One mighty communist tower block outgrows Poznań | The Calvert Journal Shop

For the inaugural edition of The Calvert Journal Shop we have collaborated with six artists to offer you exclusive prints, available for purchase for four months only. You can browse the shop here.

The image above was taken by Polish architecture and street photographer Jędrzej Franek. He is the founder of the Poznań Instagramers community and a member of the oldest Polish collective of mobile photography enthusiasts: Grupa Mobilni. Since 2014, he has also been the co-organiser of the Poznań Design Festival. Read his story behind the print.

This image shows the Orła Białego estate, built in the early 1990s in Poznań. I have countless variations of this vista: an apartment block seen through a window. Socialist housing in Poland is neglected and even hated by some. By default, this architecture is stripped of its emotional layer and propped with polystyrene insulation. I want to spark curiosity and imagination so people see them in a different light. Personally, I’ve always wanted to know what goes on inside these multistorey blocks, and I try to give my images personality, so they are not unlike the tenants that live inside them.

This particular photo is from 2017. Visions of uniform tower blocks took on a different meaning during the pandemic. For one person, it might remind them of home. For others, myself included, this image recalls the isolation and loneliness brought on by lockdown.