The lights of a small town. About experincing and describing the provincial

Abstract

The album „Małomiasteczkowy” was released in 2018. Immediately, it became a summer hit. The author of the song is Dawid Podsiadło, the young artist who builds his career consciously. Despite the fact that he creates popular music, he may be referred to as an “author” as he writes his lyrics. Moreover, his concerts are like happenings, Podsiadło touches upon contemporary geopolitical problems.

In her article, Maria Szoska proves that the remarkable popularity of the song contributed to a change in the understanding of the word “małomiasteczkowy” (provincial). The article describes the workshop for high school students. The workshop was a part of the project Zdolni z Pomorza. The concept of the classes was inspired by Sylwia Chutnik’s interpretation of Podsiadło’s song published in one of the popular tabloids. In her research, Maria Szoska put the emphasis on the provincial figure seen by the high school students. Geocritical categories were applied both to the lyrics and the music video, then the students’ interpretative abilities were probed. The results of the experiment show that the definition available in the dictionaries is no longer adequate as the difference between the centre and the outskirts is not obvious anymore. Therefore, we are able to witness the semantic shifts. Podsiadło’s album proves the active performance of the word, as well as the space affecting human live.