In the second part of the workshop, everyone will create their own intuitive artwork based on the emotions and associations evoked by selected tracks from artists performing at this year’s festival.

The workshop will provide a space for free expression, experimentation, and the discovery of new means of artistic expression.

Led by Ola Marzęta and Ania Stąporek

About the instructors

Ola Marzęta is a visual artist whose creative practice focuses on themes of memory, identity, and family relationships. She explores how the experiences of previous generations resonate in the present and how they can be engaged with through art. In her work, she draws on archival materials, photography, and textiles. Rooted in personal experience, her projects take on a universal dimension, becoming stories about connection and heritage. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of the National Education Commission in Kraków, where she is currently continuing her studies in the Art & Design program. Alongside her artistic practice, she works as a graphic designer, with a particular focus on publication design.

Ania Stąporek is a visual artist working in photography and graphic design. Through bookbinding and hand-sewn publications, she explores the possibilities of the book as an artistic form. Her passion for typography and collecting zines informs her interests, which take on a practical, workshop-oriented dimension and become a story about craftsmanship and the materiality of print. She is a student at the Faculty of Art and Design of the University of the National Education Commission in Kraków and serves as editor of the student magazine MagaZin. Professionally, she works in graphic design, specializing in Adobe InDesign. In her free time, she is an avid cyclist and a devoted gluten expert.

Join us for a creative writing and spoken word workshop centered around sound. We hear something – but how do we tell its story? How do we write it down when we’re not dealing with musical notation or graphic scores?

Through a workshop scenario created especially for this occasion, we will disappear for two hours into a world filled with sounds and their meanings. Don’t worry – it will be a safe and welcoming space with a creative atmosphere where everyone can find their place. Together, we will create a map that helps us navigate this topic, explore it from as many angles as possible, and carry those perspectives with us afterward.

You can expect an engaging process, a stimulating workout for the mind, and an experience that will leave you feeling grounded, relaxed, and ready to immerse yourself in the evening concerts.

Anyone who would like to experience the satisfaction of describing reality and the experiences connected to it will feel right at home in this workshop, whether they write regularly or only from time to time. It is also a great opportunity for those who simply want to look at writing from an unconventional perspective.

Led by Zuzanna Szmidt

About the instructor

Zuzanna Szmidt is a cultural animator and producer. She has been involved in poetry slam since 2012. In 2015, she founded Tupot Poetycki, a recurring slam event held at the MÓZG club in Bydgoszcz, a venue regarded as one of the strongest slam scenes in Poland. Since 2019, she has been leading creative writing workshops. Words, images, and sounds have always been close to her heart, and these are the areas she is most passionate about exploring.

During the workshop, children will discover the sonic potential of tools that are usually associated with work rather than music. They will record these intriguing sounds, combine them, and collaboratively create a sound piece that will be professionally recorded at the end of the session. Participants will leave not only with a new creative experience, but also with the understanding that technology and engineering can be imaginative and expressive, not just practical.

Led by Nikodem Paśnicki

About the instructor

Nikodem Paśnicki is a musician and animator. Sound plays a central role in his life, but his interest in visual art emerged first: at the age of just a few years old, he painted a child’s-eye view of his village landscape directly onto his bedroom wall. Animation eventually allowed him to combine these two creative fields, which he had previously pursued separately. In early 2023, he released his debut ambient EP, “Grudzień” (December). In September 2025, together with his brother Piotr Paśnicki, he released “Atlas”, an instrumental post-rock journey through the towns and villages of eastern Poland. Alongside his musical work, he has created several animated films, including “FORT IV”, “PRZEPRASZAM” (I’m Sorry), and “Maszynista Grot” (Grot the Train Driver), based on a short story by Stefan Grabiński.

The event takes place thanks to the support of Strabag, sponsor of the East of Culture – Different Sounds festival.

During this family sound walk, we will momentarily set aside what we see in order to discover the richness of sounds that often go unnoticed in our everyday lives. We will listen closely to the rustling of leaves and the voices of the park’s many inhabitants, experiencing the natural world from an entirely new perspective. Who knows how many fascinating sonic stories are hidden all around us in the People’s Park?

Participants can look forward to:

– Listening to the micro-world: we will stop at different spots throughout the park to tune in to “what’s chirping in the grass” – from the rustling of leaves to the sounds made by the smallest inhabitants of green spaces;

– Exploring what is audible and what is hidden from the ear: we will discover which sounds reach us naturally and which become accessible only through a specialist microphone that amplifies subtle acoustic details – a chance to explore the city’s fascinating sonic microcosm;

– Talking about sounds and listening experiences: we will reflect on which sounds we enjoy most, which we find pleasant, and which evoke unease or irritation. We will discuss how sounds influence our emotions and shape the way we perceive our surroundings;

– Discovering together: this is not only a walk but also an opportunity to experiment with attentive listening and explore how our perception of the world changes when we give more attention to sound.

Led by Katarzyna Michalak

About the instructor

Katarzyna Michalak is originally from Łódź and holds a degree in Polish Studies. Since 1999, she has been associated with the Radio Lublin Documentary Department, which she headed from 2011 to 2018. What fascinates her about radio documentary is the opportunity for close encounters with people and the unique nature of sound as a storytelling medium – a subject that also formed the basis of her doctoral research. She is a co-founder of the Audionomia Foundation and co-author of the audio education handbook “Słuchaj, aby zrozumieć”. A two-time recipient of the prestigious Prix Italia, she has also received numerous other major broadcasting awards, including Prix Europa, Grand Press, Prix Marulić, and the Golden Microphone.