Surreal Magic Lantern

The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw invites you to creative workshops for adults that accompany the exhibition “You are at the heart of change. Surrealism and Anti-Fascism.”

What was the magic lantern and what impact did it have on avant-garde cinema? During our meeting we will look at the film work of Franciszka and Stefan Themerson. We will look for connections between their experiments with light and movement and older than cinema ways of building images.

At the beginning, we will see together fragments of the Themerson duo's films and the objects that were in the exhibition. We will also get to know the character of Pol-Dives, who in the Parisian “Hangar” organized unusual magic lantern shows. Stefan Themerson was encouraged to participate in these sessions by Teresa Żarnower, and her works will also be seen in the exhibition space. These fascinating shows, in which glass paintings were used, Themerson later described in the book “On the Need to Create Visions”.

In the second part of the workshop we will take part in the demonstration of the original, 19th century magic lantern. Next, we will try one of the techniques for creating slides for this device, that is, painting on glass. We will find inspiration in the art of Pol-Divesa and create our own compositions. Each person will leave the class with a unique image on the glass.