Who Builds Our Cities?

The work­ing con­di­tions of con­struc­tion work­ers are poten­tial­ly life-threat­en­ing when han­dling heavy machin­ery at dizzy­ing heights. Their work­ing days are long; their employ­ment con­tracts, if any, are often inad­e­quate. But the per­son­al sto­ries depict­ed in the films of Mar­ty­na Jan­ic­ka and Michal Gdak do not pil­lo­ry the employ­ers. Instead, they ask, as Jan­ic­ka says, whether fair trade is even fea­si­ble in this field—and if so, what exact­ly could be. 5‑channel film instal­la­tion, Sand (3.11 min), Con­crete (6.03 min), Plas­ters, (3.33 min), Height (3.24 min), Love (2.16 min), 2016 © Fair Building

The Fair Build­ing project is about pre­cise­ly those who are often for­got­ten when archi­tects or pub­lic fig­ures talk about spec­tac­u­lar new con­struc­tions or large-scale urban plan­ning. In con­trast to the film indus­try, where every role, no mat­ter how small, is list­ed in the cred­it roll, archi­tec­ture tends to keep a low pro­file when it comes to the work and the work­ers whose labor allows for build­ings to emerge: work­ers who are employed in pre­car­i­ous con­di­tions, work­ers who tem­porar­i­ly live far from home in inhos­pitable places, work­ers who ply their trade on unse­cured build­ing sites, and work­ers who toil away for days and weeks that are too long. These are the peo­ple who play the lead here.

Link to Audio guide

Mak­ingRefram­ingInfra­struc­tureDif­fer­ent EconomiesRights

Project

Fair Build­ing

Actors

Domini­ka Jan­ic­ka, cura­tor; Mar­ty­na Jan­ic­ka, Michal‚ Gdak, con­trib­u­tors; Han­na Wrob­lews­ka, com­mis­sion; Zacheta — Nation­al Gallery of Art, organizationion

Year

2016

Loca­tion

Poland

5‑channel film instal­la­tion, Sand (3.11 min), Con­crete (6.03 min), Plas­ters, (3.33 min), Height (3.24 min), Love (2.16 min), 2016 © Fair Building
5‑channel film instal­la­tion, Sand (3.11 min), Con­crete (6.03 min), Plas­ters, (3.33 min), Height (3.24 min), Love (2.16 min), 2016 © Fair Building
5‑channel film instal­la­tion, Sand (3.11 min), Con­crete (6.03 min), Plas­ters, (3.33 min), Height (3.24 min), Love (2.16 min), 2016 © Fair Building