Talks about home | Storytelling workshop with Mateusz Świstak
“Home” is a word full of emotions, memories and stories. Every room and every object are a personal space where one can shelter from the bustle of an increasingly dangerous world. We invite participants to jointly create a home space — to fill it with their stories and to build from those stories a refuge against contemporary life.
The event will take the form of a workshop that will allow participants to reflect on what home means to them, which parts of it are important, and which give them strength, warmth or comfort.
The result of the meeting should be stories (in the finale in an audio form) from which we will create a shared Home of Cultures and which we will be able to pass on to people who need the solace that a home can bring.
Host: Mateusz Świstak — by training a Polish philologist, by profession a storyteller, writer and educator. For over 12 years he has been involved in broadly understood storytelling: from Fairy‑Tale Stand‑Up, through creating stories for amusement parks, to writing books, songs and radio plays. Since 2018 he has collaborated with the Book Institute on the Mała książka — wielki człowiek campaign. He curates children’s stages, e.g. at the Jerzy Pilch Word Festival Granatowe Góry and at the Jarocin Festival. Author of storytelling for several Polish amusement parks (including Rabkoland). In 2026 his first horror for children will be published by Agora.
Registrations via online form: formularz internetowy
This event takes place as part of the PACESETTERS project. Free entry.
The project is aimed at youth 16+ and adults.
About the initiative: Home of Cultures is an interdisciplinary art‑and‑social project responding to the contemporary need to build cultural resilience to global and local crises. The project foresees a series of workshops with artists aimed at local communities, people experiencing displacement and foreigners settled in Poland. The aim of the project is artistic reflection on home and the symbolic space of dwelling. The titular “Home” is understood in the project as a kind of shelter from the dangers of the modern world and the experiences of social, war, climate and cultural crises. The outcome will be an interdisciplinary exhibition made up of objects resembling domestic spaces (e.g., a table, a bed, a wardrobe), enriched with a sound space containing the personal stories of project participants.
If you have additional needs we should know about so you can participate comfortably, safely and fully in the event, inform us by email.
This activity is part of the Cultural Resilience Laboratory in Nowa Huta — part of the international research project PACESETTERS (2024–2027).
What you need to know before the meeting?
- Researchers from Jagiellonian University will accompany us. Their presence allows us to better understand the real impact of artistic activities on community building and to study how art helps us cope with crises.
- The research is conducted solely for the scientific purposes of the project. Participation is voluntary, and all observations are collected with respect for the privacy and comfort of all participants.
“PACESETTERS is a Research and Innovation Action in the HORIZON EUROPE program and is funded under the Grant Agreement No 101132610. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”
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HOME OF CULTURES
Talks about home | Storytelling workshop with Mateusz Świstak
“Home” is a word full of feelings, memories, and stories. Every room and every object is a private space where we can hide. We want to invite you to build a “home” together. We will fill it with your stories to create a safe place away from modern problems. This event is a workshop that will help you think about what “home” means to you: which parts are important and which give you strength, warmth, or peace. At the end, we will have stories to create a shared “Home of Cultures” (available to listen to). We want to share these stories with people who need the comfort that a home can give.
Host: Mateusz Świstak — a storyteller, writer, and educator. For over 12 years he has worked with storytelling broadly: from fairy‑tale stand‑up and creating stories for amusement parks to writing books, songs, and audio plays. Since 2018 he has collaborated with the Book Institute on the “Mała książka — wielki człowiek” campaign. He curates children’s stages at festivals (e.g., Festiwal Słowa im. Jerzego Pilcha Granatowe Góry, Jarocin Festival) and authored storytelling for several Polish amusement parks (including Rabkoland). In 2026 his first horror for children will be published by Agora.
This event is part of the PACESETTERS project. Free entry.
About the project: “Home of Cultures” is an interdisciplinary art and social project responding to the contemporary need to build cultural resilience to global and local crises. The project includes workshops with artists aimed at local communities, people experiencing displacement, and foreigners settled in Poland. The aim is artistic reflection on home and the symbolic space of dwelling. The titular “Home” is understood as a kind of shelter from the dangers of the modern world and experiences of social, war, climate, and cultural crises. The result will be an interdisciplinary exhibition consisting of objects resembling domestic spaces (e.g., table, bed, wardrobe) enriched with a soundscape containing personal stories of project participants.
If you have special needs to feel safe and comfortable during the event, please let us know by email.
This activity is part of the Cultural Resilience Laboratory in Nowa Huta — part of the international research project PACESETTERS (2024–2027).
What you need to know before the meeting?
- Researchers from Jagiellonian University will accompany us. Their presence allows us to better understand the real impact of artistic activities on community building and to study how art helps us cope with crises.
- The research is conducted solely for scientific purposes. Participation is voluntary, and all observations are collected with respect for the privacy and comfort of all participants.
