International Festival Of Music Producers And Sound Designers

Jo Mirowski

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Jo Mirowski was born in Yorkshire in northern England. His parents come from Poland, and he now lives in London. From an early age, Jo was interested in art, spending countless hours drawing and painting as a child. After graduating from school, he spent five years studying, graduating in Art and Design.

He got his first serious at Newton & Godin advertising agency, where he acted as a visionary and designer for such brands as: Fiat, Sony, Moulinex. Despite gaining valuable experience in working for these companies, Mirowski felt a bit limited in the agency environment. His ambition was to operate in the music industry. After two years at Newton & Godin, he was appointed Artistic Director of Polydor Records UK.

Jo Mirowski created one of the most visionary artistic departments in London at that time. He created an excellent and talented team of designers at Polydor. Ironically, two members of this team became Jo’s competitors a few years later when they founded their own design companies.

After four and a half years at Polydor Records, Mirowski moved on to the position of Artistic Director at the MTI Advertising design agency. However, he didn’t even stay there for a full year – after a few months he moved to Torchlight Creative & Marketing Services as a creative director, designing advertising and TV campaigns for the record company.

In 1985, full of new energy and ambition, Mirowski formed the Mainartery Design project with Pete Hayward. To the surprise of the artists, the company achieved very good results right away, becoming one of the leading design companies in the British music industry within a year.

Mainartery Design was involved in all aspects of the labels’ promotional and marketing activities. It covered all fronts, creating posters, promotional materials, brochures, photographs, stylisations, prints, films, TV commercials and exhibition stands at festivals.

Mirowski and Hayward’s customer base grew rapidly. The duo worked for large record companies such as BMG, Universal, Warner, Sony or EMI, as well as for smaller, independent labels. Mainartery Design quickly became a company operating not only in the UK, but also all over Europe and the US. The company created works for Paul McCartney, Judas Priest, Chris Rea, Scorpions, Polish Television, Jose Carreras, Marillion, Placido Domingo, and even for Pope John Paul II.

Mirowski’s company was known in the British music industry for 25 years, but as a result of a merger between major record companies and, most importantly, the gradual disappearance of a tangible product through the advent of digital technology, Jo realised it was time for a change of direction. That is why, using his considerable experience, he now devotes his time to the creative field of art. Mirowski maximises the commercial possibilities offered by permanent forms of art, namely painting and photography, both abstract and image-based.

The works shown at the exhibition are a review of covers, advertisements, concepts and graphics chosen by Jo himself and designed by him during his long and brilliant career.

The opening of Jo Mirowski’s exhibition “Hey, hey it’s only rock’n’roll!” will take place on Friday, 26 October 2018, at 5 PM, at the Gallery of the Łódź Photographic Society at ul. Piotrowska 102.

The 10th International Festival of Music Producers Soundedit will be held in Łódź, on 25-28 October. It will feature: Orbital, The Opposition, Morcheeba, Mery Spolsky, Nosowska and Smolik, Giorgio Moroder. During the gala, the “Man with a Golden Ear” statuettes, an award dedicated to the most outstanding music producers, will be presented.

I Am The Sound! – I am the sound. I am a tone. I am the music. Welcome to the 10th Soundedit, welcome to Łódź!

Photographs: press kit Soundedit

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