Month: September 2018

Local Additions to the Exhibition in Prague

In Prague the core of the Ceramics and its Dimensions: Shaping the Future exhibition has been joined by local contributions that discuss the exhibition themes in local context. The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (Uměleckoprůmyslové museum v Praze / UPM) is the seventh and last venue of the touring exhibition and the exhibition is on view there until November 11th 2018.

The local part of the exhibition. (c) Minerva Juolahti
The local part of the exhibition. (c) Minerva Juolahti

The curator Milan Hlaveš and Dita Hálová from the UPM museum mapped out seven studios in five institutions of higher education in the Czech Republic and one in Slovakia. Works from these studios form the local part of the exhibition in Prague. Also in this part of the exhibition, the works of students, their educators and professional designers are shown side by side. The local works share same themes with the core of the exhibition: local materials and the environment; innovations in shape and dining; technological innovations (e.g. digital technologies, and above all the 3D printing).

One of the three vases of Zuzana Viszusová: "Punc, diploma work" (2014). The work has been decorated with electric components that surround us every day. (c) Minerva Juolahti
One of the three vases of Zuzana Viszusová: “Punc, diploma work” (2014). The work has been decorated with electric components that surround us every day. (c) Minerva Juolahti

The selection of the works being exhibited has been influenced by the fact that four studios are focused on work with ceramics and porcelain, while another three focus on industrial and product design and only a part of their work is with ceramic materials. The works of several guest designers have been included in this exhibition; they both influence the youngest generation as educators and experiment in their own works and are in many cases doctoral students themselves. These include for example Markéta Nováková and Mira Podmanická, Milan Pekař, Petr Stehlík, Studio Vobouch (Markéta Kalivodová and Richard Švejda), Matěj Polách and Vojtěch Říha (Superior Object), Roman Šedina, and Zuzana Knapková. Just like their students, they too often work at the borderline between design and the fine arts.

Detail of the work Adam Železný: "The Blast, diploma work" (2014). The Blast is a set of ceramic vessels shaped by a shock wave from a controller detonation. The bowl’s final shape is set by a sophisticated system of measured and tested explosive charges. The important moment in the work is the bowls creation: the blast, that lasts no longer than the detonation itself and partly imprints itself into the ceramics. (c) Minerva Juolahti
Detail of the work Adam Železný: “The Blast, diploma work” (2014). The Blast is a set of ceramic vessels shaped by a shock wave from a controller detonation. The bowl’s final shape is set by a sophisticated system of measured and tested explosive charges. The important moment in the work is the bowls creation: the blast, that lasts no longer than the detonation itself and partly imprints itself into the ceramics. (c) Minerva Juolahti
Screen shot of a video of the work by Adam Železný: “The Blast, diploma work” (2014)
Markéta Kalivodová: "Vase from the Private Ritual Collection, diploma work" (2014). The decoration has been made by using the twelve-pointed cut stars that are typical for the decoration of crystal glass. On right the the work Simona Janišová: "Box from the Delos collection, diploma work" (2012) (c) Minerva Juoahti
Markéta Kalivodová: “Vase from the Private Ritual Collection, diploma work” (2014). The decoration has been made by using the twelve-pointed cut stars that are typical for the decoration of crystal glass. On right the the work Simona Janišová: “Box from the Delos collection, diploma work” (2012) (c) Minerva Juoahti
Dávid Valovič: "Ferrofluid" (2018). In this work the artist has experimentally explored the possibilities for decorating porcelain by using ferrofluid. He utilizes a liquid magnet that is attracted by neodymium magnets of various strengths. (c) Minerva Juolahti
Dávid Valovič: “Ferrofluid” (2018). In this work the artist has experimentally explored the possibilities for decorating porcelain by using ferrofluid. He utilizes a liquid magnet that is attracted by neodymium magnets of various strengths. (c) Minerva Juolahti
Screen shot of the video by Dávid Valovič: “Ferrofluid” (2018).
Ester Polcarová: "On the Way Upwards.. Lovoš, Milá and Oblík Hills" (2018). This collection has been inspired by the mountains of the Central Bohemian Uplands. (c) Minerva Juolahti
Ester Polcarová: “On the Way Upwards.. Lovoš, Milá and Oblík Hills” (2018). This collection has been inspired by the mountains of the Central Bohemian Uplands. (c) Minerva Juolahti

The studios of the local part:

The Ceramic and Porcelain Studio
Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague (AAAD)

The Ceramic Studio of the Department of Applied Art
Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (AFAD)

The Ceramic Design Studio of the Faculty of Art and Design
Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem (FAD JEPU)

The Product Design Studio of the Faculty of Art and Design
Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem (FAD JEPU)

The Ceramic Design Studio of the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art
University of West Bohemia in Plzeň (FDA UWB)

The Industrial Design Studio of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications
Tomas Bata University in Zlín (FMC TBU)

The Fišer Product Design Studio of the Design Institute
Faculty of Architecture, Czech Technical University in Prague  (FA CTU)

Part of the local works at the exhibition. (c) Minerva Juolahti
Part of the local works at the exhibition. (c) Minerva Juolahti

Exhibition opening in Prague, Czech Republic

The seventh and last venue of the Ceramics and its Dimensions: Shaping the Future exhibition is at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (Uměleckoprůmyslové museum v Praze / UPM).
 The exhibition will be open in Prague between September 4th and November 11th 2018.

Opening guests in the exhibition hall. (c) Minerva Juolahti

The Exhibition Opening and Local Additions

The exhibition opening on Monday September 3rd attracted over a hundred visitors. The opening started with speeches and a screening of few of the exhibition videos. Then the guests were invited to see the exhibition. The speakers at the opening were the director of UPM Helena Koenigsmarková, the ambassador Jukka Pesola from the Embassy of Finland in Prague, the curator of the exhibition Riikka Latva-Somppi from Aalto University and the head of the Ceramics and Glass Department of UPM Milan Hlaveš. ”It is essential to be able to use experimentation, play and speculation as pathways towards innovation.” stated curator Latva-Somppi in her speech.

The exhibition opening attracted over a hundred guests. (c) Minerva Juolahti
The director of UPM Helena Koenigsmarková giving her opening speech. (c) Minerva Juolahti
The ambassador Jukka Pesola from the Embassy of Finland in Prague speaking at the opening. (c) Minerva Juolahti
The exhibition curator Riikka Latva-Somppi giving her opening speech. (c) Minerva Juolahti

In Prague the core of the exhibition has been joined by local contributions that discuss the exhibition themes in a local context. The curator Milan Hlaveš and Dita Hálová mapped out seven studios in five institutions of higher education in the Czech Republic and one in Slovakia. Works from these studios form the local part of the exhibition. Also in this part of the exhibition the works of students, their educators and professional designers are shown side by side. The Future Lights in Ceramics winner of 2016, 2017 and 2018 are on view as part of the exhibition also in Prague.

The head of the Department of Ceramics and Glass of the UPM Milan Hlaveš speaking at the opening. (c) Minerva Juolahti

The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague

The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague was founded in 1885 by the Prague Chamber of Trade and Commerce and it is located on the 17. listopadu street in the center of Prague. The museum building is designed by architect Josef Schulz in the neo-renaissance style and built between 1897 and 1899. The building has recently been re-opened after renovation.

The seventh and last venue of the Ceramics and its Dimensions: Shaping the Future exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. (c) Minerva Juolahti

Prague – the last stop of the touring exhibition

The exhibition was on display for the first time at the Copper Smithy in Fiskars (Finland) in autumn 2016. Since then the exhibition has toured around Europe and been on view at the Porzellanikon porcelain museum in Selb (Germany), at the Millennium Court Arts Centre in Portadown (Northern Ireland), at the Spode Halls as part of the British Ceramics Biennial 2017 festival in Stoke-on-Trent (UK), at the Bröhan-Museum in Berlin (Germany), at the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and now finally at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (Czech Republic).

The exhibition is part of the Ceramics and its Dimensions project that is partly funded by the Creative Europe programme of the EU.

Elisabeth Hammann: “Leftovers” (2016) (c) Minerva Juolahti