How do we keep living our lives when the pandemic continues dictating the rules? The cultural world has found an ally in new technologies.
Bartosz Suchecki, “Kraków Culture” magazine
When the Polish media were first starting to use the ominous term “lockdown”, another two English words – “streaming” and “online” – brought hope to cultural institutions at a time when their very survival was at stake. The City of Kraków and KBF went a step further to focus on VOD (video on demand) technology. Already familiar to film and TV fans, with Netflix as perhaps the best-known service, it came to the rescue of organisers of events such as concerts, exhibitions and theatre performances.
After a few months of intensive preparations, the PLAY KRAKÓW platform was launched in September 2020 for cultural, business and educational institutions in Kraków and their audiences. The initiative, initially described by some observers as a mere substitute for “real” cultural life, rapidly became an integral part of it. “We are presenting a vision of truly equitable access to culture,” announced Izabela Błaszczyk, Director of KBF, soon after the launch of PLAY KRAKÓW. The platform allows Cracovian institutions to reach individuals who are frequently excluded for myriad reasons such as living with a disability, physical distance or financial difficulties.
The first two barriers are overcome easily with the technology itself, while the third needed some extra thinking from the founders of the platform. “We decided to make many of the materials available free of charge, not least because of their educational value,” stressed Jacek Majchrowski, Mayor of the City of Kraków; he extended an invitation to participate in the platform to all Cracovian institutions.
The appeal was warmly received, with over sixty organisations in Kraków now active participants in the project, and the PLAY KRAKÓW library currently features over 600 events, both free and ticketed. The audiences were equally enthusiastic, with over 26,000 internet users taking advantage of the free subscription and streaming events around 135,000 times so far (data for 1 March 2021).
What made the initiative so dynamic? “Rather than thinking of the platform as an ‘emergency raft’ during the pandemic, we treat it as a state-of-the-art tool allowing us to reach wide circles of audiences serving as a complement to more traditional formats,” says Agata Grabowiecka, Programme Director of PLAY KRAKÓW. She is echoed by Piotr Krochmal, Manager of the PLAY KRAKÓW Department at KBF, who notes the “second life” of festivals online: “We can now enjoy events for longer – many recordings are available after the original premiere.” This has been the case for last year’s Conrad Festival, Sacrum Profanum, Wianki – Fête de la Musique and the Kraków Mountain Festival (available until the end of April). The platform’s library also includes recordings of major events predating the pandemic (such as concerts of the Krakow Film Music Festival), while the live streams, held every week, make the audiences feel like they’re participating in real events.
PLAY KRAKÓW brings fresh opportunities and serves as a reflection of Kraków’s culture by presenting the city’s rich traditions and showcasing the latest voices. The music section features familiar names (Penderecki, Jantar, Zaucha, Cygan, Skolias) alongside up-and-coming artists (“Partnership for Music 2.0” and “Playing the Classics” cycles), while materials prepared for the 95th birthday of Maestro Andrzej Wajda rub shoulders with the latest etudes made by students at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. The remaining sections of visual arts, theatre, literature, education and business are equally full of materials. Keep an eye on www.playkrakow.com – the PLAY KRAKÓW universe continues to change and expand, and its boundaries are as virtual as those of culture itself.
photo by Joanna Gałuszka
