Gallery
foto: Natalia Chrzanowska
Experiment overview
A three-days celebration at the National Museum of Technology in Poland commemorating the 100th birthday of Adam Słodowy, the iconic Polish DIY pioneer.
The event transformed repair from a practical necessity into a cultural celebration through age-specific workshops, expert discussions, and intergenerational knowledge exchange.
Main objectives
The project revitalized repair culture by honoring Poland’s DIY heritage through Słodowy’s centennial, creating age-appropriate repair experiences spanning from children’s toys to smartphones and computers, establishing dialogue between repair experts and enthusiasts, and demonstrating that fixing can generate as much excitement as purchasing new products.
Achieved results
The event successfully created a multi-generational repair experience through carefully designed age-specific workshops:
1: Children learned basic repair principles with toys
2: Teenagers explored smartphone construction and repair, and young adults gained practical computer repair skills.
3: The expert debate elevated repair from individual practice to cultural movement by connecting historical DIY traditions with contemporary repair cafes and craft cooperatives.
4: The celebration of 100th birthday effectively honored Słodowy’s legacy while establishing connections between his pioneering work and modern circular movements.
Main reflection
This celebration revealed that effective repair culture revival requires emotional connection, not just practical instruction.
By framing repair as cultural heritage through Polish repairing legend’s legacy rather than mere cost-saving, the event tapped into national pride and intergenerational memory.
The enthusiastic participation across age groups - from children fixing toys to adults rebuilding computers - demonstrated that repair skills remain deeply satisfying when properly contextualized.
Thanks for this collaboration to Areta Szpura, Natalia Chrznowska and Sara Karolak.