Ze Słowackiego

From Słowacki Street is the story of a community living in a Warsaw block. Set out in three chapters, and in the spirit of J.G. Ballard’s literary philosophy, it constitutes a critique of organised life on a housing estate. Ordinary, monotonous behaviours, casual observations, routine commentaries take a disturbing turn. One inhabitant has a dream about the garage hall catching fire. Some have trouble with huge wasps, others cannot sleep because someone keeps rattling at the door to their apartment. An older woman with a dog sits naked on a bench in the estate, a corpse rots among the rubbish bins. The residents argue, seek enemies outside the boundaries of their block, the atmosphere becomes increasingly absurd and frightening. Events begin to extend beyond social and contemporary contexts. Ultimately, they culminate in various kinds of catastrophe.

Kaczanowski is not a realist, his mini-narrative is a formally brilliant piece, imitating various types of expression. Here we are dealing with the rendition of ways of communication via social media forums, as well as a draft film script. Kaczanowski shows us the camera at work, leading us from the “kitchen” to the scenes being played out. The dystopian character of From Słowacki Street emerges not through concrete incidents, however, but rather in the jingles that appear like refrains throughout the entirety of the work. They mercilessly expose the aggression of human behaviours and point out the violence that is constantly present in our lives.