Architecture Day: Opava - The Other Side of Brick

Visual project by photographer Arkadiusz Gola "The Other Side of Brick" documents forms of housing in Polish post-industrial working-class settlements in Upper Silesia. The photographs map the intimate living spaces of people who remained in these localities after the region's industrial transformation - many would like to move away but lack the means, while others are emotionally attached to their homes. The condition of the houses reflects how little care their owners invest in them.

The documented apartments reveal not only the socioeconomic status of the residents but also their lifestyle and aesthetic preferences. The project thus forms a sociological probe into a specific form of housing in a marginalized post-industrial locality.

Guided by: Arkadiusz Gola (photographer) and Jiří Siostrzonek (sociologist). Co-organizers: Breda Lives Association, KUPE Cultural and Artistic Space, and SAM Association.