Palimpsest: Experimentarium

The first Eksperymentaium was established at the Łódź Art Center as a natural extension of participatory workshops and prototyping activities within the PALIMPSEST project. Before the 19th edition of the Łódź Design Festival, during the first family experimental workshops, together with the Der Garden team. Naturally, and the local community, we prepared a gutter meander with a retention function, connected directly to the existing drainpipe. The structure was made of natural materials and was treated from the outset as a test object – a place to observe processes taking place in real time, without interfering with their course.

Ruderal plants, i.e., those that adapt well to changing humidity and temperature conditions, were planted in the meander. The structure was also planted with moss. Rainwater runoff into the meander created stable conditions for vegetation growth, while quickly revealing further needs of the site. The excess water flowing out of the structure required the design of an additional retention basin, in which water-loving plants were planted. In this way, the Experimentarium began to grow organically, responding to actual hydrological processes rather than a pre-established plan.

The Plant Exchange Station, functioning simultaneously as a social space and a landmark, has become an integral part of the Experimentarium. It is a place where residents can exchange plants, observe changes taking place in the meander, and track how a small intervention in the water cycle affects the condition of greenery throughout the growing season. Today, the first Experimentarium serves as a living laboratory—we are observing how biodiversity is changing, and in the coming months, we will “plant” a ceramic meadow with Rain Flowers there.

The second Experimentarium is planned for the public space of Abramowski Park. In cooperation with the Department of Environmental Design of the City of Łódź and the Municipal Greenery Management Board, we are preparing the first implementation of Łódź Meanders in a city park. This location will feature a woolen meander, developed in a workshop with Anna Raczkowska. The Experimentarium in Abramowski Park will be a place for long-term observation of the meanders in a public urban space and the next step in testing their potential as elements of green infrastructure created together with residents.