For the photos I fly away into my world, on my own and in my own way. And then I come back to earth and I am no longer alone, I am surrounded by wonderful people with whom I have the privilege to work. I am writing about it because somehow it is so common for photography books to be signed with the name of the photographer, which is unfair, because the book is the result of the efforts of a whole team.

There would be no Arché book if it weren't for Ania Nałęcka-Milach, an incomparable designer whose big heart, imagination, and commitment to the process results in such an extraordinary outcome in the form of a physical object. For this is the art, to translate all the emotional charge and contradictions with which I return from afar into the medium of a book. Ania practices an idea close to the one used in architecture, where all design decisions, the use of such and not a different material, result from the awareness of language, of purpose - the formation of a specific impression for the future recipient, who will move in the space of the visual story, just as the user moves in the space of the building. And these impressions are, for example, that the book is light, warm and pleasant to touch, it is an intimate object, delicate and saturated with vivid emotions - even though it is written with signs created in ice. Ha! You already know that ice is not the point of this story, although it's just the tip of the iceberg ????

There would be no Arché book if it weren't for the involvement of Wiktoria Michałkiewicz, the project's curator, whose creative and critical eye allowed us to extract the essence of meanings and properly put emphasis on words and concepts. Wiktoria sees more broadly, she brings the Big World closer. In the case of Arché she has built a bridge between Poland and Iceland. That is why I read with emotion the introduction written by the wonderful Andri Snær Magnason, completing the picture with words, giving context to the whole. Andri, thank you very much for everything!

And the words in the book would not sound so beautiful if it were not for the creative participation of Joasia Osiewicz-Lorenzutti and Stefan Lorenzetti (with his team) and Ewa Siemieńska, masters of words and translations moving in a matter so delicate and difficult for me.

Finally, the physical book would not have been so well produced if it had not been for Leszek Marcinkowski, the print producer, who in a difficult market situation was able to guide us through this difficult moment by taking care of the details, especially those not visible to the naked eye. The book would not have existed if it wasn't for the excellent work and diligence of Grafix printers from Gdansk, who cared not only about the effect, but also about the atmosphere of cooperation.

There would be no Arche, in fact there would be no flying, if it wasn't for Kamil Antkowiak, who gave me my wings 25 years ago, and now makes sure I pay attention to other aspects of engine work, arousing in me some kind of sensitivity for the combustion machine that takes me into the air. I would also like to thank Paranirvana Mirek Hołownia and Rafał Soćko, who supported me in the heat, when the motor-paraglider engine needed immediate resuscitation and I being in the process would not be able to wait.

The book is dedicated to: Karolina'e, also the originator of the title: Arché.

Thank you also for countless discussions, impulses, motivation, faith, attitude, when you shared your thoughts opening my eyes to further threads for exploration: Agnieszka JC, Maciej Kuzmicz, Piotr Pawel Bazylko, Piotr Wittman, and many others who know themselves that I think of them affectionately.

And finally, there would be no book without you - its recipients, because this book was written with you in mind. And so it is, it is no longer mine, it is yours. It was mine before its publication. Now I am very happy to see how it works, or dismayed at how it doesn't work, when I stumble over my own words and thoughts. Because that's her role, too. The book opens up more creative processes. I perceive it differently, which is why I'm so excited about all the interactions it's causing and will cause in the future. Maybe it's the effect of scale. The project was five years in the making, and it's been out in the world for just a few weeks ???? And it's already been nominated in a poll.

And it is already nominated in photopolis plebiscite. https://www.fotopolis.pl/plebiscyt And there are many great and important books in this plebiscite. For example "Strike" by Rafał Milach or "The Only One. Untold Stories of Polish Women Photographers" by Monika Szewczyk-Wittek or "Butterflies" by Silvia Pogoda and a few other great books which I recommend to your esteemed attention.

Thank you all very much.

PS
Book is available here:)
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