Sculptor and designer Beata Szczepaniak has created a 7.5-metre Corten-steel sculpture for the 200th anniversary of Zduńska Wola, Poland. Standing on the central roundabout beside the town hall, Splot (‘Interweaving’) is the first abstract work in the public spaces of this town near Łódź, and one of relatively few installations of its kind in smaller Polish towns. Its contemporary form draws on the town’s history and multicultural identity.
Three forms representing three cultures
Splot commemorates Zduńska Wola’s textile industry and multicultural past. Over two centuries, the town developed through the meeting of Polish, German and Jewish cultures. The sculpture’s three large forms intertwine and extend in three directions, representing those communities: their encounters, coexistence and separation, as well as the enduring traces they left in the town.
Szczepaniak, who comes from Zduńska Wola, deliberately drew on this local history. ‘I wanted the sculpture to be a tribute to my town, a symbolic expression of its history and traditions. “Splot” is an interweaving of threads, paths and cultures, a metaphorical signpost and a bridge between past and present,’ she says.
The abstract form allows for several layers of meaning. Residents can find their own associations and interpretations within it.
Weathering steel in a historic setting
The sculpture’s Corten steel has a rust-brown patina that will deepen over time. The material, widely used in contemporary public sculpture, was chosen for its durability and natural weathering, which also offers a metaphor for the passage of time and the layers of the town’s history.
Its large-scale form contrasts with the classical architecture of the surrounding apartment buildings and the historic town centre. At the same time, it relates to the contemporary form of the adjacent town hall. Placed between these different settings, the sculpture connects periods in Zduńska Wola’s history without overwhelming either.
A landmark that changes with the viewpoint
Splot has already become a landmark and visual symbol of Zduńska Wola. Its position on the central roundabout draws the attention of residents and visitors, while its appearance changes as people move around it and daylight shifts. Each viewpoint presents a different reading of the form.
This variety encourages people to pause, walk around the sculpture and consider its urban setting. Rather than acting only as a static monument, it invites passers-by to engage with the town’s past and present. At dusk, lighting accentuates its geometry and casts dramatic shadows across the surrounding space.
Szczepaniak’s project is a bold step towards introducing contemporary art into Zduńska Wola’s public spaces, where traditional commemorative forms have previously predominated. Splot demonstrates how a smaller Polish town can adopt an abstract artistic language while acknowledging local history and reinforcing residents’ sense of identity.
Public art draws attention to the spaces around buildings as well as the buildings themselves. Find architects, interior designers and interior photographers in the PLNDesign directory.
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