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Krzysztof Wodiczko (PL/US): Mestská veža rozpráva
Krzysztof Wodiczko (PL/US): The city tower tells
Event by: Trenčín 2026
Location: Mestský úrad v Trenčíne, Mierové námestie 1/2, Trenčín
Talks & discussions, Exhibitions
About event
🏰 The city tower has silently observed Trenčín for centuries. On four August evenings, it will be given a voice.
✨ From August 17 to 20, always from 8:30 p.m., a large-format video projection, created for Trenčín by the Polish-American artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, will light up on the facade of the City Tower. In it, authentic statements of the people who live here will be heard - about what they fear, what they hope for, what shaped them and what future they wish for their city. Entry is free.
🎥 What you will see
The faces and voices of the inhabitants of Trenčín, young and old, artists, students and volunteers will appear on the tower. A man who found a new home here after fleeing the war in Ukraine. Women who connect people across generations through community embroidery. Volunteers who work with Roma children. Each of them brings their own perspective on life in the city and together they create an image of Trenčín that we cannot see from the street.
💬 Wodiczko asks them questions that we usually answer only for ourselves. Their answers are then displayed in large print on the building they pass by daily. The projection is different every night. Statements recorded during the day will be processed and become part of the projection the very next evening. The tower thus collects more and more voices over the course of four days.
🌍 The statements will be in Slovak with English subtitles.
🗣️ "We wanted to create a work in which Trenčín itself speaks through the people who live here, work, help others or have brought their life stories here. Each of them represents a different experience, but only together they create an image of the city that is made up of its inhabitants," says Trenčín architect Alexander Topilin, who with Krzysztof Wodiczkom works closely on the project.
🙋 Add your voice
Anyone can become a part of the work. The meeting with the artist takes place individually, in front of the camera and without an audience. Wodiczko will ask a few questions and your answer may appear on the City Tower the very next evening.
📅 Filming takes place every day from 17 to 20 August from 17:00 to 19:30. The number of places is limited, so advance registration is required. After registration, we will contact you and agree on the exact time of the interview.
ℹ️ Participation is voluntary and without the right to a fee. Before filming, you sign your consent to processing and publishing the recording. Duration of the interview: up to 60 minutes.
📝 Link to login:
htt ps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbPNpBlGGg6KzjjYgOK7PhKSQPN67csT_JtnIPZU5zI2k9GA/viewform?usp=header
🎨 Who is Krzysztof Wodiczko
He is one of the most important artists working with public space. Since the 1980s, he has realized more than 90 large-format projections and installations on buildings and monuments all over the world, from the United States to Japan and Israel to Poland. His projections are always based on people who do not normally get to speak in the public space: immigrants, homeless people, war veterans or victims of violence.
🏆 In 1998 he won the Hiroshima Art Prize for his contribution to world peace, in 2009 he represented Poland at the Venice Biennale. He is a professor emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He created the work for Trenčín especially for the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 program as a direct response to the local community and its stories.
🤝 Why we do it
The work is part of the New Peace project. Wodiczko has been talking for a long time about peace, which is not just a state without war, but an active process, public speaking and public listening to things that are difficult to say. "The City Tower talks" conveys this idea to the center of Trencin and puts it in the hands of the people who live here.
#AjNasPodporujeTSK #AjNasPodporujeMestoTrencin #AjNasPodporujeMinisterstvoKultury #AjNasPodporujeEU #Trencin2026
🏰 For centuries, the City Tower has silently watched over Trencin. For four August evenings, it will be given a voice.
✨ From 17 to 20 August, every evening at 8:30 PM, the façade of the City Tower will come alive with a large-scale video projection created for Trenčín by Polish-American artist Krzzysztof Wodiczko. It features authentic testimonies from people who live here—about their fears, their hopes, what has shaped them, and the future they wish for their city. Admission is free.
🎥 What you will see
The tower will become the face and voice of the people of Trenčín: young people and seniors, artists, students, and volunteers. A man who found a new home here after fleeing the war in Ukraine. A woman who brings generations together through community embroidery. Volunteers working with Roma children. Each of them offers a unique perspective on life in the city, and together they create a portrait of Trenčín that we cannot see from the street.
💬 Wodiczko asks them questions that most of us answer only in our own minds. Their responses are then projected onto the very building they pass every day. Each evening's projection is different. Interviews recorded during the day are edited and become part of the projection the following evening. Over four days, the tower gradually gathers more and more voices.
🌍 The testimonies will be presented in Slovak with English subtitles.
🗣️ "We wanted to create a work in which Trenčín itself speaks through the people who live here, work here, help others, or have brought their life stories to this city. Each person represents a different experience, but together they create the image of a city shaped by its people," says Trenčín architect Alexander Topilin, who has worked closely with Krzysztof Wodiczko on the project.
🙋 Add your voice
Anyone can become part of the artwork. Meetings with the artist take place individually, in front of a camera and without an audience. Wodiczko will ask you a few questions, and your answers may appear on the City Tower as early as the following evening.
📅 Filming takes place daily from 17 to 20 August, between 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Capacity is limited, so advance registration is required. After registering, we will contact you to arrange the exact time of your interview.
ℹ️ Participation is voluntary and unpaid. Before filming, you will be asked to sign a consent form allowing the recording and publication of your interview. Interview duration: up to 60 minutes.
📝 Registration:
htt ps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbPNpBlGGg6KzjjYgOK7PhKSQPN67csT_JtnIPZU5zI2k9GA/viewform?usp=header
🎨 Who is Krzysztof Wodiczko?
Krzysztof Wodiczko is one of the world's leading artists working in public space. Since the 1980s, he has created more than 90 large-scale projections and installations on buildings and monuments around the world, from the United States to Japan, Israel, and Poland. His works amplify the voices of people who are rarely heard in public spaces: immigrants, people experiencing homelessness, war veterans, and survivors of violence.
🏆 In 1998, he received the Hiroshima Art Prize for his contribution to world peace, and in 2009 he represented Poland at the Venice Biennale. He is Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. His work for Trenčín was created especially for the Trenčín 2026 European Capital of Culture program as a direct response to the local community and its stories.
🤝 Why are we doing this?
The artwork is part of the New Peace project. Wodiczko has long spoken about peace not simply as the absence of war, but as an active process of speaking publicly and listening publicly to things that are often difficult to say. "The City Tower Speaks" brings this idea to the heart of Trenčín and places it in the hands—and voices—of the people who live here.
✨ From August 17 to 20, always from 8:30 p.m., a large-format video projection, created for Trenčín by the Polish-American artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, will light up on the facade of the City Tower. In it, authentic statements of the people who live here will be heard - about what they fear, what they hope for, what shaped them and what future they wish for their city. Entry is free.
🎥 What you will see
The faces and voices of the inhabitants of Trenčín, young and old, artists, students and volunteers will appear on the tower. A man who found a new home here after fleeing the war in Ukraine. Women who connect people across generations through community embroidery. Volunteers who work with Roma children. Each of them brings their own perspective on life in the city and together they create an image of Trenčín that we cannot see from the street.
💬 Wodiczko asks them questions that we usually answer only for ourselves. Their answers are then displayed in large print on the building they pass by daily. The projection is different every night. Statements recorded during the day will be processed and become part of the projection the very next evening. The tower thus collects more and more voices over the course of four days.
🌍 The statements will be in Slovak with English subtitles.
🗣️ "We wanted to create a work in which Trenčín itself speaks through the people who live here, work, help others or have brought their life stories here. Each of them represents a different experience, but only together they create an image of the city that is made up of its inhabitants," says Trenčín architect Alexander Topilin, who with Krzysztof Wodiczkom works closely on the project.
🙋 Add your voice
Anyone can become a part of the work. The meeting with the artist takes place individually, in front of the camera and without an audience. Wodiczko will ask a few questions and your answer may appear on the City Tower the very next evening.
📅 Filming takes place every day from 17 to 20 August from 17:00 to 19:30. The number of places is limited, so advance registration is required. After registration, we will contact you and agree on the exact time of the interview.
ℹ️ Participation is voluntary and without the right to a fee. Before filming, you sign your consent to processing and publishing the recording. Duration of the interview: up to 60 minutes.
📝 Link to login:
htt ps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbPNpBlGGg6KzjjYgOK7PhKSQPN67csT_JtnIPZU5zI2k9GA/viewform?usp=header
🎨 Who is Krzysztof Wodiczko
He is one of the most important artists working with public space. Since the 1980s, he has realized more than 90 large-format projections and installations on buildings and monuments all over the world, from the United States to Japan and Israel to Poland. His projections are always based on people who do not normally get to speak in the public space: immigrants, homeless people, war veterans or victims of violence.
🏆 In 1998 he won the Hiroshima Art Prize for his contribution to world peace, in 2009 he represented Poland at the Venice Biennale. He is a professor emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He created the work for Trenčín especially for the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 program as a direct response to the local community and its stories.
🤝 Why we do it
The work is part of the New Peace project. Wodiczko has been talking for a long time about peace, which is not just a state without war, but an active process, public speaking and public listening to things that are difficult to say. "The City Tower talks" conveys this idea to the center of Trencin and puts it in the hands of the people who live here.
#AjNasPodporujeTSK #AjNasPodporujeMestoTrencin #AjNasPodporujeMinisterstvoKultury #AjNasPodporujeEU #Trencin2026
🏰 For centuries, the City Tower has silently watched over Trencin. For four August evenings, it will be given a voice.
✨ From 17 to 20 August, every evening at 8:30 PM, the façade of the City Tower will come alive with a large-scale video projection created for Trenčín by Polish-American artist Krzzysztof Wodiczko. It features authentic testimonies from people who live here—about their fears, their hopes, what has shaped them, and the future they wish for their city. Admission is free.
🎥 What you will see
The tower will become the face and voice of the people of Trenčín: young people and seniors, artists, students, and volunteers. A man who found a new home here after fleeing the war in Ukraine. A woman who brings generations together through community embroidery. Volunteers working with Roma children. Each of them offers a unique perspective on life in the city, and together they create a portrait of Trenčín that we cannot see from the street.
💬 Wodiczko asks them questions that most of us answer only in our own minds. Their responses are then projected onto the very building they pass every day. Each evening's projection is different. Interviews recorded during the day are edited and become part of the projection the following evening. Over four days, the tower gradually gathers more and more voices.
🌍 The testimonies will be presented in Slovak with English subtitles.
🗣️ "We wanted to create a work in which Trenčín itself speaks through the people who live here, work here, help others, or have brought their life stories to this city. Each person represents a different experience, but together they create the image of a city shaped by its people," says Trenčín architect Alexander Topilin, who has worked closely with Krzysztof Wodiczko on the project.
🙋 Add your voice
Anyone can become part of the artwork. Meetings with the artist take place individually, in front of a camera and without an audience. Wodiczko will ask you a few questions, and your answers may appear on the City Tower as early as the following evening.
📅 Filming takes place daily from 17 to 20 August, between 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Capacity is limited, so advance registration is required. After registering, we will contact you to arrange the exact time of your interview.
ℹ️ Participation is voluntary and unpaid. Before filming, you will be asked to sign a consent form allowing the recording and publication of your interview. Interview duration: up to 60 minutes.
📝 Registration:
htt ps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbPNpBlGGg6KzjjYgOK7PhKSQPN67csT_JtnIPZU5zI2k9GA/viewform?usp=header
🎨 Who is Krzysztof Wodiczko?
Krzysztof Wodiczko is one of the world's leading artists working in public space. Since the 1980s, he has created more than 90 large-scale projections and installations on buildings and monuments around the world, from the United States to Japan, Israel, and Poland. His works amplify the voices of people who are rarely heard in public spaces: immigrants, people experiencing homelessness, war veterans, and survivors of violence.
🏆 In 1998, he received the Hiroshima Art Prize for his contribution to world peace, and in 2009 he represented Poland at the Venice Biennale. He is Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. His work for Trenčín was created especially for the Trenčín 2026 European Capital of Culture program as a direct response to the local community and its stories.
🤝 Why are we doing this?
The artwork is part of the New Peace project. Wodiczko has long spoken about peace not simply as the absence of war, but as an active process of speaking publicly and listening publicly to things that are often difficult to say. "The City Tower Speaks" brings this idea to the heart of Trenčín and places it in the hands—and voices—of the people who live here.