Camera obscura at The General’s Villa
A site-specific realization in a villa designed by Ludwik Wojtyczko and built in 1936–1937 for the industrialist Czesław Śmiechowski. The house completed the development of Salwator towards Kościuszko Mound and formed part of a residential villa colony initiated by the Society for the Construction of Affordable Housing.
During World War II the building was taken over by the German occupation authorities. After 1945 it served as the residence of high-ranking Soviet officials and later communist security structures. In the following decades the villa became known as the “General’s House” — a site marked by military and political history. Today the building houses artists’ studios.
A temporary camera obscura installation transformed one of the interiors into a projection chamber. The surrounding landscape of Salwator — trees, street, and neighbouring facade — appeared inside as a live, inverted image.
