Master paintings on the walls, for others, decorating their gardens with swans made of tyres. In all cases, though, such actions are aimed at improving the comfort of our lives and adding personal touches to the space we inhabit.
Ultimately, we may treat rubber swans as an eco-friendly intervention aimed at recycling used tyres.
location: Młyński Pond, access from Kwietna Street
Maciej Salamon (b. 1984) is a graphic artist, musician and illustrator. He lives in Sopot. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, where he currently teaches graphic design at the Faculty of Sculpture and Intermedia. He sings and plays guitar in Nagrobki, and is the author of music videos and animations. He has received numerous awards for his art. Salamon runs the Gablotka Gallery, which for the past twenty-nine exhibitions has been presenting the oeuvre of artists associated with Pomerania. He is a good lad.
