The entire project, scheduled for June 2024, consists of four elements, one of which is an exhibition of portrait photographs taken by the University of Lodz photographer Dr Bartosz Kałużny (see photographer's portrait portfolio). Prof. Marek Domański from the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź is the curator of the exhibition. The exhibition will be featured in the Fotofestiwal 2024 schedule. Further exhibition of portraits is also planned at the Nowy Theatre.
We would like to encourage members of our academic community to cooperate in creating the exhibition. We are looking for people who fit into diversity due to ethnic, religious, sexual and other identity groups, or who define themselves as neurodiverse and would like to be portrayed.
If you are interested in taking part in the project, please send an e-mail entitled "DYWERS" to the following e-mail address: bartosz.kaluzny@uni.lodz.pl. In the email, you just need to send some basic information about yourself (first name, last name, age, etc.) and explain why you would like to take part in the project. The number of places is limited.
The goal of the DYWERS project, which has been supervised by Prof. Inga Kuźma (Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Lodz), is to increase awareness of social diversity. The project is in line with the Strategy of the University of Lodz 2021-2030, which reads, among other things: "Diversity is the strength of the University of Lodz. Respect and understanding for different opinions and attitudes, as well as cultural openness and worldview tolerance constitute the foundations of our activities".
The entire DYWERS project, consists of four elements:
- the above mentioned exhibition of portrait photographs that show social diversity related to, among other things, ethnicity, age or sexuality.
- a Human Library, i.e. an anti-discrimination event during which visitors can personally talk to people who fit into numerous varieties of diversity and therefore have various social experiences. The Human Library has been coordinated by the American Studies and Media Student Science Club at the Faculty of International and Political Studies.
- a panel discussion on linguistic inclusiveness,
- a series of film screenings on the issue of social diversity.
When I completed my doctoral dissertation on social stigma less than 10 years ago, the social reality was slightly different. There were more things that surprised us. And although we are still quite homogeneous in Poland, and over the last few years a polarisation of attitudes towards minorities has been observed, a qualitative change can be seen in the media discourse, a large part of which is now grass-roots content produced in social media. There are plenty of accounts on Instagram or TikTok run by neuroatypical, non-heteronormative or people with disabilities who share their experience with others and familiarise their followers with the complexity of the world. Diversity should be talked about and shown. Even if not everyone likes it
– explains Bartosz Kałużny.
Before taking the portrait photo, I will talk to each person who will share their experience. For some, "otherness" can be stigmatising, while for others it is empowering. Excerpts from the conversations will accompany the photographs that will be exhibited, among others, at the university's Wozownia 11 Gallery
– concludes the photographer.