BLUE DOGS FEAT. PAT GUZIK 2019

We begin our journey. We are on an island in the Arabian Sea, in a tropical climate zone. During the wet season, average temperatures here are around 30 degrees Celsius. We are standing at the gate, once the city’s most important monument, which is now overgrown with wild vegetation. Towers and a curved latticework, carved from yellow basalt, pierce through the thicket. Behind the gate’s arch are stairs leading down to the water. The first thing that catches the eye is the bay and the harbor, from which one can sail to another distant island. In the mist-shrouded neighborhood adjacent to the harbor, indigo-colored* dogs run leisurely, hiding and emerging from behind thick clouds. This part of the island, enveloped in darkness, offers refuge from the heat. The price of this refuge, however, is very high—tainted by the color indigo, this season’s hottest trend. Cooling off in the water, the dogs stretch, yawn, and come to life. The waves crash furiously against the shore, giving everything around them an intense blue hue. Here lies the island, the other end of the world as we know it, where dogs bark and the caravan moves on.

As we continue our journey with our finger across the map, we guide it between zones of humid continental climate and tropical monsoon climate. We gather experiences and inspiration, and discover ourselves. We’re approaching a place that has no actual location, but allows us to replace the backdrop of events with any image that comes to mind. In this space, using green-screen technology, we find everyday life, where clothes are a vessel for stories and experiences. Without compulsively moving around, we reach the true essence of the journey. We moor alongside all the sad, unwanted clothes that consciously refuse to be trendy. The place we’ve reached is seemingly located in the center. Yet as we stay here longer, it feels as though it’s off the beaten path—excluded from constant participation. Here, there’s no need to ask: Do you fit in? You’re in a safe space, free from judgment. Clothes lie scattered across the light concrete floor—mixed together, tossed off their hangers. Among them, the Blue Dogs run about. They tell us their uncomfortable truths, rubbing against things and shedding their fur.

Pat Guzik and Tomek Armada take us on a journey to an unknown land. Though far apart, they carry on a conversation that spans several months. They share their experiences and reflections while challenging the fashion industry. Conversations beyond the confines of time, stitched together with 8,391** types of stitches. This is exactly what you’ll be able to experience when you visit a space tailored to the needs of today.

P.S. I, too, am feeling a bit worn out by time right now and need a little slowness and some time to reflect on it all.

*Eleven blue dogs roamed the streets of one of India’s largest cities for several days. Water and air pollution were to blame. See “Indian blue dogs blamed on river pollution,” ODN News,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHeCtXL9F9c (August 17, 2017).

**The distance between Hong Kong and Łódź.

Geographic coordinates: 18°50'00.0“N, 72°50'00.0”E

Geographic coordinates: 22°17'07.0“N, 114°09’27.0”E

Geographic coordinates: 51°47'00.0“N, 19°28’00.0”E