New mural at Gdańsk University of Technology | Gdańsk University of Technology

The first such undertaking at Gdańsk University of Technology was a painting composition on the staircase in the Main Building (2011). In subsequent years, compositions were created in the elevator shaft (2019), a large-scale mural on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics (2022) and a painting in the hall and lecture hall at the Faculty of Management and Economics (2023).

The current project was carried out in cooperation with the authorities of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology as part of optional classes conducted with students of the fourth semester of engineering studies at the Faculty of Architecture. The first stage was design work conducted in eleven teams of several people. The task was to design a painting composition taking into account the context of the place: dynamic directions set by the graphite handrails of the stairs, strong light pouring into the interior of the evacuation staircase and the colors of the building's facade referring to the historical development.

According to the competition jury, these conditions were best met by the proposal prepared by the team consisting of: Maria Jóźwiak and Natalia Kowalska. The equal first place was also awarded to the team of Monika Dębkowska, Aleksandra Drobińska, Jagoda Jasińska. Two equal second places were won by the teams consisting of: Patrycja Lis, Tomasz Marszalec, Wiktor Matwiejuk and Karolina Kozłowska, Marta Małkowska.

All students (30 people) took part in the project. After the appropriate preparation of the surface, the project had to be drawn in full scale, the contours covered with masking tape, and finally the painting itself had to be executed. It was at this stage that new challenges awaited the students, despite their previous experience from classes in the art studio. Instead of brushes, paint rollers were used, and a small sheet of cardstock pinned to an easel was replaced by the walls with an area of a dozen or so square meters each.

Artistic activity in an open, widely accessible space is also a clash with the spontaneous reaction of random passers-by, recipients who often react very emotionally to the work being created. Joint implementation of the project is also an opportunity to acquire teamwork skills. This is a very important experience for a future architect, who is generally deemed to work in a team and sometimes has to give up their own ambitions in the name of cooperation and achieving a common goal.

As a result of many weeks of hard work, a painting composition was created that complements the existing space, connects the interior with the exterior of the building. It is a kind of projection of the colours and light of nature, thus uniting it with the world of technology.