Urban Intervention Award Berlin 2013

Three years have passed, since it's first presentation as a slightly impossible artistic concept during WolaArt festival in 2009. Today Keret House proves to be a possible venture, thus it costed The Fundation of Polish Modern Art and me a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Everything seemed to stand on its way: the space narrowness, the infrastructure, law and money. But since its creators were persistent and devoted to the vision, they've managed to convince and persuade other people: neighbors, authorities, administrators, sponsors and builders. Today the house, or rather an art installation of some 14m2 stands between two buildings by Żelazna St. in Warsaw!


In the crack between the buildings on 22 Chłodna St. and 74 Żelazna St., Jakub Szczęsny designed an art installation entitled Keret House, which shall become the narrowest house in Warsaw, since its interior will come to 122 centimeters in the widest and 72 in the narrowest spot. The crack itself is only 152-92cm wide.

This ermitage will be a workplace created for an outstanding Isreali writer, Etgar Keret. Besides, it will also fulfill a function of a studio for invited guests – young creators and intellectualists from all over the world. The residential program, conducted in the heart of Wola, is supposed to produce creative work conditions and become a significant platform for world intellectual exchange.
The house is officially an art installation, since it's narrowness makes impossible it's acceptance as building. Structurally it's a steel cage standing on two tunnel-alike foundations enabling city heating pipes to pass beneath the house. The cage is clad laterally with 50mm thick Kingspan sandwich panels filled with nano-foam for better fire and thermal protection, while the facades are made out of translucent 20mm thick polycarbonate with two opposed windows for cross-ventilation.
Acces to the „living room” area is granted through steep stell stairs and a trapdoor in the floor. An aircraft-size bathroom, a kitchenette and a dining space for two are also situated on this level. The sleeping compartment with a 90cm wide matrass and a work desk is situated on a platform connected with the living area by a ladder. To avoid the claustrophobic effect of gloomy and narrow space the apparent structure and side panels are white, with a large policarbonate roof serving as source of indirect light.

Dom Kereta to instalacja artystyczna. Ma formę "insertu" pomiędzy dwa istniejące budynki, reprezentujące różne epoki w historii Warszawy. Miejsce instalacji to przestrzeń między budynkami przy ul. Żelaznej 74 i Chłodnej 22 w Warszawie. Działka, na której stoi Dom, ma w najszerszym miejscu 152 centymetry, a w najwęższym - 92 centymetry. Dom Kereta będzie platformą artystyczną do pobytów twórczych artystów i intelektualistów z całego świata.

Autor projektu / author: Jakub Szczęsny / www.centrala.net.pl
Patron projektu / patron: Etgar Keret
Kuratorzy / curators: Sarmen Beglarian, Sylwia Szymaniak
Producent wykonawczy / executive producer: Joanna Trytek
Organizator / organizer: Fundacja Polskiej Sztuki Nowoczesnej

Projekt zrealizowany dzięki dofinansowaniu ze środków m. st. Warszawy / project realized with dotation from City of Warsaw funds.
Partnerem projektu jest Narodowe Centrum Kultury | Sponsor: LHI | Generalny wykonawca: AWBUD
Projekt wspierają / sponsors: GIRA, Decoroom, Volunta Parket, Milantex, Instytut Polski w Tel Awiwie , White & Case, Kostrzewa PR, Paulina i Marcin Chylińscy, Gmina Wyznaniowa Żydowska w Warszawie, Chłodna 25, Biuro Wystaw

Zdjęcia / photos: Bartek Warzęcha