Waldemar Rapior

I am an independent sociologist and cultural theorist with a strong interdisciplinary background and a history of collaboration with trans-disciplinary R&D media laboratory and artistic hubs in Brighton (Blast Theory), Rotterdam (Patchingzone) and Warsaw (The Theatre Institute). I hold a Ph.D. in Sociology from Adam Mickiewicz University (defended in November 2017), and two Master degrees: in Visual Sociology and Cultural Studies.

My Ph.D. dissertation explores the process of transformation of the late capitalistic society towards a project society – the society of growing deployment of projects and other types of temporary activities. The dissertation is based on the multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork of art project (areyouforreal.patchingzone.net) implemented in a vocational school in Rotterdam by an interdisciplinary team supported by globally well-known artistic groups from Amsterdam (STEIM | Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music), England (Blast Theory), and Finland (Translocal). I was a member of the project team.

I have closely collaborated with the biggest theater festival in Poland (Malta Festival) and the Institute of Theatre and Media Arts in Poznań. I initiated a six-year (2010-2016) interdisciplinary research project on participation in culture and audience development which aims to increase awareness among policymakers, cultural workers, and audience on the importance of theatre as a method for social cohesion and critical tool for developing democracy.

Currently, I am finalizing art/science collaboration project (2016-2019) entitled “Tacit morality” founded by Polish National Science Centre. I examine the impact of shared moral backgrounds on the patterns of moral decisions that people make. To make the moral component seen in the examinees’ judgment, I have worked with a theatre director and interdisciplinary artist Wojtek Ziemilski, a scenographer and sculptor Wojciech Pustoła and performer and music composer Sean Palmer.