Tęcza (Warsaw)

Coordinates: 52°13′11″N 21°01′05″E / 52.21972°N 21.01806°E / 52.21972; 21.01806

Tęcza, fully constructed again, May 2014
Tęcza, fully constructed, October 2012
Tęcza, burned after riots, November 2013
Tęcza, burned after riots, November 2012, with some volunteer decorations

Tęcza (pronounced [ˈtɛntʃa], meaning "rainbow") was an artistic construction in the form of a giant rainbow made of artificial flowers erected on the Savior Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in the Polish capital of Warsaw in the summer of 2012.[1] It was maintained by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.[1] It was vandalized several times, generating significant media coverage in Polish media, usually in the context of LGBT rights in Poland.[2] The construction was permanently removed in August 2015.

History

This installation is the third in a series of similar installations created; the second one was featured in front of the European Parliament in Brussels from 8 September 2011 during the Polish presidency of the European Union.[1][3] The Warsaw Tęcza was based on the Brussels one, which was moved to Warsaw on 8 June 2012.[1] For this project, Wójcik received the Paszport Polityki award.[4] The installation was supposed to evoke positive feelings related to the rainbow, such as love, peace and hope, and was intended to be a universal, apolitical symbol.[3] However, far-right nationalist and Catholic groups identified it with the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBT movement.[5]

During the night of 26-27 August 2015, the construction for holding flowers was officially and permanently dismantled.[6][7] Three years later, on 9 June 2018, a new water and light-based installation was unveiled, but it was active only for a single day for the 201 Parada Równości event.[8]

Vandalism and controversies

As the rainbow symbol is also associated with the LGBT movement, locating the Tęcza in the Savior Square in Warsaw proved controversial.[2][9][10] The installation was damaged five times as of November 2013, with the usual method of vandalism being arson.[11] The installation was damaged on 13 September 2012; on 1 January 2013 (ruled to be accidental fireworks damage) and again three days later on 4 January; in July 2013; and once again during marches on Polish Independence Day on 11 November 2013.[10][11] The November 2013 incident occurred in the background of a wider riot by right-wing nationalists, who clashed with police and vandalized other parts of the city as well, also attacking the Russian embassy.[12]

On 7 December 2014, the rainbow was set on fire by an unknown man just before 01:30. The flames were put out quickly by a police officer. The man who lit the fire was not apprehended.

The installation was criticized by conservative and right-wing figures. Law and Justice politician Bartosz Kownacki derogatorily called the installation a "faggot rainbow" (pedalska tęcza).[2][12][13] Another Law and Justice politician, Stanisław Pięta, complained that the "hideous rainbow had hurt the feelings of believers" attending the nearby Church of the Holiest Saviour.[5] Priest Tadeusz Rydzyk of Radio Maryja fame, described it as a "symbol of deviancy".[14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Instytut Adama Mickiewicza - Warsztaty towarzyszące odnowieniu Tęczy na Placu Zbawiciela". Iam.pl. 2013-10-04. Archived from the original on 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  2. 1 2 3 "Julita Wójcik, autorka "Tęczy": Tęcza, zwłaszcza ta spalona, ma być symbolem opamiętania - Wiadomości - WP.PL". Wiadomosci.wp.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  3. 1 2 ""Tęcza" Julity Wójcik w Warszawie" (in Polish). Culture.pl. Archived from the original on 2014-12-06. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  4. ↑ "warsztaty Julity Wójcik odnowienie Tęczy - wydarzenia | archiwum - Zachęta – Narodowa Galeria Sztuki". Zacheta.art.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  5. 1 2 Stay informed today and every day (1939-08-31). "Poland: Burning the rainbow". The Economist. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  6. ↑ Fakt.pl (2016-03-18). "Tęcza znika z placu Zbawiciela" (in Polish). Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  7. ↑ "Polityka Newspaper". Demontaż Tęczy. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Tęcza rozświetliła plac Zbawiciela - Śródmieście". tvnwarszawa.tvn24.pl. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  9. ↑ "Jest reakcja właściciela tęczy. "Agresja żuli"". Wiadomosci.onet.pl. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  10. 1 2 "Julita Wójcik, autorka 'Tęczy': Ktoś ich musi powstrzymać" (in Polish). Wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  11. 1 2 "Polityczna historia tęczy z Placu Zbawiciela | Tęcza na miarę naszych możliwości". Polityka.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  12. 1 2 "Why Poland's Right-Wing Thugs Keep Burning Rainbows | FP Passport". Blog.foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  13. ↑ Polityka. ""Pedalska tęcza". Kownacki podtrzymuje swoje słowa - TVP Regionalna - Telewizja Polska S.A". Regionalna.tvp.pl. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  14. ↑ "Rydzyk o tęczy: Symbole zboczeń nie powinny być tolerowane". Fakt.onet.pl. 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
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