Part of the project
OPEN A.i.R. artistic residency programme of Pilsen - European Capital of Culture 2015
About the programme OPEN A.i.R. Artistic residencies are places for international artists to meet. The main aim of the OPEN A.i.R. programme, which is being realised under the auspices of the Pilsen – European Capital of Culture 2015 project, is the opening up of Pilsen‘s cultural scene and the exchange of ideas, creative experience, processes, techniques and contacts. The programme has been focusing on receiving Czech and foreign artists and sending Czech artists abroad; there are on-going successful collaborations with residential programmes and centres in Slovakia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, France, Hungary and others. Since its inception in 2012, the programme has supported the work of more than 60 artists from various genres. We mainly focus on design, digital and interactive art and topic of recycling. The OPEN A.i.R. programme currently resides
at the DEPO2015 Creative Zone, with facilities such as two art studios and many spaces for the final presentations of residents. The artists can also use machines and the masters‘ craftsmanship in the open workshop Makerspace situated right at DEPO2015. In January 2014, our programme was given the title OPEN A.i.R. A.i.R does not need much explaining (it is an international abbreviation for artistic residency programmes) but the word OPEN needs to be explained. „OPEN“ refers to the motto of Pilsen – European Capital of Culture 2015: „Open Up, Pilsen!“ Just like the project itself, we also seek to open ourselves to the world through artistic residences. We open up through artists‘ mobility; we open up the Pilsen art scene; we open up the artistic soul of Pilsen; we open up the artistic soul of industrial buildings; and we open up new themes and new opportunities.
Contents History Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 DEPO2015 Thank you
History 2012 - 2014
2012 The St. Anne‘s Chapel in Nečtiny in the northern part of the Pilsen Region became our first official residence space, but to date this has been only seasonally. In September, the selected female artists tried their hand at interpreting „The Awakening of the Nečtiny Chapel“. At the same time, four artists whose work was connected with Pilsen took part in a month-long residency stay in Strasbourg. 2013 After the project‘s success at the St. Anne‘s Chapel, we organised two residency projects in this magical environment in 2013. We managed to start a three-year partnership with the Slovak programme K.A.I.R. Košice Artist in Residence, which we then confirmed with two residency projects. We also organised a dance residency in the industrial space of the former army barracks Světovar in Pilsen. 2014 We organised 15 projects altogether in 2014: 11 domestic residency stays and 4 abroad. We started a partnership with the Pécs Writers Programme in Hungary focusing on writers-in-residence, with the Dutch centre Motel Spatie, and with the Japanese gallery Youkobo Art Space. Thanks to the EU–Japan Fest Japan Committee, we were able to host Japanese artists in Pilsen for the first time.
History 2015 - 2016
2015 The main year of the Pilsen 2015 project was very busy. We organised 25 residential stays in collaboration with many domestic and foreign partners. We welcomed 28 artists in the West Bohemian metropolis, while eight artists represented the Czech art scene abroad. We also started the collaboration with the Polish residence programme A-i-R Wro and the Centre of Contemporary Art HALLE 14. The major milestone in the history of the OPEN A.i.R. programme was the April move to the DEPO2015 Creative Zone, which offers the ideal backdrop for our artists and all related activities. 2016+ What are we planning for the future with the OPEN A.i.R. programme? We hope to develop the existing partnerships and hope that our partners’ network will admit new inspirational players. We know that Pilsen is a beautiful city that is good for living but also for artistic creativity. And we are looking forward to meeting you in person in November as the latest, when a special festival willl take place. The artists, who are going to realize various residency projects this year thanks to our support, will introduce their art works to public in the city of Pilsen. We will also present upcoming calls for the year of 2017.
OPEN A.i.R.
The Awakening of the Nečtiny Chapel Carolina Krebietke, Annika Hippler, Rosa Mei, Anna Neizvestnova (Germany, USA/ China/ Belgium/ Czech Republic, Russia – residency in Nečtiny)
The Awakening of the Nečtiny Chapel September 2012 Four foreign female artists were chosen for the first artistic residency at the Nečtiny Chapel: Caroline Krebietke (Germany); Annika Hippler (Germany); Rosa Mei (USA/ China/ Belgium/ Czech Republic); and Anna Neizvestnova (Russia). These artists representing various artistic genres (community art, visual art focused on laser installations, contemporary
dance and sculpture) used their projects to follow on from the historical tradition of the artistic space of Ctibor Turba‘s Chapel Studio. Turba led famous pantomime workshops in the 1990s at the Chapel. Partners of the project: the village of Nečtiny, Pilsen region, The Regional Museum of Nečtiny
La Zone Masha Černíková, Michal Krysl, Kamila Mottlová, Benedikt Tolar (Czech Republic – residency in Strasbourg)
La Zone September 2012 Thanks to a collaboration with artistic associations from Strasbourg, four artists whose work is connected with Pilsen participated in a month-long residency in France. The aim of the residency was to create a site-specific project at the former granary building near the André Malraux Library. The performer and poetry slammer Masha Černíková, the performer Michal Krysl, the sculptor Benedikt Tolar and the dancer Kamila Mottlová created
artworks, together with 40 French artists, that changed the abandoned industrial space into a „Zone“ (La Zone) inspired by Tarkovsky’s Stalker. Kamila Mottlová participated in an event called „Exhibitronic 2“ which took place at Strasbourg Cathedral on 22 September 2012. Partners of the project: Arcade, A.E.D.E.C, Larkipass
Whispers NoTa, Vladimir Benderski, Bohumíra Eliášová, Jiří Jakl (Czech Republic – residency in Pilsen)
Whispers June - July 2013 The historically first residential stay at Světovar was a collaboration between the Pilsen dance company NoTa and the Israeli reciter Vladimir Benderski, the choreographer Bohumíra Eliášová and the sound director Jiří Jakl. In just three weeks, the participants prepared a joint show called “Whispers”,
inspired, among other things, by the poetry of Ivan Wernisch. The presentation of the outcome took place on 18 July and again on 11 September 2013. Partners of the project: NGO Světovar
The Visual Story of Světovar Tibor Nagy Grosso (Slovakia – residency in Pilsen)
The Visual Story of Světovar July - September 2013 The Slovak artist Tibor Nagy Grosso (*1989) created an installation in the industrial space of Světovar in which he used the circulation of water around the space, a mirror and lights – a kind of visual irrigation system intended to draw the audience into its shadows and stories, and show
the past in the present, here and now. The author introduced a visual story of this unusual place to the audience through seven various works. Partners of the project: K.A.I.R. Košice Artist in Residence, NGO Světovar
The Sound Story of Světovar Tomáš Šperňák (Slovakia – residency in Pilsen)
The Sound Story of Světovar July - September 2013 The important historical events of the 20th century in Pilsen and Czechoslovakia, later the Czech Republic, were recorded by a Slovak artist, usually performing under the pseudonym Tosper or Soundguide (*1988), through interviews with contemporaries and by recording on the premises of the former brewery and barracks. This rich
vertical archive is recorded in the form of a multi-layered sound map, which is completed by music and the atmosphere of the everyday buzz of a brewery and barracks. Partners of the project: K.A.I.R. Košice Artist in Residence, NGO Světovar
indomador – work in progress Quim Girón & Anna Aro (Spain, Sweden – residency in Nečtiny)
indomador – work in progress August – September 2013 A one-week residency in August at the St. Anne’s Chapel in Nečtiny was arranged in collaboration with Cirqueon. We invited foreign representatives of the new circus genre – Quimo Girón (*1985) from Spain and Anna Aro (*1988) from Sweden. Both participants jointly
prepared a show called “Indomador”. The artists also led an art workshop introducing basic acrobatic and circus techniques in which more than 40 children took part. Partners of the project: Cirqueon, the village of Nečtiny
The Stories of Kasárne Petra Římalová (Czech Republic – residency in Košice)
The Stories of Kasárne September - October 2013 Petra Římalová (*1982) is a Czech artist working primarily with video, 3D modulation and animation. During the two months residency in Košice, Petra was working on a topic of genius loci of cultural center Kasárne/ Kulturpark which was just opened in renovated space of fomer military barracks. Petra’s work is not documentary or reality capturing videos, more it is a personal
statement expressing to a great extent the artist’s subjective perception of the place and its atmosphere. Even though the images might seem quite realistic, be sure there is a substantial portion of imagination and reality alteration. Partners of the project: K.A.I.R. Košice Artist in Residence
The Sky Arch Katalin Tesch (Hungary – residency in Nečtiny)
The Sky Arch September 2013 Katalin Tesch (*1980) is a Hungarian visual artist. Her main artistic focus is to rediscover the personal, public and virtual world through the known, yet twisted, stimuli we call “reality”. In practice, she works with various media and creates alternative perceptional situations and illusions.
Her installations in the public space are always and inevitably site-specific. At the St. Anne’s Chapel, she created a video installation by projecting an illusory window onto the ceiling. Partners of the project: the village of Nečtiny, Pilsen region
The Black Room Alexander Svartvatten (Sweden – residency in Nečtiny)
The Black Room September 2013 Alexander Svartvatten (*1978) is a Swedish artist whose work blends reality with fiction, and the future with the past. He focuses on site-specific projects using materials from his surroundings. The concluding idea is usually presented as a film, a sculpture, a narrative sound recording or as an installation.
During his three-week residency in Nečtiny, he worked on an installation that contained our “inner books”. Books of secrets. Books of prejudices. Books of ignorance. Books of despair. Partners of the project: the village of Nečtiny, Pilsen region
Earth Heini Nieminem (Finland – residency in NeÄ?tiny)
Earth September 2013 Heini Nieminen (*1979) is a Finnish sculpture graduate who has been working on installations and environmental and community art for the past few years. Her working method during the residency in Nečtiny was loosely based on mandala. “Nature slowly moved to the chapel in Nečtiny, to its floors and walls. I build my ‘earth’ from natural elements
I gather around. I colour individual parts of the floor with organic materials. I keep a balance between architectural space and nature. The chapel became my place of silence and concentration, and I became a painter.” Partners of the project: the village of Nečtiny, Pilsen region
“Én be, ö ki“ Nela Husták Kornetová (Czech Republic/ Norway – residency in Nečtiny)
“Én be, ö ki“ September 2013 Nela Husták Kornetová (*1987) is an artist and performer concentrating on the body – its presence, skills and possibilities. She likes to experiment in her „kitchen“, mixing ingredients and trying out various proportions. In Nečtiny, Nela worked on the transformation of a silence/stillness into a vibration/movement. She was inspired thematically by the chapel‘s shadows. She modelled the
atmosphere and pictures stimulating the viewer‘s imagination by affecting the audience‘s senses. Her concluding show was accompanied by her Hungarian residency colleague Zsuzsa Csobánka reciting an excerpt from her book. Partners of the project: the village of Nečtiny, Pilsen region
“Én be, ö ki“ Zsuzsa Csobánka (Hungary – residency in Nečtiny)
“Én be, ö ki“ September 2013 Zsuzsa Csobánka (*1983) is a well-known Hungarian writer, a Hungarian grammar and literature teacher, and historically the first female writer-in-residence under the auspices of our OPEN A.i.R. programme. She wrote a regular electronic blog about her impressions and experiences during her residency in the West
Bohemian village. Her three-part novel Zinger was also inspired by the Nečtiny environment. www.csobankazsuzsa.wordpress.com/ pilsen Partners of the project: the village of Nečtiny, Pilsen region
WaYting Veronika Riedlbauchová & co. (Czech Republic, France, Italy, Switzerland – residency in Pilsen)
WaYting April 2014 Thanks to our collaboration with Cirqueon, the Pilsen audience had a chance to peep into the workshops of artists from the Czech Republic, France, Italy and Switzerland. The presentation of the international new circus project of Veronika Riedlbauchovรก, WaYting, which was given a residency space at the
Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art took place on 9 April. Cast: Breno Caetano, Nahuel Desanto, Quido Vaccarezza and Joachim Ciocca. Partners of the project: Cirqueon, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of the University of West Bohemia
TOUR DE DOUBRAVKA Ivana Rumanová (Slovakia – residency in Pilsen)
TOUR DE DOUBRAVKA April - May 2014 The Slovak cultural anthropologist Ivana RumanovĂĄ (*1985) worked for two months in the suburb of Pilsen called Doubravka. Through the local private archives of amateur filmmakers, she uncovered stories of the residents and the place itself. The outcomes were two special guided tours as part of European Neighbours‘ Day,
with stops at selected places, offering screenings of archival films, readings and refreshments. Partners of the project: The Archive of the City of Pilsen, The Museum of West Bohemia in Pilsen, The Slovak Institute in Prague, Hidden City
Landings Noam Bar (Israel – residency in Nečtiny)
Landings June - July 2014 Noam Bar (*1984) is a graduate of the Bacelel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. He works with various media (drawing, sculpture, video installation), and exhibits in galleries and in the public space. His aim is to create unexpected site-specific works with the use of his technical skills combined with “primitive” DIY
techniques. He is interested in art that addresses audiences at unusual places. For the Phoenix Park, he created a site-specific installation with natural materials. Partners of the project: the village of Nečtiny, the Phoenix Natural Park, NGO Baroko v Čechách
Walk Karin Šrubařová (Czech Republic – residency in Nečtiny)
Walk June - July 2014 The Czech visual artist Karin Šrubařová (*1984) creates site-specific projects exploring the relationship between subject and environment; she paints during the preparatory stages and calls it a “training space“. During her residency in the Phoenix Natural Park, she focused on the relationship between pedestrians and the landscape of the park. A series of land drawings depict and preserve the pedestrian’s shadow
and, in so doing, record the presence of people at the place. Where am I, where have I been, where will I be surrounded by landscape and time from two different sides. Partners of the project: the village of Nečtiny, the Phoenix Natural Park, NGO Baroko v Čechách
Pictures from Five-church Kateřina Sachrová (Czech Republic – residency in Pécs)
Pictures from Five-church July 2014 A writer from Pilsen Kateřina Sachrová (*1982) found out during her monthlong stay in Pécs what it was like to be “lost in (Hungarian) translation“ and which face the Southern Hungarian city presented to the July heat. Her texts were first introduced to the Pilsen public as part of an evening accompanied by the violinist Ágnes
Kutas, and then published as a book (Meetings through literature: Pilsen– Pécs 2014). Partners of the project: Pécs Writers Program, The Municipal Library of Pilsen, NGO Pro libris, the Centre of West Bohemian Writers
Fooding Pilsen 2015 Carlos Carmonamedina (Mexico – residency in Pilsen)
Fooding Pilsen 2015 July - September 2014 Visual artist and illustrator Carlos Carmonamedina (*1982) followed up during his two-month long residency a community-oriented program called Foster the City. His project took place at the location of the former public river baths Plovárna. The main goal of his residency was to bring people back to this abandoned place. Therefore, he organised eight
culinary workshops – there was a different topic every Sunday. And this showed that the saying “food connects people”is definitely true. www.foodingplzen2015.cz. Partners of the project: former Municipal River Bath, Foster the City, CPPT Pilsen
Office O.N.E. – Office for New Europeanism Jonmar van Vlijmen (The Netherlands – residency in Pilsen)
Office O.N.E. – Office for New Europeanism July – September 2014 The Dutch social designer Jonmar v. Vlijmen (*1980) transformed the Vestředu Gallery into a temporary EU office for the EU civil servants of the future. He invited Pilsen citizens and experts to together explore the Czech perspective on European identity after 10 years of Czech EU membership.
The outcomes were not just some data, but also a short movie documentary. A part of this residency was also a public competition for the best design of a new European flag. Partners of the project: The Vestředu Gallery, Motel Spatie
Strip the City Kyougo Matsumoto (Japan – residency in Pilsen)
Strip the City July - September 2014 During the residency in Pilsen Kyougo Matsumoto (*1974) created a new ping pong game. He made a special ping pong table and he invented a special game for 2 up to 8 people. The final presentation consisted of a video projection, a public presentation of artist´s long term interest and inventions. The main idea of this final presentation was to present the most popular Czech sport – football – and to point
out, that many people share the same memory from the childhood which concerns doing sports, exercising the activities within the public space. Partners of the project: EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee, Youkobo Art Space, AIR Network Japan, Centre Husovka, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of the University of West Bohemia
Something happens, because something happens, because something happens. Matej Al-Ali (Czech Republic – residency in Koťice)
Something happens, because something happens, because something happens. July - September 2014 The Slovak-born Matej Al-Ali (*1985) is a well-known artist living and working in Prague. His work centres on exploring object mechanics, physical work and tactility. During his stay in Košice, he researched the importance and the presence of monuments. Monuments in the public space serve as a reminder of historical events and also underscore the authorities that control
public areas. Throughout the years, awareness of these historical events has been gradually fading, but their aura remains. It becomes an orientation point, a catalyst for meetings in the public space. The project works with human power. It is possible to change the purpose of a monument by activating a group of people. Partners of the project: K.A.I.R. Košice Artist in Residence
Personal Slaughterhouse Lukáš Kellner (Czech Republic – residency in Mons)
Personal Slaughterhouse September 2014 Mainly a visual artist, Lukáš Kellner (*1984) studied design and art at different universities, the Faculty of Design of Kiev University (UKR) and the Faculty of Design and Arts at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (CZE), graduating with a Master‘s degree in Arts and Design. Superhero and Belgium – for the project 5sur5 in the Belgian town of La Louviere, the artist had the opportunity to
spend 5 weeks in the city of Charleroi and encounter, at least partially, the rich Belgian history of animation, which is (as is the Czech one) an integral part of the national culture. His performance also made it possible to see the character and the way of thinking of the society. Partners: City Sonic festival, Transcultures
EDGE/ MEZ/ME zhuzhálka (Ukraine – residency in Pilsen)
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October 2014 Zhúzhalka is an artistic collective from Donetsk, Ukraine which deals with various media such as photography, samizdat, video and installation. During their residency in the city of Pilsen, they created a photographic work focusing on the current Ukrainian situation called Edge.
Over the past 50 years, the East/West border line has shifted from the Czech Republic (1968) to Ukraine (2014): “East/West – yesterday it’s your problem, today – it’s ours”. Partners of the project: IZOLYATSIA, The Archive of the City of Pilsen, Fotoclub Pilsen, Cultural House PEKLO
“My residency in Pilsen. Topic: public art” Nina Šošková (Slovakia – residency in Pilsen)
“My residency in Pilsen. Topic: public art” October – November 2014 Nina Šošková (*1983) is a sculptor, gallerist and founder of the project Outdoor Gallery and the project MEDZICENTRUM, Festival of Art of the Public Space. The main interest of Nina within her residency stay was the public space in the city of Pilsen. During the final presentation, there
was an exhibition of her photo series Pazuchy and a screening of four videos reflecting the topic. Partners of the project: K.A.I.R. Košice Artist in Residence, Fresh Air Gallery, Plzeň Zastávka
Sound of the Body Vitar Drinković (Croatia – residency in Pilsen)
Sound of the Body October - December 2014 Vitar Drinković (*1983) is a sculptor and new media artist whose main focus is on the exploration of human interaction using works and installations that combine art and technology. During his two-month-long residency in Pilsen, he created an installation which four people can use at the
same time. The work transmitted the sounds of users’ bodies inside selected public buildings (e.g. the shopping mall, the railway station or St. Bartolomew’s Cathedral). Partners of the project: Pogon (Zagreb)
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Ewelina Chiu & Daniel Vlček (Czech Republic – residency in Arnhem)
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October – December 2014 The jury selected the artistic duo Daniel VlÄ?ek (*1978) and Ewelina Chiu (*1986) for an artistic residency at our partner centre Motel Spatie in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Their audio-visual project ba : z l explores the transformation of commercial
spaces into art spaces. The documentation and the detailed description of their project can be found on www.bazel-detritus.tumblr.com Partners of the project: Motel Spatie
text.city Mihåly Etlinger (Hungary – residency in Pilsen)
text.city November - December 2014 Mihály Etlinger (*1990) is a young Hungarian writer who during his one-month-long residency in Pilsen published twelve short texts called “COBBLESTONES IN PILSEN“ and three short stories reflecting the reality of the city.
You can find his texts at www.plzenehmk2015.blogspot.cz. Partners of the project: Pécs Writers Program, NGO Pro libris, The Municipal Library of Pilsen
Home is just home Ľudmila Horňáková (Slovakia – residency in Pilsen)
Home is just home December 2014 – May 2015 The Slovak artist Ľudmila Horňáková (*1985) works in the field of community art. During her almost half-year-long stay in Pilsen, she has strived to improve neighbourhood relationships in the city district of Bolevec. The regional volunteer centre TOTEM became her headquarter and its staff helped her with the realisation of her project. The main aim was
to activate the participation of Bolevec inhabitants, and their common happening formed a part of European Neighbours‘ Day at the end of May 2015. Partners of the project: TOTEM regional Center for Volunteering, the Club of Guardian Angels
TRAVERTIN Markus Hanakam & Roswitha Schuller (Germany/ Austria – residency in Pilsen)
TRAVERTIN January – March 2015 Markus Hanakam (*1979) and Roswitha Schuller (*1984) are two visual artists from Vienna who work with video and related forms – moving images, text fragments, site-specific objects. They have collaborated since 2004 as a duo. During their residency in the city of Pilsen, they worked on their site-specific video project. At first, it seems that all six characters are talking about their lives and
memories, all while this is taking place in the beautiful interiors of the well-known Austrian architect Adolf Loos, but suddenly it turns into science fiction. Their project was a part of the travelling exhibition Share Too Much History. Partners of the project: KulturKontakt Austria, Federal Chancellery of Austria, NGO Pilsen – TOURISM
Apparition Janek Rous (Czech Republic – residency in Vienna)
Apparition January – March 2015 Janek Rous (*1981) is a Czech artist based in Prague. From 2009, he worked as an editor at artycok.tv, an international research, media and digital archive of contemporary art, a research institution focusing on the new and emerging contemporary art scene in an international context. He made a video in Vienna, which explores the importance of work in people’s lives and the institution
of basic wage. As it arises from the author’s sociological experiment, most people see their work as an activity necessary to sustain themselves. His project was a part of the travelling exhibition Share Too Much History. Partners of the project: KulturKontakt Austria, Federal Chancellery of Austria
Light Bottles Kazumi Kashimura (Japan – residency in Pilsen)
Light Bottles February 2015 Kazumi Kashimura (*1968) is an experienced Japanese artist who works with the phenomenon of light and its various forms. In her installation she tried to bring ordinary plastic bottles to life. She used tiny LED flashlights to illuminate a bank
of the Radbuza River during the Festival of Light. Partners of the project: EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee, the Festival of Light, former Municipal River Bath, Foster the City, Spiral
Shadows Hiroko Matsushita (Japan – residency in Pilsen)
Shadows February 2015 Hiroko Matsushita (*1979) created a fragile installation of light and paper situated in the industrial site DEPO2015. Inspired by traditional Japanese craft techniques, she created a projection of light on silk paper casting changing
ornaments of shadow. The presentation was part of the Festival of Light. Partners of the proejct: EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee, the Festival of Light, Spiral
Something is missing Imrich Veber (Czech Republic – residency in Koťice)
Something is missing March – April 2015 Imrich Veber (*1987) is a photographer and documentarian currently living in Opava. During his residency in Košice, he created a photo project called Something is Missing, about the local suburb of Ťahanovce, which has
become a symbol of unfinished megalomaniacal plans. Partners of the project: K.A.I.R. Košice Artist in Residence
JURI Giorgio Bertolotti (Italy – residency in Pilsen)
JURI March – April / September – November 2015 The Italian artist Giorgio Bertolotti (*1983) worked with the director Petr Forman on a very special solo new circus show. The project “JURI“ concerns a comic representation of a cosmonaut sent into space. This was the first step for him to launch a new show, which will run in the Czech Republic, Italy and possibly in other countries.
“I came to Pilsen to become a better clown and to improve my galactic show!“ Partners of the project: the Forman Brothers Theatre, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of the University of West Bohemia, Animánie Festival, DEPO2015
Stadtschreiberin Pilsen 2015 Wolftraud de Concini (CZE/ Germany/ Italy – residency in Pilsen)
Stadtschreiberin Pilsen 2015 April – September 2015 Wolftraud de Concini (*1940) is a writer, journalist and photographer who was born in the Czech Republic, but has lived mainly in Germany and Italy. In her “online diary“ she reflected on themes like minorities living in the city and its surrounds, the abandoned villages near Pilsen, and the interiors designed by Adolf Loos. Thanks to the project regio2015, we released a book with selected
articles from her residency blog. “I decided to come back home.” www.mestska-kronikarka-plzen. blogspot.de Partners of the project: KULTURFORUM - German Culture Forum for Eastern Europe, project regio2015, The Museum of West Bohemia in Pilsen
POLYPHONIES VAGABONDES: CHAPITRE I. BEYROUTHPARIS-PILSEN 2015. Sandra Ghosn (Lebanon – residency in Pilsen)
POLYPHONIES VAGABONDES: CHAPITRE I. BEYROUTHPARIS-PILSEN 2015. April - May 2015 Sandra Ghosn (*1983) is a visual artist born in Beirut, but currently living in Paris. During her residency, she held a creative comics workshop for visitors of the Festival of Arab Culture. During the final event, she presented a very special installation – a painting intended to be the first part of a 5-chapter odyssey starting in Pilsen. She engaged in responding
to the letters with a second chapter, exploring the potentialities of a spatial dialogue navigating between continents, images and words. Her new home – Paris – is going to be the subject of the second chapter. Partners of the project: NGO ARABFEST, Festival of Arab Culture, Fresh Air Gallery
workshop Le Disobbedienti (Italy – residency in Pilsen)
workshop April – May 2015 Le disobbedienti is a theatre and dance studio dedicated to women’s issues. The members are Stefania Clemente, Nadia Casamassima and Angela Calia. Emancipation, tradition, culture, ancient knowledge, freedom and the desire for innovation are the main topics of this project. Le disobbedienti held several workshops for the
public. The final presentation displayed “the Decalogue of Le Dissobedienti”. Partners of the project: Matera – European Capital of Culture 2019, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of the University of West Bohemia, DEPO2015
white piece+ Sofia Krantz (Israel – residency in Pilsen)
white piece+ June 2015 Sofia Krantz (*1985) is an independent choreographer based in Jerusalem, Israel. During her residency stay organised as part of Days of Jerusalem 2015, she cooperated with nine Czech dancers on a minimalist performance called white piece +. The main topic
was cultural collision, which led to a discussion about modernday ethics. Partners of the project: Days of Jerusalem, Studio ALTA, Jerusalem City Hall, DEPO2015
Extracts from Pécs Petra Římalová (Czech Republic – residency in Pécs)
Extracts from Pécs June – July 2015 Petra Římalová (*1982) is a Czech artist who studied at the Faculty of New Media (under Veronika Bromová) of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. Petra mainly works in 3D animation and video. Petra wanted to also present herself to the public as a writer. During her stay in Pécs she started working on her first book. Another of Petra‘s tasks was to keep a resident’s diary
(‘The Pécs Diary‘) where over time she published her textual and photographic notes from her stay and travels in Hungary. www.openair2015.tumblr.com Partners of the project: Pécs Writers Program, NGO Pro libris, The Municipal Library of Pilsen
Twins Petra Hauerovå & co. (Czech Republic, Belgium – residency in Pilsen)
Twins June – November 2015 The project TWINS gathers together two Belgian and two Czech artists who worked together during two residencies in Pilsen and Mons under the direction of the choreographer Petra Hauerová. This creation is based upon the twins motif as both European Capitals of Culture have a great many common features (e.g. rapid industrial
development in the 19th century, bitter experiences of war in the 20th century). Cast: Jiří Šimek, Sára Arnstein, Val King, Elsa Guenot. Partners of the project: Mons – European Capital of Culture 2015, NGO JOHAN, International Festival THEATRE, Moving Station
Nowhere, now here Nicoletta Cabassi (Italy – residency in Pilsen)
Nowhere, now here June – July 2015 Nicoletta Cabassi (*1968) is an experienced freelance international choreographer and dancer from Parma. In the middle of the 1990s, she founded her own company called Lubbert Das. She arrived in Pilsen with three Italian dancers – Francesca Ruggerini, Eleonora Soricaro and
Michela Silvestrin. Together with the Czech dancer Eliška Soukupová, they worked on a site-specific performance called Nowhere, now here. Partners of the project: PEKLO Cultural House
blank project #3 COSMOS Soichiro Mihara (Japan – residency in Pilsen)
blank project #3 COSMOS July – September 2015 Born in Tokyo in 1980. Based in Kyoto, Japan. Since 2011, Mihara has been exploring the connection between art and science in the series “blank”. His “blank project #3: COSMOS”, which he worked on as part of his residency at DEPO2015, expresses a metaphor for the material world and life which
makes up only 5% of the total volume of space. The final presentation on 13/09 unveiled his special installation on this topic. Partners of the project: EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee, Youkobo Art Space, Institute of Botany ASCR
Ateliers nomades Benjamin Schlunk (France – residency in Pilsen)
Ateliers nomades July 2015 Benjamin Schlunk (*1965) is a French welder/artist based in Strasbourg. After studying modern literature and fine arts in the south of France, he started to take a real interest in welding and metalwork. He is interested in playing with movements and most of the time uses his favourite tool: a bike! Together with visitors, over the course of several workshops, Benjamin created bikes as art objects
from used materials. Those bikes were afterwards exhibited also in the frame of the collective exhibition “Ateliers nomades“ in DEPO2015. www.strasbourg-pilsen-2015.com Partners of the project: the city of Strasbourg, A.E.D.E.C, CEAAC, Makerspace DEPO2015
Ride my bike Jean-Christophe Denis (France – residency in Pilsen)
Ride my bike July 2015 Jean-Christophe Denis (*1970) is a French photographer based in Strasbourg. His world is inspired by lights, shadows and movements. After Strasbourg, Pilsen was the second European Capital of Culture city the artist visited with his bicycle/pinhole in order to save his extraordinary images during trips taken daily by people. In parallel, the artist also had an installation
on the emblematic squares of Pilsen, with his bike equipped with a large format pinhole. This special photo series was exhibited at DEPO2015. www.strasbourg-pilsen-2015.com Partners of the project: the city of Strasbourg, A.E.D.E.C, CEAAC, Makerspace DEPO2015
Parellel Cities – from diary of a crypto-urbanist József Havasréti (Hungary - residency in Pilsen)
Parellel Cities – from diary of a crypto-urbanist July - August 2015 József Havasréti (*1964) is a writer from Hungary. During his artistic residency in Pilsen, he examined the similarities and differences between Pilsen and Pécs. József wrote four essays and presented three of them to the public during his closing presentation in the form of an author‘s reading. An exhibition
of his photographs was also part of this event along with a tasting of Hungarian culinary specialities. Read his texts on www.openair2015.tumblr.com. Partners of the project: Pécs Writers Program, NGO Pro libris, The Municipal Library of Pilsen
Project Regensburg Pavel Trnka (Czech Republic – residency in Regensburg)
Project Regensburg August – September 2015 Pavel Trnka (*1981) is a Czech painter and illustrator mainly inspired by the industrial design of Ostrava, where he worked on steam-punk and futuristic machinery-like drawings. During his one-month long residency, he expressed his impression of the
city of Regensburg through watercolour paintings and charcoal drawings on large-scale formats. Partners of the project: KunstvereinGRAZ e.V., the city of Regensburg, project regio2015
Unposessed Monopolist Janna Ullrich (Germany/ the Netherlands – residency in Pilsen)
Unposessed Monopolist August – November 2015 Janna Ullrich (*1990) is a video artist and designer originally from Germany, but nowadays living and studying in Amsterdam. In Pilsen, Janna wanted to investigate the notion of dispossession and look into forms and consequences of common (dis) ownership, open access and vanishing borders. She rewrote the rules of the most well-known ‘conquering’ board
game – Monopoly. From individual ownership towards common property. From colonisation to liberation. She also invited Pilseners to play their way from inhumane asylum procedures towards open borders in her game debut Noman’s Land. Partners of the project: Embassy of the Netherlands in Prague
Entablaturae Patricia Leighton & Del Geist (Scottland, USA – residency in Pilsen)
Entablaturae August – September 2015 Patricia Leighton (*1989) has been making art in the public realm for over 25 years, creating large-scale permanent commissions worldwide. In Pilsen, together with her partner Del Geist, she created a megalithic installation called Entablaturae, which references old the architectural principle and also a type of volcanic matter. Three giant stones were installed to look out onto the city baths near
the Radbuza River. A new meditation spot with mysterious genius loci. “I love these stones; they remind me of water flowing down the river!” Partners of the project: former Municipal River Bath, Foster the City, Eurovia CS, Dragon Land Art Festival in St. George Park, MeetFactory
ARENA Marie Lukáčová & Jakub Roček (Czech Republic – residency in Wroclaw)
ARENA October 2015 During their residency in Wroclaw, the Czech artists Marie Lukáčová (*1991) and Jakub Roček (*1989) explored the city with a strong focus on artistically supporting the process of the revitalisation of the most forgotten city district: ”Olawskie Suburb“.
They created short videos using 3D animation techniques and published special cards with related stories. Partners of the project: A-i-R Wro, Wroclaw – European Capital of Culture 2016
PILSEN PLEIN-AIR Juraj Florek (Slovakia - residency in Pilsen)
PILSEN PLEIN-AIR October – December 2015 Juraj Florek (*1986) is young Slovak painter interested in the urban landscape and its unique atmosphere. He was awarded the prestigious VUB best painting of the year 2014 prize. During his residency in Pilsen, he painted the local urban cityscape in a traditional way. His pictures do not criticise the urban environment as a place that degrades man; they are
more about his curiosity and the joy of living in the city. He painted 23 paintings and exhibited them in DEPO2015. “I always create my paintings on the spot, therefore right on the street.” Partners of the project: K.A.I.R. Košice Artist in Residence
A B C Z: CZECH COLLECTING STORY Guillaume Chauvin (France – residency in Pilsen)
A B C Z: CZECH COLLECTING STORY October – December 2015 Guillaume Chauvin (*1987) is a French photographer questioning the subjectivity of images. He likes to use ”the documented point of view“. During his stay in Pilsen, he documented the everyday lives and situations of local inhabitants.
At the end, a poetic mosaic of humble human stories was unveiled during a photo exhibition and also in a book. Partners of the project: STIMULTANIA, Artothèque Strasbourg, Claude Klein, Martin Bušek
Poème électronique pour le monde Michal Cáb (Czech Republic – residency in Tokyo)
Poème électronique pour le monde October – December 2015 Michal Cáb (*1980) is a sound and multimedia artist living in Prague. His artistic practice is centered on the mediums of noise improvisation, programming and the construction of specific audio visual instruments, while he also utilizes and teaches about open-source technologies. During his residency at Youkobo Art Space, Michal prepared smaller radioart exhibition “Signals“
and turned gallery into kind of radioscape instrument. Main Michal‘s aim was to develope a multichannel audio system based on Raspberry Pi microcomputers. All code for instrument is published as open source at github.com/michalcab. Partners of the project: EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee, Youkobo Art Space
Creative Zone DEPO2015 is a result of the Pilsen – European Capital of Culture 2015 project. The heart of DEPO2015 is The Centre for Creative Enterprise, which connects culture with business and creative industries. The depot is a place where both start-ups and established companies reside, work, create, present and trade. A community of creative people with great ideas and the ambition to realise them is given the opportunity to go through a process of incubation, i.e. to kick-start their business plan with the assistance and mentoring of professionals from the culture
and creative industries. They can use a shared working space, an open workshop to make prototypes or rent a studio or office. DEPO2015 is also the home of the artistic program OPEN A.i.R. and an open cultural space which is needed for the development of new ideas, and it increases the attractiveness of the place for the people who reside, work and create at DEPO2015 as well as the general public. Exhibitions are held here alongside performing arts events and interesting meet-ups. www.depo2015.cz
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
GENERAL PARTNER
GENERAL MEDIA PARTNER
MAIN PARTNERS
MAIN MEDIA PARTNERS
We would like to thank our residency partners, the full list of which you can find at www.depo2015.cz.
OPEN A.i.R. team: Tereza Svášková, Adéla Foldynová, Petr Šimon, Jan Chabr
We would like to thank our colleagues from the Pilsen 2015 project and all our friends for selflessly supporting us.
Photographers: Václav Šváb, Lynda Phan, Martina Uličianska, Sebastian Runge, Cécile Wassmer, Libor Nesvadba, Václav Čubr, Peter Ferstl, Matteo Lorenzi, Radovan Kodera, Gabriela Homolová, Petr Jiras, Karel Funda, Peter Fabo, Roman Pekař and artists themselves Video: Lukáš Kellner, Roman Pekař, Antonín Procházka jr. Design: Hana Hudáková, Martin Bušek, Markéta Šestáková Design of the catalog: Hana Hudáková