Mirosław Bałka says of the piece, which references the form and function of a maze: "The title refers to situations that we try to oust from our life and to social groups excluded to the margin, who we do not want to see, even though they are there".
The "Margins" installation is a long, spiral and narrow corridor. The walls of the maze are formed out of rough wooden pallets. The floor is covered in a thick layer of salt, making it difficult to keep balance when walking through. In the dim light it's possible to see the footprints of previous visitors.
Salt has many meanings. It symbolises dry sweat, excreted during any human effort, dry tears associated with experiencing life. What is interesting in salt is that it causes corrosion and at the same time, it is used for maintenance Bałka explains.
Nobody stops or sits down in the corridor, it's a journey through space, where you don't know what to expect. "Margins" provides a physical and mental experience, everyone percieves it in their own way. What is essential in this project are the emotions, memories and thoughts evoked in the participants. The installationis like a theatre where each visitor is like a lonely actor on stage, says Bałka.
In the 'Margins' installation which refers to the 'Soap Corridor', the viewer experiences a certain perturbation of space, not knowing when he will be able to get back outside. It evokes reflection on the matter of a maze and the transition", says Ewa Izabela Nowak, art critic, adding, "The labyrinth can be associated with the transition between life and death, but also with difficult situations which we come upon in life that often seem without an exit.
Mirosław Bałka also created a video installation to Arthur Nauzyciel's play "Jan Karski (My Name is a Fiction)". The show was a great success at this year's theatre festival in Avignon took the stage in early October 2011 at the Dramatic Theatre in Orleans.
The installation "Margins" is open to the public from the 27th of September to the 6th of November 2011.
Source: PAP