Records of Waiting: On Time and Ornament

Adam Mickiewicz Institute proudly announces Records of Waiting: On Time and Ornament, an exhibition which explores the politics and the tension of suspended time, transforming intangible state into tangible form of a sculpture installation, to be presented from June 5–29 as the Polish Pavilion at the London Design Biennale 2025.

The present is seemingly defined by relentless speed and scarcity of time, and yet we find ourselves trapped in a constant state of waiting. Curators of the exhibition in Polish Pavilion, Jakub Gawkowski, Monika Rosińska and Maciej Siuda, draw from the Polish Highland tradition of woodcarving—originating from shepherds carving intricate patterns during prolonged periods of waiting—and reimagine this ornamental practice as a visual record of passing time.

Not everyone gets to wait equally. At the heart of the exhibition is an installation whose wooden surface portrays various experiences of waiting: evokes the slow toil of bureaucratic delays, the quiet tension of social crises, the practiced patience of a taxi driver or a night watchman, and the mind-numbing repetition of daily traffic. Shaped by the hands of artisans and school students, each segment of the installation uses detailed ornamental patterns to reflect the duration and intensity of these scenarios, creating an ornamental landscape of our waiting society. By combining research on the social dimensions of waiting with the aesthetic language of ornamentation, the exhibition uncovers how temporal experiences not only reflect our place in society, but also shape it. Woodcarving, reinterpreted as a record of waiting, reveals the hidden temporal rhythms of a world that moves rapidly yet at an unequal pace.

Curatorial and research team: Jakub Gawkowski, Monika Rosińska, Maciej Siuda / Design: Maciej Siuda Pracownia / Graphic design: Noviki / Woodcarvers: Józef Bukowski, Anna Bukowska, Wojciech Bachleda-Dorcarz, Magdalena Bilczewska-Wiśniewska, Jan Kassowski, Michał Kassowski, Szymon Kassowski, Stanisław Kośmiński, Wojciech Łacek, Andrzej Mrowca, Marcin Rząsa, Franciszek Rząsa, students of Antoni Kenar Visual Arts Secondary School in Zakopane, students of Władysław Matlakowski Construction School Complex in Zakopane / Organizer: Adam Mickiewicz Institute / Partner:  Polish Cultural Institute in London

London Design Biennale 
The London Design Biennale is an international exhibition promoting cooperation and the global role of design. It achieves the said objectives by relying on exhibitions and installations intended to create universal solutions and ways to counteract the outcomes of problems in the supranational dimension. The leading theme of this year’s edition of the London Design Biennale - “Surface Reflections” - aims to encourage artists to seek an answer to the question about the impact that personal experiences exert on the creators themselves and on their artistic projects.  

Adam Mickiewicz Institute
The Adam Mickiewicz Institute has been showcasing Poland’s design solutions during the London Design Biennale for several years now. In 2023, the Polish Pavilion, with its Poetics of Necessity exhibition, won the prestigious top prize at the London Design Biennale.

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute brings Polish culture to people around the world. Being a state institution, it creates lasting interest in Polish culture and art through strengthening the presence of Polish artists on the global stage. It initiates innovative projects, supports international cooperation and cultural exchanges. It promotes the work of both established and promising artists, showing the diversity and richness of our culture. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is also responsible for the Culture.pl website, a comprehensive source of knowledge about Polish culture. For more information please visit: iam.pl.

The project is co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

Press contact: Klaudia Gniady, kgniady@iam.pl.