Join us for another lecture of the Bydgoszcz Academy of Art.

Polish scooters including the Osa scooter were developed during the so-called Small Stabilisation period 1959–1965. The beginning of their production coincides with the dominance of motorbikes and mopeds in the Polish landscape, the end is linked to the closure of the Warsaw Motorcycle Factory and the licensing plans for the Italian Fiat 125p and 126p passenger cars. In the oppressive system, suppressing the individualism of people, the valve for the citizens’ sense of freedom and liberty was individual motorisation. In the case of Osa scooters, there were more layers of emancipation. Another one can be seen as linking the Osa brand to the mobility and lifestyle of women in urban environments – presented in advertising as mobile, strong, independent. Szymon Czyżyk, custodian of the automotive collection at the Museum of Engineering and Technology in Kraków, will talk about Osa scooters, their production and the contexts associated with them.

Szymon Czyżyk – historian, employee of the Museum of Engineering and Technology in Kraków. Part of the museum’s collection which includes wheeled vehicles, rail vehicles and telecommunications is under his care. Co-author and member of the curatorial team of the 2024 Sybilla Award-winning permanent exhibition of the Museum of Engineering and Technology in Krakow, entitled “The City. Techno-sensitivity.” For years, he has been gathering knowledge in historical anthropology, sociology, 19th and 20th century history.

26.02.2025, 18.00
Gdańska 20