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Whispers

Whispers is a story about the remarkable process of volumetric expansion of metal—about the power of material, collaboration, and art.

photo: Photo: Alka Murat

photo: Photo: Alka Murat

This is Oskar Zięta’s first sculptural creation in which the public took part in the creation process. Londoners gathered in Fleet Street Quarter to inflate, deform, and thereby stabilize a steel form together with the artist—co-participating and co-creating a process of controlled loss of control and volumetric expansion.

Breaking barriers, the Whispers sculpture invites everyone to engage with ideas, not just sit passively. Whether we speak softly or in whispers, we can make meaningful connections around the immersive steel surfaces that embody reflection and the strength needed to raise our voice.

photo: Photo: Jakub Musialski

But what are our voices without the ability to share them? A single message sent into a void does not even return as an echo. As senders—walking, thinking resonance boxes for voices—we seek recipients for our messages. By creating Whispers, a space for voice exchange, we want to emphasize the importance of intimacy and honesty in communication.

Zięta often demonstrates the FiDU process by deforming a rolled steel profile using a bicycle pump—the first process of its kind in the world. It is the very same profile that premiered in 2010 in the Madejski Garden at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Back then, with the support of the Polish Cultural Institute and as part of London Design Week, Zięta presented his installation Blow & Roll.

Today, after 15 years of continuous experimentation with metal, Zięta does not hesitate to place the object in the hands of the audience, which will expand it volumetrically to become a new point on the map of the City of London, performatively emphasizing the scale of transformation of the former printing district of Fleet Street into an innovative business hub.

photo: Photo: Alka Murat

The project is an important symbol of Polish-British cooperation, human collaboration, and the essence of communication. The concept of Whispers was born from Voices, the central theme of the London Festival of Architecture 2025. From the start, Zięta’s sculpture has underscored the importance of collective action and shared process—a process that leads to a moment of quiet conversation, built on closeness and trust.

photo: Photo: Alka Murat

photo: Photo: Alka Murat

photo: Photo: Alka Murat

The creation of great and unforgettable things rarely happens solo. That’s why Oskar Zięta habitually uses the plural form in communication. As an artist, architect, and technologist who sketches intuitively, he always remembers the team that is a fundamental component of each of his constructions.

Whispers is more than just a metal object. It is a gesture of presence, attention, and quiet participation. It came to life through the creative involvement of many institutions. Whispers is co-created by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, the Polish Cultural Institute in London, Let’s Art Foundation, and On & On Designs, as part of the UK/Poland Season 2025, in collaboration with the British Council. To all of them, we extend our heartfelt thanks.

Echos of Whispers →

Photos: Alka Murat