Polish Country Calendar Project
The Polish Country Calendar project is dedicated to Monika Trypuz’s original book of the same title. Across twelve spreads, each dedicated to a month of the year, the book illustrates rites and customs once central to rural life that are no longer commonly practiced.
The texts were developed based on documentation provided by the “Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre in Lublin and the Lublin Open Air Village Museum. Both institutions serve as patrons of the book.
Illustrations
The style of the Polish Country Calendar book draws inspiration from Podlasie double-weave textiles—scenes from rural life are surrounded by characteristic borders, and the drawings were created using a fine-liner pen on checkered paper, referencing traditional weaving grids. The publication depicts real architectural objects (including those from the Lublin Village Museum) as well as traditional rural clothing adapted to the seasons. The foundation for the form and composition of these graphics is the illustrative type of rural double-weave textile initiated in the early 1950s by Dominika Bujnowska in cooperation with artist Zofia Tomrle, which was adopted and continued by the Janów weaving center.
Photographs
The Polish Country Calendar project features three photographic compositions printed on handmade paper and framed in wooden frames designed to resemble a plain weave. The photographs serving as inspirations for the graphics come from the collections of institutions such as the Lublin Open Air Village Museum, the National Museum in Lublin, the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IS PAN), and the National Digital Archives (NAC). The photographs are arranged in a plain-weave pattern and divided into three separate inspiration walls: Works and Rituals, Architecture, and Silhouettes.
Graphics
The Polish Country Calendar project includes a set of twelve graphics accompanied by texts, which in the book are placed on folded gatefolds (inserts). Each text opens with an explanation of the etymology of the month’s name, followed by a detailed description of the scenes. These are not accidental—they depict ancient customs and traditions once practiced that have fallen into oblivion today.
