A Unique Mural That Changes Its Face After Dark

The Inauguration of the Engler Organ.

The "Voice of Silesia," as the Baroque organ is sometimes called, returned to the Basilica of St. Elizabeth in Wrocław after 46 years. The most elaborate instrument in Silesia of its time began to take shape in 1750, with work completed eleven years later. On 9 June 1976, the organ was almost destroyed in a fire. Only a few scorched figures and ornaments survived.

Years later, a decision was made to meticulously restore the instrument and return it to its former glory from nearly half a century earlier. What does the organ look like today? No fewer than 3,468 pipes, of which 683 are wooden elements. The largest measures 12 metres. The smallest is just 11 millimetres — spotting it requires considerable effort. For this occasion, a decision was also made to create a unique setting to mark the completion of the restoration. One of its elements is an exceptional mural.

The painting was created on the wall of the Joyinn Aparthotel building at Włodkowica 16 in Wrocław. The location is no coincidence. The District of Four Temples plays a symbolic role here — a unique place identified with the acceptance of difference across many dimensions, including faith.

A unique work of art.

The mural created by Good Looking Studio is the first of its kind in Poland. By day, it displays a black-and-white Hebrew inscription — a quotation from the Bible: "Aaron, the first High Priest." After dark, the mural changes its face.

UV paint was used for the white surfaces. When illuminated after dark, it reveals elements that are invisible during the day. An additional challenge during the project was creating photorealistic portraits that had to be painted after dark. To make this possible, the artists had to work wearing special protective goggles to shield their eyes from prolonged exposure to the UV light from the lamps illuminating the wall.

The result of this extraordinary project is the face of Aaron emerging from the inscription — a figure whose sculpture can also be found on the restored Engler organ.

The designer is Oskar Podolski, a graduate of the Łódź Academy of Fine Arts, better known as OESU.

"The choice of artist was no coincidence — I wanted to break the mould, to create a fusion of two different worlds, a collision between the Baroque opulence of the organ's form and the artist's minimalist, restrained style. OESU's work is a kind of contemporary pop art — on one hand it is a commentary on modern mass culture, on the other it operates with a radical form of typography, where every sign looks and sounds like a manifesto," explains Milena Tyczyńska, the project's creative and artistic director.

A fitting celebration.

The mural was not, however, the only element marking the completion of work on the return of the Engler organ. A concert by the outstanding Italian organist Prof. Lorenzo Ghielmi was also planned — he had the honour of presenting the sound of the organ to a wider audience for the first time in nearly 50 years.

During the concert, Oskar Podolski also gave a performance, in which he gave final form to the figure of Aaron by painting a cast of the biblical figure's face. More than 30 artists took on the same task, and all the works were included in an exhibition at Concordia Design Wrocław.

After a few days, all the works continued on their journey, as an exhibition was also planned in Kraków, Poznań and Warsaw. Their return from the touring route is scheduled for August.

The shared work of the artists will be brought full circle by a charitable art auction in September, with the proceeds going to the Lower Silesian Association for Autism.

A collective effort for a worthy cause.

The restoration of the organ was made possible thanks to the collaboration between the City of Wrocław and the Atelier of Andrzej Lech Kriese, a Wrocław organ builder.