Karol Gwóźdź (; born 2 April 1987 in Katowice) is a Silesian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, graphic designer,

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

, DJ, musician and producer of ambient and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

, also known as Nail (''gwóźdź'' is Polish for ''nail''). Promoter of Silesianness and Upper Silesian symbolism.

Life and career

He was born in 1987 in Katowice, but since birth he is living in

Siemianowice Śląskie Siemianowice Śląskie also known as Siemianowice (; german: Siemianowitz-Laurahütte; szl, Siymianowice) is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice, in its central district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropoli ...

, with which he is emotionally and generationally connected. He graduated the 5th Secondary School in the Sports School Complex in

in 2006''Kącik młodych literatów'', Echo Siemianowic,

ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication, such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs ...

br>1505-8387
s.10, 2006-02 and completed majors: advertising organization and phototechnics. Gwóźdź is a versatile artist, he is best known of the musical and

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

spheres. He writes practically entirely in Silesian language, using Steuer's Silesian alphabet, although he occasionally also writes in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

. Initially, he published in local newspapers, later also on the Silesian portal Wachtyrz.eu. He often emphasized that Silesianness need a change image to more modern, and himself as a writer, he proposed a

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

: ''mobilniok'' ( English language, en. ''

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...

''). He used to be a

juror A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Juries developed in England dur ...

in literary competitions. Although he is a

by education, professionally works as a graphic designer, designing e.g. ephemeras,

brochures A brochure is originally an informative paper document (often also used for advertising) that can be folded into a template, pamphlet, or leaflet. A brochure can also be a set of related unfolded papers put into a pocket folder or packet or ca ...

, books or

logos ''Logos'' (, ; grc, λόγος, lógos, lit=word, discourse, or reason) is a term used in Western philosophy, psychology and rhetoric and refers to the appeal to reason that relies on logic or reason, inductive and deductive reasoning. Ari ...

; he collaborated among others with Ruch Chorzów for which he redesigned the club's crest for its second centenary, designed ''Adler'' (the club

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

), a captain's armband in the Upper Silesian colors, created a lot of

badges A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fi ...

, enamel pins and many other products, including several books.

Literature

He made his debut in 2005 with the poem ''"Uůna"'' ( English language, en. ''She'') in ''

Gazeta Wyborcza ''Gazeta Wyborcza'' (; ''The Electoral Gazette'' in English) is a Polish daily newspaper based in Warsaw, Poland. It is the first Polish daily newspaper after the era of " real socialism" and one of Poland's newspapers of record, covering the ...

'' and becoming a laureate of the first edition of the Bończyk Poetry Contest in

Ruda Śląska Ruda Śląska (formerly ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica Rive ...

. In 2010, was published his first book of poetry ''"Myśli ukryte"'' ( English language, en. ''Hidden thoughts''), which includes ''"Hymn Norodu Ślůnskjygo"'' ( English language, en. ''Anthem of Silesian Nation)'', one of the most popular Silesian poem, whose manuscript is in the Public Library in

. In 2022 he enriched the anthology ''"Siemianowice, kere pamiyntomy"'' with the short story called ''"Za bajtla na Bytkowje..."'' ( English language, en. ''Childhood in Bytków''), which is embellished with the so-called "

mazuration Mazurzenie () or mazuration is the replacement or merger of Polish's series of postalveolar fricatives and affricates (written ) into the dentialveolar series (written ). This merger is present in many dialects, but is named for the Masovian ...

", a rare linguistic feature of the speech of the native inhabitants of

Music

He began to enter the world of music in his early childhood, and over time, through his fascination with

breakdance Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

and dancing

electric boogie "Electric Boogie" (also known as the "Electric Slide") is a dance song written and originally recorded in 1976 with Bunny Wailer. History It is strongly associated with the "Electric Slide" line dance and has since become a celebratory staple. Th ...

, he discovered himself in

. He started his DJ career at the age of 17, performing under the pseudonym Nail, mixing mainly electro,

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

and breakbeat music, initially playing in legendary

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

, and a little later already performing all around

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. In

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

he released his debut ambient album ''" Tamte Czasy"'', from which comes ''"Gůrnoślůnske Tragedyje"'', a track used in the movie '' Beat Girl''. In 2019 he released his first electro

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

''"Revelation"'' on the German label ''Dominance Electricity'', classified according to the British record store ''

Bleep Bleep may refer to: * Bleep sound, a noise, generally of a single tone, often generated by a machine ** Bleep censor, the replacement of offensive language (swear words) or personal details with a beep sound ** Bleep techno, a Yorkshire-born subg ...

'', in the annual ''20 Best Electro & Acid 12"s of 2019'', as one of the best

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

of 2019. He was also the author of the event series ''Sex With The Machines'' and ''Zicherungi'', taking place in the legendary ''INQbator Club'' in Katowice.

Personal life

He is a declared

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and a supporter of Ruch Chorzów. He identifies himself as a representative of Silesian nationality. Involved in social causes, he has participated in charity actions for animals.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gwozdz, Karol 1987 births Living people People from Katowice Polish poetry Ambient musicians Polish musicians 20th-century Polish poets 20th-century Polish musicians 20th-century Polish male writers People from Siemianowice Śląskie People from Silesia Silesian culture Silesian language