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Łoznikow and Wojtyła’s stunning light installation in the main hall of the building emphasised both the separation of meanings and their closeness and origins. Although unambiguous and neutral in the context of a hospital, and thus closely associated with healthcare and medicine, the sign of the cross is embedded in religion. Throughout the course of history, this sign has acquired meanings dependent on the context: either as a manifestation of religious affiliation or a sign denoting the medicinal function of an object that bears it – be it a hospital, a pharmacy, or a first-aid point. Łoznikow and Wojtyła indicated the closeness of these two messages, which boil down to the idea of charity, offering help and giving shelter. However, the installation permeated the Pharmacy building with a feeling of anxiety, which was at odds with the idea symbolised by the sign. The cross had two pairs of arms glowing coolly in the semidarkness; sometimes the upper arms were visible, at other times – the lower ones, which revealed either the Christian cross or an inverted cross.

> Antoni Burzyński