'We live in rapidly changing and polarized times in a world of post-truth with no more land to discover or conquer. While facing the biggest human migration since second world war, globally occurring problems, controversies and waves of fear of ‘other’, unknown, hate and racism now more then ever we need to stay present. We need to re-learn human practices of co-existence and ways of relating to the planet, cosmos and each other. As artists we need to ‘practice’ our humanity every day and engage in creative dialogs, with people from different cultures, disciplines and social backgrounds.
For me art is life. It is politics, religion, sex, conflicts, and must not exist in a vacuum.
The curiosity, openness and real sense of presence brings us closer as artists to the moment when different values, world views can make theatre a place of imagining and building new futures.' KP statement
Polish-born Kasia Pol is a is an artist, performance designer, creative producer, set and costume designer, initiator and creator of the most audacious projects who has based herself in NZ over the last 15 years while working and collaborating with various artists in New Zealand as well as in Germany, Denmark, Cyprus, Chile, Canada and Poland.
She has developed a strong and unique visual language through her practise in theatre, performance, installation, opera, dance, moving image and new media - in a multicultural space across the globe.
Recently she has completed, as co-creator and Production Designer, a large scale multi-participatory project ‘Waka Odyssey’ for the International Arts Festival in Wellington. This opening event called ‘Kupe’ involved 2000 performers from Wellington city and the region.
In 2003 Kasia graduated with a Masters in Scenography from the acclaimed Theatre Academy in Prague. She also worked with Prof. Dorita Hannah on the international project ‘Heart of PQ’ at the Prague Quadrennial, and that same year she moved to New Zealand to teach Performance Design at Massey University in Wellington.
Since 2005 she has worked with various theatre, dance and film companies, and arts festivals in New Zealand and created many installations and performances; NZ Dance Company, Maori theatre Taki Rua, Auckland Theatre Company, Performance Arcade, Carol Brown Dances, and in film with Peter Jackson amongst others.
Since 2005 she has worked with Samoan choreographer and director Lemi Ponifasio and his company MAU, a collaboration which continued for 12 years. Kasia has been part of major creations with Lemi and MAU; Requiem (2006), Tempest without a Body (2008), Birds with Sky Mirrors (2010), opera Prometheus (2012), IAM (2015), opera Apocalypsis (2016), and Die Gaben der Kinder (2017). MAU’s works were premiered and presented in the Avignon Festival, the Ruhr Triennial, Luminato in Toronto, Teater del Velt 2017 in Hamburg and many more prestigious venues and festivals throughout Europe and America.
In 2005 Kasia also stepped into a New Zealand film industry and worked as designer, art director and coordinator on various short and feature films and many TV commercials, most importantly she was involved in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit movies.
These experiences exposed her to a large scale projects and international stages.
It helped her shape as a professional gave tools to evolve in her own practice.
In last few years she has developed strong relationships with indigenous artists and scholars in New Zealand. These meaningful encounters opened a door for her to a ‘pacific way of thinking’ and an understanding of our place in the world, and concepts of time and space and the value of relationships. In her work she is always engaging in difficult subjects and conversations.
In April 2018 with Choreographer Carol Brown she has started a new interdisciplinary project called Lungsong with group of wahine (women) and scientists from New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Chile, Poland, and Hawaii which is responding to the devastating signs of climate change.
Her works:
Large scale opening event ‘Waka Odyssey’/‘Kupe’ for the International Arts Festival in Wellington 2018; dance, ‘Lost & found’ Carol Brown, Auckland 2017; theatre ‘Tourists’ with Sztuka Nowa, Warsaw 2017; installation/opera ‘The Children of Gods’ with Lemi Ponifasio, Teatre Du Velt, Hamburg 2017; performance dance/theatre ‘Standing in Time’ with Lemi Ponifasio, Festival D’Avignon 2017; dance ‘Knot’ with Danish Dance Company & Stephen Shropshire, Copenhagen 2017; theatre performance ‘Hotel Europa’ with Anna Marbrook and Toi Whakaari, Wellington 2016 ‘Lumina’, NDC 2015; opera ‘Apocalypsis’ for Luminato Festival, Toronto 2015; ‘IAM’ MAU, Festival D’Avignon 2015; installation performance, ‘Freight’ Auckland 2014; installation ‘Cargo’ Wellington 2012; dance performance ‘Draught’ Cyprus 2012; opera ‘Prometheus’ with Lemi Ponifasio, Ruhr Trienalle, Germany 2012; theatre ‘Sydney Bridge Upside Down’ with Taki Rua, Wellington & Auckland 2013. Her collaborative projects have gained awards, including an NZIA (Architecture) Award for installation design and a Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for costume design.
