Danuta Szejbal and Andrzej Klimowski, photo: Grzegorz Lepiarz
"Robot", a graphic novel by Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal, gives flight to futuristic fancy, inspired by two stories from the "Mortal Engines" series by Stanisław Lem. The comic book was released in Poland (timof comics) at the end of November and in Britain (SelfMadeHero) at the beginning of December
Schejbal chose to adapt "Uranium Earpieces" in which a paranoid king forces his subjects to wear suits of glowing uranium alloy. Can a young inventor, Pyron, find a way to free the people from this evil tyrant?
"Lem's work is perfect for comics adaptation. His stories often take place in fantastical settings and the way he describes his characters left a space for us both to imagine the worlds and people who inhabit them", Danusia Schejbal said of her experience creating her part of the "Robot".
Klimowski tackles "The Sanatorium of Dr. Vliperdius", set in a world increasingly populated by robots. The hero visits Dr. Vliperdius’ institution, but its patients soon turn against him. Can he escape the sanatorium after learning its dark secret? Klimowski strived to adapt his artistic technique to the ambiance of the story, with sparse flashes of colour to suggest robotic activity. He explained: "I wanted to achieve an almost 'photographic' feel using half-tones and limited palette".
The book's publication accompanied the International Cultural Programme of the 2011 Polish EU Presidency, which features a number of events dedicated to the legacy Stanisław Lem.
See more on Planet Lem - a flagship project of the Polish EU Presidency
"Robot" from Culture.pl on Vimeo.
Andrzej Klimowski was born in 1949 in London. Between 1968 and 1972 he studied sculpture and painting at the St. Martin School of Art in London, and poster design at Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. In the years 1973 -1980 he lived and worked in Warsaw, where he completed art internships at the studio of Henryk Tomaszewski in poster and Kazimierz Urbanski in an animated film. He has created dozens of posters for cultural institutions in Warsaw, Opole, Wrocław and Łódź. Klimowski also collaborated with "Nasza Księgarnia" publishing company and the satirical magazine "Szpilki". He worked as a designer for Polish Television, created animated films and designed sets for television productions.
Since 1980, Klimowski has lived and worked in London. He has lectured in printmaking and graphic design at the College of Art in Canterbury (1981-1989), and the College of Art and Design in West Surrey (1982-84). Since 1984 he gives lectures in graphic design and illustration at the prestigious Royal College of Art, where he works as professor at the Faculty of Communication and Graphic Design. Currently, Andrzej Klimowski designs posters, illustrations for magazines, theatre programmes, illustrations for book covers, and works with the techiniques of collage, photomontage, drawing and printmaking. He also pursues animated films. He began creating comic books in the 1990s, and in recent years, he has been adapting in his comics well-known novels such as "The Master and Margarita" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".
Born in London, Danusia Schejbal has studied stage design at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts and fashion and clothing in the Ealing School of Art in London. Between 1976 and 1981 she designed sets and costumes for various Polish theatres. In 1981, she returned to London, where she teamed up with the Cherub Theatre Company. Her paintings have been exhibited across Europe. Together with Andrzej Klimowski she has created a comic-book adaptation of "The Master and Margarita" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".
SelfMadeHero is an award-winning, independent, graphic novel publishing house established by Emma Hayley in London in 2007. Timof comics is a leading, independent, graphic novel publishing house, established by Paul Timofiejuk in Warsaw in 2006.
Date: Poland release (timof comics): 21st of November, 2011. UK release (selfMadeHero): 3rd of December, 2011.
Distribution: Nationwide in Poland and the UK
Organised by: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, timof comics, selfMadeHero and the Polish Cultural Institute in London.
Source: www.selfmadehero.com