‘In 5 in Lodz Library, we would like to form some spiritual and emotional energy,’ says Andrzej Walczak in an interview for the Polityka magazine. ‘We have not found a more beautiful means of presenting words than by passing on and publicly exhibiting books which are important to various people,’ he adds.

Piotr Sarzyński, Polityka magazine 

Piotr Sarzyński: Several thousand well-known people in Poland and in the world received your letter in which one sentence was most important...

Andrzej Walczak: ‘Give us five books which changed your life.’ It is the motto of the library which we have called 5 in Lodz. By this I mean books from our bookcases which are touched, read, even a bit dog-eared and shabby; books which bear visible or symbolic marks of their owners. We ask for the titles which were most important to a given person and their path of life. And if someone doesn't have a book that has shaped him/her any longer, then we will buy it in a second-hand bookshop. It's not a beauty contest; I want authentic books because novelty is impersonal. If we have to buy a new copy, then such a book needs to live with the owner for half a year, it has to succumb his/her energy and then it can be given to our library.

It's not easy to part with the most important books of our life. Do many people say no?

One person openly refused. Many invited people hesitate, they want to find out something more about the project and they want to be sure that it's not some commercial fraud which will end up as internet auction. We exchange such mails with the assistant of Yoko Ono. A lawyer negotiates with us on behalf of one of the international stars. He's preparing a special contract of transfer. Others check who we are on the Internet, verify information. Some people haven't answered to the letter and I don't know whether they will agree or not. Noam Chomsky wrote back saying that the idea is great. Books are slowly arriving. We have a whole set from one king and one famous president. And also from writers, film directors, actors, businessmen, athletes and scientists. Vittorio Storaro was one of the first people who gave us books. He brought them to Lodz personally, but he insisted there be seven books in his set! Altogether, we have already received books from about a hundred people. But please, do not ask me for the full list of names. We have decided that when we receive 255 sets, we will organise an exhibition and everything will be known. I hope it will be soon.

You get the books, and what do you do with them?

Each set is placed in a special hand-made transparent Plexiglas box. Each box is nailed with 120 special square section nails. I have asked several specialised companies if it was possible to make such boxes of the so-called soft glass. I'm waiting for the results. Books secured in such a way, with a name plate of the donor and titles translated into different languages, will be sent to the library which I call the Tower. It will not be an ordinary library, in which you can take a book off the shelf, look through it, read an excerpt. It's a kind of artistic installation. Only in extraordinary situations, about which a librarian will decide, will you be able to reach for a book. I hope school trips will come to see it and children walking along the walls will say: ‘wow, so Lech Walesa has read such books.’ And they'll start to respect books. Of course, at the beginning human curiosity (names and who has chosen what book) will be most important. But at some point, we will forget about names and remember only the books.

A noble didactic intention, but can it change anything? Our civilisation heads in the direction away from the written word.

That's true. Gutenberg's invention is breathing its last. But if the age of the written word is to end, then why wouldn't it happen in such a beautiful way, here in Łódź? Literature is dying but the word remains and, paradoxically, it plays even a greater role in the modern image culture. That's why we change books into a kind of visual installation.
In a nuclear reactor, great energy is made, and what is most important is the casing that will allow to keep this energy. We want to create a kind of spiritual or emotional energy in 5 in Łódź library. We have not found a more beautiful means of presenting words than by passing on and publicly exhibiting books which various people consider important

But it can't be the only reason for building this library installation.

In Łódź, we can't hope that on the construction site we will dig out a boat which set off in Troy and sank right here on its way to Scotland. To speak less metaphorically – today, Łódź is not particularly attractive. And it has had negative PR. First, it was perceived as a capitalist city of ruthless exploitation. Then, it was regarded a dull socialist textile giant to which artist came as if they had been punished with banishment.
There aren't many reasons for someone to come here for a weekend, to bring tourists here. What should we do to attract them? Well, in many languages there is a saying about coming back to your favourite childhood and adolescence books. Perhaps great people will come here following their favourite books and they will be followed by tourists. Maybe we can reverse this negative PR with books as a remedy.

Let's get back to possible donors. Are you aware of the fact that you put them on the spot? Of course, if they treat the project seriously. It's like making them draw up a balance of life.

I am aware of that. Many people confirm that in letters which they sent to us. First, you have to think if you have such books and if you have them at home. Then you wonder if you have five of such books. It's most difficult when it comes to the choice of the last book – it's like the third wish to a golden fish. Choice dilemmas are really huge. I often meet with resistance: ‘I won't give my books! Why should I part with my beloved books, why should anyone get a piece of my private life?’ Then, we negotiate, persuade. Maybe not now but why not bequeath them? Maybe a bit later? The decision requires certain courage but the conditions are clear – you give us a piece of yourself, and we assure you that you will contribute to creating something new and extraordinary. And you have the chance of making a public legacy.

Who hesitates most often?

Contrary to appearances, not sensitive intellectuals but politicians. They ask who else is taking part in the project. They want to know what company they would join. Will there be anyone from the opposition? Who will be shown next to me? And I say that I won't tell. We make no differences – left or right wing, a scientist or athlete, Catholic or Muslim. Everyone has an equal right to make a choice. And if anyone chooses Main Kampf, we will respect that choice as well. We'll only cover the title because that is what the law requires. But the book will be there in the Library. I have special respect for those who at the very beginning agreed to give us books without laying down conditions. They trusted us although there was no website, no previous experience or certainty that others would follow them. Among them, there are famous artists, directors, actresses – such as Anna Dymna and Jan Machulski.

What books do they send?

Almost every tenth person goes to a bookshop, buys books and sends them to us. Of course, we will take them but people will see it on the wall of the library that someone had their work done by a bookshop. Most of those books are very intellectual; they are novels – rather difficult ones. What is interesting, there are very few books from the donors’ childhood and adolescence, as if the process of shaping yourself by reading books began at the studies. It is especially the case with Polish people. When it comes to foreigners, they send us fairy tales or novels for teenagers more often. For example, Spanish fairy tales. Polish people sometimes send Winnie the Pooh. And I will anticipate your next question – the two most frequent titles are: A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The Bible or Qur’an are choices which are hard to discuss, their meaning is rather obvious. Rob Krier has sent us an extremely beautiful and personal set of books on architecture on which the owner has left a visible mark – his drawings. However, I think that there are still not enough sets to draw any conclusions. Ask me this question when we have a thousand sets – then we can discuss the choices. Maybe researchers will write their PhD theses on that subject?

You give donors very extraordinary gifts.

Everyone gets EC1 pair of jeans. It's not just a pair of jeans, but they are jeans that have been designed especially for this occasion. They are made of ecological cotton, dyed with organic indigo. They have a number of special elements, for example pockets are made of fabric that has a pattern of a brick, which is so characteristic of our city's architecture. Their name reminds us about the historic EC1 heat and power plant, from which the concept of the New Centre of Lodz began. Each pair has the ID of the owner written on a knee. In future, maybe they will open many doors to their owner, as they are a kind of a login. Jeans are of course a reference to the textile tradition of the city. But not only. They have one surprising and important thing in common with books: they are a symbol of freedom. Jeans are the freedom of a journey, discretion and books – the freedom of choice of a book and what shapes our views and sensitivity. Such an interpretation may be a bit magical but we need magic in this project, too.

I wish you to give away as many pairs of jeans as possible.

The execution of the giant project of urban planning and architecture which will change Lodz totally has begun. A new vast city centre is being built on the 90 hectares which cover the railway station area, wasteland and old manufacturing plants located in the city centre near the Lodz Fabryczna railway station. It has been designed by Rob Krier – a great town-planner and architect from Luxemburg. A special place in this plan will be devoted to the Special Art Zone, which is a huge glass tube, designed by Charly Möller's team of German architects, who have won the international contest for a modern art centre. 5 in Lodz Library is a part of the project. Most of the ideas have come from Andrzej Walczak, who is one of the most charismatic people in Lodz. He's unconventional, his friends consider him to be a visionary and his foes see him as a madman, which he also finds a compliment. An architect, co-founder and co-owner of Atlas – a company producing cement and construction chemicals, who some time ago decided to resign from active management of the company. In 2003, he founded one of the best non-commercial art galleries in the country – Atlas Sztuki Gallery, which he funds himself. Currently, he has devoted all his energy to creating a new image of the city. In the project of the New Centre of Lodz, he is Lodz mayor's representative in charge of the Special Art Zone. In the interview, he tells us about the original concept of 5 in Lodz Library.