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Maciej Świetlik

An anthropologist without a diploma, a fan of wandering aimlessly and horseback riding without a saddle. He celebrates the Persian New Year. He feels best by the fire, drinking the occasional glass of nice wine. 
A Community of Festivities
Art + Stories
Experiences

A Community of Festivities

In our everyday lives, we must play assigned roles in society. But, when our excess energy becomes too much, we must break from those strict roles—this is where festivities come in.
Maciej Świetlik
The City of Alchemists
World + People
Dreams and Visions

The City of Alchemists

The maps from the time of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor situate Prague in the symbolic heart of Europe. Surrounded by artists and scholars, the ruler tried to unite the disintegrating world with the help of alchemy.
Maciej Świetlik
The Spirit of the Gift
Soul + Body
Wellbeing

The Spirit of the Gift

Gifts release social energy. They are the opposite of commodities, which are bought or sold and do not help create communities. Rather, the gift strengthens bonds, builds trust, builds community.
Maciej Świetlik
A Very Bushy Tale
World + People
Nature

A Very Bushy Tale

Shapeshifting trickster foxes are part of Chinese and Japanese folklore. Often portrayed as women, their mythological presence reveals social attitudes and anxieties.
Maciej Świetlik
Eccentric Journeys
Art + Stories
Experiences

Eccentric Journeys

Intrigued by the world’s civilizations and with a financial safety net, the 20th century saw the likes of Robert Byron and Patrick Leigh Fermor trek across Eurasia—and write about it.
Maciej Świetlik
Iron People
World + People
Science

Iron People

We know little about the Celts since they had a similar attitude to writing as they did to the Romans. In the collective imagination, the Celts are situated at the intersection of history and myth. So how much have we actually found out about them?
Maciej Świetlik
The Most Famous Celts in the World
Humor + Variety
Variety

The Most Famous Celts in the World

The French comic book series starring Asterix and Obelix is well-known across the world. What do these two Gallic villagers represent?
Maciej Świetlik
We Are the Future!
Art + Stories
Art

We Are the Future!

Russian Futurism developed alongside Italian Futurism, yet the two art movements ultimately took different directions.
Maciej Świetlik
Psilocynations
Soul + Body
Good Mood

Psilocynations

Psychedelic mushrooms may be few in number in the fungi kingdom, but they have great potential for invoking permanent change among humans.
Maciej Świetlik
The World’s Pre-Eminent Globetrotter
Art + Stories
Experiences

The World’s Pre-Eminent Globetrotter

Almost 700 years ago, the Moroccan Muslim scholar Muhammad Ibn Battuta travelled around 117,000 kilometres across the world – more than any other pre-modern explorer.
Maciej Świetlik
The Happy Minimalists
World + People
Dreams and Visions

The Happy Minimalists

The Pirahã people of the Amazon River basin live in the present. They also speak a unique language, which sparked a linguistic war with the likes of Noam Chomsky.
Maciej Świetlik
Oh, To Be a Jargonaut!
Art + Stories
Experiences, Fiction

Oh, To Be a Jargonaut!

The game of Ouscrapo is at once fun, in the spirit of cooperation, and full of the limitless poetic potential of language.
Maciej Świetlik