Strike rumbles down the street

The installation highlights the multifaceted biography of Zula Pacanowska (1904-1942), a woman “disconnected from history.” Pacanowska fought for workers' rights, led the resistance movement in the Litzmannstadt ghetto, served as a scout for Ha'Szomer Ha'Cair, and was an artist. For nearly fifty years, the street where the former Litzmannstadt Ghetto was located bore her name.

Zula Pacanowska Street was the only memorial dedicated to this woman, a social activist and artist, known as a “reliably talented” actress of the Łódź workers' scene, as noted in theatre reviews of that period. Pacanowska was also unafraid to express her political views. As a member of the illegal Communist Party of Poland, she was imprisoned for her activities before the war. During the German occupation, she was confined to the ghetto, where she resisted the policies of Chaim Rumkowski. This resistance might have contributed to her extermination at the camp in Chełmno nad Nerem.

Zula Pacanowska is a tragic figure who was exploited by the post-war communist regime authorities seeking heroes and heroines to legitimize their rule. She was posthumously awarded the Order of the Banner of Labor, Class I. However, in 2018, following the so-called decommunization, her name was removed from the street sign. This decision was based on a one-sided assessment of her activities, which were portrayed as treasonous towards the Polish nation.

Pacanowska remains significant in the context of enduring issues such as workers' rights, women's rights, education, and efforts to build an inclusive civil society.

photo: HaWa

The installation that reintroduces Zula Pacanowska to the public space was created on the front and side elevations of the building at 56 Zgierska Street in Łódź, which, according to some sources, housed a metal department during the ghetto period.

The visual components of the installation include references to Zula Pacanowska’s political, activist, and creative work. It features two quotes from the poem "The song of Łódź" On the facade, the words "strike rumbles down the street" are displayed, which broadly reference protests that have echoed through cities' streets across various historical and political contexts. This slogan, taken from the poem and placed in an urban setting, loses its original agitational meaning and does not imply any specific political ideology. The "street" mentioned in the quote also alludes to the renaming of Zula Pacanowska Street and the erasure of her memory from the cityscape.

Below the inscription, a bas-relief modeled after the Order of the Banner of Labor, Class I, has been placed, replacing the male figure with a female one.

On the side elevation of the building, another quote states, “Łódź is rising again on the call!”

Accompanying this quote is graffiti created using a stencil technique, featuring stock silhouettes of a demonstrating crowd. Although the inscription looks hand-drawn, it actually uses a font created by Michał Berger, inspired by the letters found on banners from women’s strikes. Therefore, we can say that it represents all the individuals who participated in the demonstrations during the Women’s Strike and similar protests in Poland.

Additionally, a seemingly abstract sign on the same side elevation features a word written in Yiddish, which translates to "strike."