Chroma Key is a collection of 21 micro-poems presented as a deck of cards (each with a corresponding photo), published as an edition of 21 units. It’s
 an homage to all things minimal. It's a slow-living protocol, a diary which
 was distilled to the point where, at its most extreme, the personal was fully transmuted into the “beautiful abstract.” Lukasz describes this as “the point 
at which there is enough space in the text for the reader to be able to project their own experiences into it.” He continues, “These poems are like off-the-
cuff polaroids which were shot in such a way where the composition design obliterated the context. Taking this analogy one step further, the white cardboard frame surrounding the picture is just as important to the work as the image which it contains.”

The fact that the book comes wrapped like a tiny gift is not only a statement, but a protocol. The paper is very delicate, so it calls for careful handling. Finally, since this is not a traditional book, but something closer to a deck of cards – the Tarot, maybe? – this implies the potential for active engagement with the object. All of this is a function of product design; hence, I don’t see these poems as being something separate from it. – Lukasz Polowczyk

The project took five years to come to fruition. Along the way, hundreds of pictures were taken and dozens of poems written, some in the long form. Eventually, twenty-one poems were selected from this batch and methodically edited down. This happened over a period of 4 years, until there was nothing more to chip away at. At this point, trans-media artist/designer Margo Sanda joined the project. She helped to make the final selection of photos, and processed them using the Color Key* function found in a film editing program, which pushed the images even further into abstraction. Over the span of two years, they met with Lukasz regularly. Together, they went through paper samples (doing blind tests), looked at packaging mock ups and tried out different printing techniques. Margo was not only responsible for the art direction and the design, but she actually crafted the binding and packaged the books by hand.

Although, technically, this is a collection of my poetry, I decided to share authorship with Margo. This book would not be what it is without her. I mean, she literally brought this book to life, made it with her bare hands. – Lukasz Polowczyk

Chroma Key is a part of Lukasz’s larger body of work, where the idea of poetry
is explored across different types of media: from print, through music, sound art, art installations, and of course, product design. In the beginning of this year, Swiss composer Ramón Oliveras adapted one of the poems found in this collection (what remains when nothing is left), and created a drone composition around it. The entire soundscape of the piece was generated from a reading of this poem. The piece was recorded together with Lukasz, and exhibited as a sound installation in a bunker located in the underbelly of Zürich.