Mila Januszova
Artist and curator. First presented as part of ISWAS International Storytelling Festival 2024. Part of Manchester Histories Festival 2024.
Mila Januszova is a Polish-born artist and curator, intricately blends a dynamic Feminist perspective with socially engaged practices. Navigating themes of body, representation, and inclusion, they transform linguistic expression into a potent artistic force across diverse mediums like visual arts, textile art, digital art, and typography. Graduating with honours from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2021 and currently pursuing a MA in Contemporary Curating, their Eastern European heritage infuses their practice, amplifying underrepresented voices for cultural inclusivity.
Nature’s Resilience is a 3-minute filmpoem created to celebrate Manchester Metropolitan University’s 200th anniversary. It explores how nature thrives in urban spaces, drawing a powerful parallel between its quiet defiance and the historic fight for women’s freedom and equality. The filmpoem reflects themes of belonging, identity, and strength in the face of challenges. Inspired by the Sylvia Pankhurst Gender Research Centre and the Pankhurst Centre, it examines how resilience emerges in unexpected places—whether in the cracks of a city or the roots of cultural and feminist history.
The film weaves together archive footage from Born a Rebel (2018), which highlights the untold stories of women in film archives, with cyanotype-inspired visuals influenced by Tycho Jones’ music video Don’t Be Afraid (2021), created by artist Ed Carr. The visuals, paired with bold, raw edits, give the film a DIY, almost punk-like aesthetic. Narrated over this imagery, the poem Urban Blooms offers a blunt and reflective meditation on nature’s persistence and our relationship with it.
The project is further influenced by the poetry of Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, whose work delves into themes of nature, love, and human resilience. The soundscape blends the hum of city life—traffic, trains, and rain—with the instrumental sounds of Sutari’s Kupalnocka, a reimagined Polish folk song.
This fusion of urban noise and traditional music underscores the interplay of modern life and cultural roots, highlighting how resilience transcends both time and place.
Through its layered visuals, soundscapes, and poetry, Nature’s Resilience invites viewers to reflect on how nature and culture endure and adapt in urban spaces. It’s a thoughtful exploration of how resilience—whether in the natural world or human experience—continues to shape and inspire us in surprising ways.
In the city’s pulse, the morning hums,
Steel and concrete, yet nature comes,
A green vine curls on iron rails,
Resilient whispers in urban tales.
Through bustling streets, we weave our way,
A tapestry of night and day,
Identity in every face,
In fleeting moments, we find our place.
Amid the roar of tires and trains,
Echoes of past feminist gains,
Sylvia’s spirit guides our stride,
Strength where dreams intersect.
Concrete giants, glassy walls,
Yet within, the wild calls,
Urban life, a constant blend,
Of nature’s grace and city’s bend.
In every crack, a flower grows,
n every soul, resilience glows,
We carry seeds of change within,
Environmental hope begins.
Morning light on high-rise glass,
Reflects the strength we amass,
In creative breaths, we find our song,
Resilience shared.
References and Inspirations for Nature’s Resilience:
•Born a Rebel (2018) was created using footage from the Yorkshire, North East, and North West Film Archives to highlight stories of rebellious and brave women who refused to wait for permission to claim their rights. The title was inspired by Mrs. Elizabeth Dean, a 100-year-old suffragette who declared, “Between you and I, I think I must have been born a rebel!”
•The Sylvia Pankhurst Gender Research Centre, based at Manchester Metropolitan University, focuses on research into gender, diversity, and equality, celebrating feminist history and activism.
•Tycho Jones’ music video Don’t Be Afraid was uniquely created using 5,000 cyanotype prints, combining photography and animation for a striking visual effect.
•Ed Carr, an artist and researcher in the UK, explores experimental filmmaking, using techniques like cyanotypes to create innovative visual art. •Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, was a celebrated Polish poet, who often wrote about love, nature, and human fragility. Her work provides emotional depth and poetic inspiration for this project.
Follow Mila:
Website: https://milajanuszova.com/
@mila__januszova on Instagram
