Installation of “Hurrah!” at Lindenwood University
When you walk through the Lindenwood University campus in St. Charles don’t be surprised if you hear the notes of “Sto lat” floating gently in the air. The tones will be emanating from a unique urban musical installation Hurrah! Hurrah! was conceived and designed for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Poland and the United States (1919-2019). Its name was chosen to reflect the excitement and joy of the century’s true friendship and familiar camaraderie shared unequivocally between the Poles and Americans.
Handcrafted in Poland, is a large-scale vertical xylophone consisting of 36 stainless steel tubes, with each tube being fine-tuned to a separate note of “Sto lat” (“May you live one hundred years!”), all arranged in a circle 8.5 feet in diameter. When the tubes are tapped in succession with the attached rubber-tipped baton, the iconic Polish birthday, anniversary, and celebratory song is played out. Each tall tube is marked in Polish and English with the song’s lyrics. The xylophone was previously installed in Times Square and in Washington DC.
According to the Polish Cultural Institute New York ” cooperating organization, “the vertical tubes allude to the Polish forest and allow the participant to feel enclosed in a space while still being
connected to the greater landscape.”
Karol Murlak is a designer, researcher, and educator with expertise ranging from product and space design to design research and consulting. As an Associate Professor at Pratt Institute in New York and Assistant Professor at the School of Form in Poznań, Poland, he is actively engaged in design research and education. He has been involved in numerous research projects varying from product and space perception to material development and application. Previously he worked at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw. Karol graduated from the Spatial Design program at Falmouth College of Art in Great Britain. He holds a doctoral degree in design and a master’s degree in interior architecture, both from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland.
Polish artist and designer Karol Murlak with his creation of Hurrah! at Golden Triangle in Washington DC.
Many thanks to Dr. Wojciech Golik, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in St. Louis for his efforts to bring Hurrah! to St Charles.
The official installation wil take place on April 30, at 2:15 PM at the
Campus of Lindenwood University
For a specific location and more information, please contact the
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland,
Dr. Wojciech Golik (636) 949-4701
