Marcin Muth

One of the participants of Zaułek Rzemiosła (Craft Corner) is also Marcin Muth – a photographer, founder of Manufaktura Obrazów, a photography studio located at ul. Garbary, a cultural animator and community activist, author of many exhibitions, for example of the Gallery created two years ago at Porta Posnania. It was Marcin who came to us with an idea for a project documenting Poznan craftsmen and craftswomen. At the exhibition you can see his photographs and listen to or watch excerpts of the interviews with craftsmen and craftswomen that he conducted.

Main photo - Marcin Muth
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This is what Marcin Muth says about working on the project:

‘It was my grandfather Stanisław who instilled the passion for photography in me. Stanisław Jarocki, an Old Town shoemaker and, perhaps more importantly, a photography enthusiast. Very early on, he showed me how to make use of my manual skills and imagination. He taught me to respect people with such abilities because they are the ones creating essential living and material culture values. Naturally, only much later in life did I begin to understand what he meant but the seed that had been planted began to sprout.

The exhibition entitled The undaunted, which we created together, results from my approach to photography, social relationships, treating each human being as an individual as well as from being rooted in the tradition. Work on this project was a fantastic adventure for me. It made me feel more confident about my creative and professional decision. As a photographer-craftsman I had an opportunity to meet exceptional artists, craftsmen and craftswomen and to listen to the stories of their craft families which have been creating the tangible heritage of Poznan for decades or, in some cases, even for half a century. These families have been lodged in the consciousness of the inhabitants of Poznan.

The photographic documentation presented at the exhibition is accompanied by a narrative. During each photo session I wrote down the stories told by those who inherited the skills. Oral history is a priceless record of historical heritage which allows us to meet real people and experience not only the story they are telling but also the contemporary times in which we are all living.’