Alek, 18
Ever since I was the kid I’ve simply loved going to the cinema. The atmosphere of the movies excited me. Looking for my seat in a row, queuing to the box office. Now I spend all my pocket money on cinema and I can’t imagine a weekend before seeing one film at least. I love film festivals, for example Warsaw Film Festival or Era Nowe Horyzonty. They are great because you can see not only award-winning titles, but films from such countries as Iran or Lithuania. I don’t really like American films. I love Czech movies because they are very funny and I simply adore old Polish comedies. I’m thinking about shooting my own film so I’m trying to save money and buy a camera.
Maciek, 17
People say I am a typical culture vulture and it is true that I always want to be everywhere and see everything. The problem is money so I have a system to be economical. Some galleries are free some day of the week (usually Thursday). I try to win tickets for cinema or theatre on the radio. I have special cards in cinemas, too and when I go to theatre I never buy tickets in advance but I try to buy a pass and seat on a free seat – or simply on the floor. They are much cheaper. Also I am lucky because our Polish teacher often takes us to theatre and she buys cheap tickets for groups.
Kasia, 17
I’m interested in photography and I take lots of photos. Now I have a digital camera and it is not only much easier to store photos, but also to edit them. I love also exhibitions of photography, but not only World Press Photo, but also smaller exhibitions. Now very often there are small exhibitions in cafés, so you can have a cup of coffee and look at the photos. I love black and white photos, especially portraits of people.
Ania, 18
I can’t really say that I am interested especially in one kind of art. The point is that I get attached to a person that I find inspiring. For example I love Almodovar and I have seen all his films. I simply adore Sylvia Plath and her poems, so I also saw the film and bought all her biographies available. I went to see the movie “Frida” and I liked the paintings, so not only did I buy an album, but I also saw an exhibition of her paintings in London! I was just lucky because I went to England to visit the family in Brighton, but I went to London only to see her paintings! It was really exciting! When I saw the film “Hours” I read all the books by Virginia Wolf. I simply need people who I adore and then I try to get closer to everything they did.
Marcin, 19
I love painting and I’m going to study art. I go to galleries and museums very often. I spend there a lot of time – normally about five-six hours. I often go at the weekend or on Friday, when I have no homework to do. I have my favourite painters, for example German expressionists, but I am also really interested in the modern art. I always take my big notebook and I take notes about all works of art that I like. I also make small sketches. It is really useful to have it as reference later. My notebook is a bible for me – I also stick there some postcards or articles about art. Last year I went to visit a friend in Madrid and I spent literally hours in Prado and other museums. My friend was angry because I didn’t really want to do anything else… I’d like to have money to be able to travel to the best museums and galleries in the world.
Ewa, 17
I like art but I prefer doing things – not just watching. Last year I discovered batik. It is a technique of painting with wax and coloring the cloth with different dyes. Each time you put wax on the cloth, the parts under wax will remain the base colour, so you can start from the lighter colours and then put on darker ones.
It is a nice technique and the effects are amazing. I have my batiks in frames in my room. I would also like to have such clothes, but it is more difficult probably – you must have special dyes.
Adam, 18
My passion is music. I am a concert-goer and I can’t skip an interesting concert even if it is expensive. I always borrow money from my gradma and then try to give it back. She is the only person who understands me! I also buy CDs, but is not the same. I think live music is the biggest pleasure in the world!
Krzysztof, 19
You will think I am stupid, but what I really love is cartoons. I am lucky because I have a younger sister. She is ten and when there is a new, good cartoon in the cinema, I go with her pretending I am a good brother. In fact perhaps it is a bigger pleasure for me than for her! I don’t know why but I simply adore animated figures. I would never tell anybody that my favourite character is the fish Nemo! They would think I am crazy!
Marek, 17
Well, probably I am a typical couch potato, but what I really like is television. I think it is the best because there are so many channels that you can always choose something interesting. My parents hate television, but I have an argument: I watch many programs in English and I tell them I actually learn English in this way. I love the Discovery Channel and generally reality programmes. I watch lots of programmes about animals, medicine and crime. They are my favourite.
Magda, 19
Well, I don’t know if it is art, but I love two things: patchworks and beads. When I saw a patchwork for the first time I thought it was really complicated, well, impossible to do! But I bought a book about it and then just started doing it. Patchwork is like a puzzle: you take lots of pieces of different materials and you sew them together. It is nice because you can reuse your old clothes. I made a big bed cover, I also often make cushions for presents. It is very original and everybody likes it. Beads and jewellery is my second hobby. It is contagious: first my best friend started doing it, than I joined her and now almost all girls in my class make earrings or necklaces. We buy all the pieces in the Internet.
Improve your vocabulary!
attached – przywiązany
reference – odwołanie
cloth – tkanina, materiał
dyes – barwniki