A Siesta in the City of Freedom: The Phenomenon of the Gdańsk Lotos Siesta Festival
A Siesta in the City of Freedom: The Phenomenon of the Gdańsk Lotos Siesta Festival

Author(s): Adrian Tyszkiewicz
Subject(s): Anthropology, Social Sciences, Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Music, Sociology, Culture and social structure
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Gdańsk; Siesta Festival; world music; Marcin Kydryński; Pomeranian Philharmonic
Summary/Abstract: This chapter attempts to present the characteristics of the Gdańsk Siesta Festival in terms of interactions between three key elements: the site of the event, manners of arranging and organising the event, as well as its participants. The main research concern revolves around the presence of a phenomenon referred to as the spirit of the place (genius loci) at the location of the festival, which coincides with the multicultural idea of the Siesta Festival. The primary research method applied in the article is the genetic-historical approach in the social sciences, while the techniques applied include critical text analysis and participant observation. The chapter has three main sections analysing the following: the urban space of Gdańsk impacted by historical and cultural elements, the idea of the event, manner of its organisation plus the logistics, and the festival community. As a result of the study, it was established that the unique, multicultural urban space, which glorifies individual freedom, is definitely conducive to the festival’s main idea, which is based on the participants’ openness to experiencing other cultures.

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