“WE THE WATER” and “Portrait of Water. From molecule to crystal” — lecture by Wojciech Radtke and Prof. Artur Sikorski

The presentation will be a story about water seen through the eyes of an artist and a chemist and crystallographer: from the geometry of a single molecule, through crystallization, to the symmetry and diversity of ice forms. We will look at how the invisible rules of the organization of matter lead to an extraordinary wealth of crystal shapes that we can admire with the naked eye.

Dr. Wojtek Radtke — interdisciplinary artist, curator, director, sculptor, scenographer, photographer, performer and designer. He graduated from the Faculty of Sculpture and Intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. In 2023, at the Łaznia Center for Contemporary Art, he defended his PhD in Art & Science “WE THE WATER”, dedicated to water as a matter connecting the biological world, the environment and memory. He is the author, co-author and curator of dozens of exhibitions, installations, performances, performances and artistic projects presented in Poland and abroad. He has participated in the Venice Biennale, Mediation Biennale Asia-Europe in Istanbul, EXPO in Milan, Malta Festival and the program of the European Capital of Culture Wroclaw 2016. In his practice he combines art, science, experiment and activities in public space.

Artur Sikorski, PhD — Head of the Crystalochemistry Laboratory at the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Gdańsk. His research interests revolve around crystallography, and in particular include obtaining and structural studies of crystals formed with the participation of pharmaceutically active substances. He has co-authored more than 140 original scientific papers and 10 patents. He is a member of the Polish Chemical Society, the Polish Crystalographic Society and the Gdańsk Scientific Society.