PALIMPSEST 2nd residential workshop in Łódź

From 24th to 28th May 2025, the CALL team and the PALIMPSEST project consortium gathered in Łódź, Poland for the 2nd Residential Workshop with artist and designer Mona El Batrik. The week’s activities focused on collaborative design, community engagement, and nature-based experimentation as a starting point for imagining and building more resilient urban futures.

A quick overview of some of the activity hightlights:

First up, the team collaborated with artist Magdalena Stecka on developing Łódź Pilot first prototype: a set of ceramic Rain Flower prototypes—aesthetic and functional water retention modules for green urban spaces. These systems are intended to serve not only as practical water management tools but also as decorative features contributing to the visual quality of the urban environment, an important element for the residents.

Followed an inspiring exchange with Deer Garden, sharing knowledge about non-invasive, nature-based systems. Discussions focused on the materials, preparation processes, and scalability of each prototype, as well as the importance of participatory approaches in broader public communication.

A strategic meeting with Aleksandra Sztuka-Tulińska, Oliwia Wierucka and Bartosz Poniatowski from the Department of Environmental Management of the City of Łódź was also held. The discussions centred on how the Meanders and other NBS interventions could be integrated into local urban planning on a small scale, offering real improvements for selected areas of the city.

Next, the team met with Dr Natalia Ratajczyk, Dr Paweł Jarosiewicz, Anna Wieczorek, Konrad Budziński from the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection at the University of Łódź to discuss future testing of the prototypes—evaluating their impact on water retention, irrigation, and green space protection. A productive brainstorming session led to the decision to jointly plan a testing phase for the developed solutions.

Finally, another interesting exchange was held with Krzysztof Olkusz (Absolutely Touristic), a local expert and author currently working on a book about Łódź’s rivers. The visit included a tour of the “Dętka” underground canal museum, offering a rare look at the city’s subterranean infrastructure and its interconnections between river systems and stormwater dynamics.

To round out the week, project partners visited the design exhibitions at Łódź Design Festival Centre and Fuzja complex, where more than 50 displays explored themes of sustainable cities, innovation, craft, and longevity in design!