You are an artist who has chosen textiles as raw material for your artistic work. Why?

There were a few reasons; one of the most important was the fact that at the time when I was making the choice, textiles were very popular among artists from different fields, as well as among a wide audience of visual arts enthusiasts. For many Polish artists working with textiles, participation in the early days Lausanne Biennale was the beginning of an international career. What led to the success of the so-called "Polish School of Textiles" was the artists' tendency to experiment and to do things on their own. The author of a textile design was also the one who made the textile. Sometimes there were also cases when artists would make their works without any specific preliminary design. This fascinated me, and I concluded that no other field was equally broad and comprehensive, giving so much freedom of choice with regard to artistic means of expression. The fact that I come from Łódź may also have played a role here.

You studied at the State School of Visual Arts in Łódź from 1974-80, and you did your graduation project in the Faculty of Industrial Design, in the Gobelin Tapestry and Carpet Studio. What are your recollections from that time?

When I began my studies, we had classes in the former university building at Narutowicza Street and when I was finishing - in the new one at Wojska Polskiego Street. I remember the "move", because I chose textiles as my major then and the Faculty of Textiles was the first department that had been moved to the new building. I particularly recall the temporary entrance from Sporna Street which was just a wooden overpass. For several months I have been going to work through that entrance again - but this time my role is different and there are stairs there. When I was taking my university entrance exam, I knew I my major would textiles, and so I used the opportunity of selecting such a studio, to pick up the one most appropriate for me. I guess the knowledge and skills acquired then are still very useful to me today. Two artistic textile studios were especially important to me: the Gobelinu Tapestry and Carpet Studio ran by Antoni Starczewski and Artistic Textile Studio ran by Janina Tworek-Pierzgalska. Today I believe that the sum of the experience I gained there influenced me to a large extent. I believe I'm very much the student of the two outstanding individuals.

You conduct classes in the Artistic Textile Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk and in the Institute of Textile Architecture at the Technical University of Łódź. Can textiles become a way of life for an artist? What is working with textiles for students - is it preparation for artistic work (artistic textiles) or for the profession of designer (industrial textiles)?

We sometimes say: I've chosen textiles (or some other field) for my studies, and then as my major, and then as a way of life. I'm not sure to what extent we can be the creators of that process. And maybe it is textiles (or some other field) that chose us? To become a way of life, something has to fulfil many physical and psychological criteria. Not everyone can fulfil their potential in the field of textiles. I still encounter, though seldom, students who, like I myself some time ago, enrol into the Academy, and the most important and interesting subject for them is textiles. The Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź is a magnet for them, and so I'm really pleased that, since the beginning of this academic year, I've been running my own studio here. After working for 14 years in the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, I returned to the place that shaped me in order to shape others - chosen by textiles. In Gdańsk, the Textile Studio was complementary to the academic curriculum in the Faculty of Painting. Here textiles constitute a separate course of studies and, for some graduates, textiles may become a way of life.The situation is a little different with the students at the Technical University of Łódź. Textile architecture is a field that prepares students to think of textile design in such a way that all functional properties of fabric are created simultaneously.To put it in simple terms: when designing a textile, a textile architect is able to programme not only its external appearance, but also its texture, physical structure and the properties resulting from the source material used that affect its usefulness for a certain purpose. And here we can encounter the chosen people, those who have a passion for what they do, and who will stay faithful to textiles, though not always we can refer to them as textile designers.

You are the publisher of Text i Textil - sztuka włókna (Eng. Text and Textile - the Art of Fibre). Are new issues of the magazine still published? Could you say a little more about this publication?

I used to be. After the political changes in Poland, I wanted to make my own contribution to the recurring success of the heirs of the so-called Polish School of Textiles.

I felt need to spread information about important and interesting events that were happening in Poland in the realm of textiles. And lots of things were happening, and still are. After the success of Polish artists at the Lausanne Biennale, there was another event worth recording. The impulse was great achievements of some Polish artists at the subsequent exhibitions/competitions in Kyoto. The first edition of this international exhibition ended in triumph - Polish artists won a few awards, including the first prize. I was also among those awarded. We were appreciated in the world again. And it was important to mark that. Hence my Polish-English magazine, I put it together the best I could for a few years, and I sent it wherever possible. Many people helped me with this project and I'm very grateful to them all. However, the problems with attracting sponsors forced me to give up the editor's role. What remained from that period is a great number of contacts with remarkable people and the sense that there's not enough information on the important events such as the International Tapestry Triennale in Łódź, the Faculty of Textile Art and Fashion Design in the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź as well as many other valuable initiatives all over Poland.

In 2007, at the 12th International Tapestry Triennale in the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, you were awarded a gold medal - the first prize - for your work "Orbitrek, 2006". How significant is this award for you?

It is significant for many reasons. It so happened that the work which was awarded is a final result of my numerous attempts, and so, for me, it has a special value as a reference point for my other endeavours. So, the fact that it was noticed and awarded by the international experts is an additional reason for great satisfaction for me. The first prize of the International Tapestry Triennale is not a financial award. I didn't gain any profit for that, but I know that the echoes of that award will return in the form of invitations to interesting exhibitions, and in other ways. Also, it's important to me that my students could see a practitioner in me, and not only a demanding chatterbox.

What does a "career in culture" mean to you? You have taken part in many great individual and group exhibitions in Poland and abroad. Do you think that you achieved success?

Yes - in a way. I don't know whether I can talk about career in culture, but as regards career in the art called artistic textiles - then, yes. Choosing a way to fulfil my professional potential, I always focused on being honest with myself and - to the extent it was possible - on freedom. My current professional situation meets both of these requirements. And I still feel that what's most interesting is still before me.