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Insecure past; secure future. A communist obelisk in Klodzko, Poland, 'wrapped' in laminated glass, is now used to publicize one of Poland's largest private insurance companies.

Polish artists wrap communist obelisk in laminated glass

PZU SA, one of modern Poland's largest private insurance companies, came to laminated glass artists and architects, Beata and Tomasz Urbanowicz of Archiglass, based in Wroclaw, Poland, asking for ways to use a Klodzko-situated, communist party obelisk, bearing the Red Army's traditional red and gold star logo, for publicity purposes.

The Urbanowicz's solution was to 'wrap' the 13.5 metre-high stone obelisk in a case of laminated glass – with their client's logo etched attractively, and highly visible, towards the summit. Beata Urbanowicz explained: "The new, perfectly transparent and distortion-free casing of laminated glass allows pedestrians to still clearly see the old obelisk, reminding them of the insecurities of the past. However, it also communicates the very different feelings of modernity, protection and security that PZU, as a private insurance company, wanted to project in line with its corporate image."

"Since the obelisk is situated in a busy thoroughfare, it was essential for us to use laminated glass; the obelisk is perfectly protected and there is no danger to pedestrians from flying shards if the glass casing should be broken. We used reflective annealed glass for the outer lite which means that passers-by see their own mirrored image; the inner lite of tempered glass contains a stainless steel framework that reinforces the structure."

Beata Urbanowicz summed up: "Working with laminated glass gave us optimal artistic freedom regarding form – while meeting our clients' requirements regarding the security of our installations and the safety of the general public."