Grateful Polish photographer stitches up his Welsh hosts

The pictures at dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2040260/Binge-drinking-Shaming-images-turned-Britain-laughing-stock.html show Cardiff by night and were taken over a five-year period by Polish photographer Maciej Dakowicz. Somehow he managed in five years to take photos of drunk people out on a Saturday night. Shock, horror: some people drink and get drunk. But it seems that dear Maciej wished to show the worst of the place which has been nice enough to host him: "'The reaction [of the people who attended his exhibition in France] was very positive,' says Dakowicz. 'The audience was laughing. They were making fun of British people.'"

What a charming gentleman.

And apparently nobody in Bialystok ever gets drunk and appears in public: "Dakowicz admits that he would be unable to produce images like this in his home town of Bialystok in Poland."

the good the bad and the ugly, I really like those photos. He really didn't focus as much on the ugly as he had opportunity to, that I'm sure of.

to be fair Harry it would be hard to take such pictures in Poland, how often do you see a lady here drunk in public - rarely in my experience and I've been here 9 years now. Personally I love the drinking culture in Poland compared to the UK.

Yes... and it's a terrible shame to take pictures of them, It's not a shame to vomit on the sidewalk or **** all over your pants, It's a shame to take pictures... Har, you are more boring than queen mother... or is it a pathetic attempt to provoke people, run to the mods and mastrubrate over their suspension ?

There was one on the tram this morning. Although she was more of a female than a lady.


While I was walking to the tram stop this morning, I saw a drunk man pissing against a wall right outside a primary school. Mothers and kids were walking past him but he didn't give a fcuk.

Fascinating. We are all deeply moved by your story.

Exhibiting photographs of drunken youths in Cardiff does not turn all of Britain into a laughing stock as the Daily Mail claims. The thin-skinned British nationalism that inspired this thread is lamentable. A photographer documenting scenes of real life on the streets should be free from reproach regardless of his nationality. This thread's impugning Pan Dakowicz's status as a gentleman is shameful and its title's use of the phrase "stiches up" is laughably provincial.

I'm neither British nor a nationalist. If an Italian photographer spent five years living as a guest of Poland and then went to Germany to exhibit photographs of the worst parts of life in Poland, I would find that equally objectionable. Perhaps more so, given that I am never bothered by the bigotry of people who pretend to be British and so bring shame on Britain but I am bothered by the bigotry of people who pretend to be Polish and so give the erroneous impression that Poles are anti-semitic retards who can not even spell their own name.


What about if they are Ukrainian? You do seem to have such a problem with Ukrainians.

A normal person wouldn't get so angry and defensive about a bunch of funny photos... unless it is him on one of the photos.

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PWEI, I have no problem with Ukrainians. Why do you claim that I do?

Does that include the Jewish ones? I'd imagine not, given the anti-semitic filth you pollute this forum with.

It didn't take long for you to start talking about antisemitism, did it? Is there any thread in which you won't mention Jews and antisemitism? Because surely a thread about British drunks in Cardiff is as good as any to talk about antisemitism.

I have not polluted this forum with any anti-semitic filth.

I saw those pics before and thought it an affectionate view perhaps...good pix, what's the problem with art reflecting life?

There's a set online. flickr.com/photos/maciejdakowicz/sets/1391696/with/3066671354/

There isn't a problem with art reflecting life. The problem comes when a person attempts to use carefully selected images to mock other people, which rather appears what the photographer is doing here.

Have to agree.

I think the pictures are funny

just like yourself;)

since when taking photos is stiching up the host. You seem to be losing touch with reality Harry. Maybe Brits should finally admit that that have drinking problem?

Entirely unlike Poles of course.

the photographer found a theme and used it to his advantage. that's what some, if not most, photographers do.

as for the flickr selection. one realizes that the photos are not really that different from one another. half way down page two i gave up.

some well framed shots among them, good colour, sharp... and in some cases, with willing participants.

it's not the photographer who should be ashamed, it's cardiff.

Why? One could take similar photos in any developed world city if one spent five years doing it.

Given the frequency I see them doing it, in five years I could have enough photos of men (and the occasional woman) pissing outside a primary school to have an exhibition. Does that mean Warsaw should be ashamed of itself?

What are you doing that often in a vicinity of primary school ?
n


Yeah you are hypocrite,

Its not a big deal, only daily mail and Harry are out there to stirr shite, matching pair they are.....somebody make a picture

Niether Cardiff nor the Polish photorapher should be ashamed. Those photos show well fed youths partying. They are a testament to Britain's wealth. Granted there does seem to be alot of cross-dressing going on in those streets, but ever since Monty Python's Flying Circus the world has accepted and even found this to be an endearing quirk of British culture. Does the OP really think these photographs are unacceptable because a Pole took them, but they would be OK if a Welshman had? If so then that is a shameful double standard.

Essentially the guy spent 5 years taking these photos of young people having fun. 5 years' worth of photos of Warsaw nightlife would be even more shocking.

Interestingly, I remember a thread here not long ago where certain posters (Moania and Magdalena come to mind) were irritated, angry even, about some artistic and atmospheric photos of Warsaw by a famous photographer which they didn't approve of. A particular bone of contention was that one of them showed an alcoholic.

I would call that racism.

indeed they could.


with a sponsor, theme and audience, you have my blessing. go for it.

the occasional person using a tree for cover when relieving themselves is hardly the same as young women being found in an unconscious state in what i assume is the town centre. at least not in my book.

I wish I had a zloty for every time I'd seen a Polish woman paralytically drunk in public! People everywhere like to enjoy themselves and in countries with an alcohol culture (which Poland and the UK both have) that will sometimes involve getting drunk. If some provincial gallery-goers in France find that funny and the Daily Mail pretend to be offended, who cares. End of.

None of them use a tree. At best they face a wall. What people choose to do themselves in the middle of the night is one thing: what they make children watch is entirely another thing. Frankly it's one of the worst things about living where I do.

I would think he's been also doing a few other things for the last 5 years...


And... ?

yes, and it makes for good reportage. the photographer has seen what we all have seen, taken photos that we could have taken, but bothered to do it and made his name. good for him.