The guests had the unique opportunity to take a guided tour and to discuss and learn more about the project directly from the young artists. A part of the event was also a small workshop on the processing of the cattail given by Adam Kvaček.

"Our project presents the results of the collaboration between the „Beautiful Work“ Project and the Product Design Studio / D3 at Prague's UMPRUM. The individual projects reflect the current attitudes of design students towards the craft tradition, as well as their approaches to the rehabilitation of the craft genre and its inclusion among competitive products on the current market, which is precisely what the Beautiful Work Project strives for.

This colaboration follows six-months of the work of students who documented their personal approach to using traditional craft motifs in their projects. The D3 Studio used the opportunity created by this cooperation not only to design new products into which traditional craft approaches could be applied but, above all, as a vehicle by which to think about the future of traditional crafts as such and overall. The students searched for possibilities by which to combine craft concepts with design as a comprehensive discipline that can offer varied solutions and raise stimulating questions. The fusion of academic endeavours thus provided a space in which to create works that have the potential to influence the future of the preservation of traditional crafts in the long term, and not just its use for decorative purposes, as crafts are often perceived today.
In considering the preservation of craft traditions, it is necessary to explore not only the technological limits of individual crafts, but to use them in the production of products with a contemporary face. In order for a craft to become timeless and its practices to be sustainable into the future, it is necessary to find its place in the present and to think critically about its strengths and weaknesses."

Exhibitors: Sofia Artemeva, Tereza Bláhová, Miloslav Chytil, Ivo Jedlička, Sára Kučerová, Adam Kvaček, Jan Lechner, Mikuláš Procházka, and Karolína Vintrová

Curator of the exhibition: Adam Kvaček

Pedagogical leadership: Michal Froněk and Jan Němeček (Heads of the studio), Michal Malášek (assistant professor)

Production, and installation design: Adam Kvaček, Ivo Jedlička, and Jan Lechner

Graphic design: Oskar Koutný

The exhibition was a part of the Brussels Design September Festival.

The event was accompanied by DJ Chris the Dancer.



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Closing event of of the exhibition BEAUTIFUL WORK

Beautiful work

Programme :
L. van Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, “Archduke Trio”
 1. Allegro moderato
 2. Scherzo (Allegro)
 3. Andante cantabile, ma però con moto
 4. Allegro moderato
 
A. Dvořák: Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90, B. 166, “Dumky Trio”
 1. Lento maestoso — Allegro quasi doppio movimento
 2. Poco adagio — Vivace non troppo — Vivace
 3. Andante — Vivace non troppo — Allegretto
 4. Andante moderato — Allegretto scherzando
 5. Allegro — Meno Mosso
 6. Lento maestoso — Vivace

Trio Aries, founded in 2018, gathers three Belgian musicians, violinist Alice Van Leuven, cellist Paul Heyman and pianist Wouter Valvekens. The trio’s career took an uplifting turn when it won the 2020 edition of the prestigious Supernova Classics competition organized by the Belgian radio. Meanwhile, Trio Aries was invited to play recitals in high-profile concert halls and festivals among which Klarafestival in Bozar, the Springconcert in the Royal Palace of Belgium, Sound of Ghent in Miry, Festival van Vlaanderen, Festival en Poitou in France, 30CC in Leuven and Amuz in Antwerpen. Their debut in the Henry Leboeuf hall in Bozar was acclaimed by the Flemish newspaper deStandaard « A memorable rendition of Brahms’ first piano trio ».   

2021 marked the release of the trio’s debut album « Awakening » with label Etcetera. This disc, recorded in deSingel in Antwerp, was produced by Beeldenstorm vzw, an organisation that welcomes the trio as artist in residence. The program includes pieces from Scriabin, Suk, Schubert and Mendelssohn and was widely well received in the press, among others France Musique - « Nothing scares these young people! There’s a vision of modernity very present throughout their interpretations. » and deStandaard (attributes five stars) - “Impressive fingers, great ideas, excellent ­vibe: chamber music 3.0.”

The musicians of Trio Aries benefitted an excellent training at three eminent schools in Europe, respectively the Universität der Künste of Berlin, the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste in Zürich and the Royal Academy of London. The members of the Trio reunite these different experiences in their search for the groove specific to each piece from their wide repertoire, a synthesis between color of sound and timing. With this in mind, they present not only masterpieces from the piano trio repertoire to the public but also less played pieces. The Trio Aries commits to a collaboration with artists from different branches to create multidisciplinary projects. 

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PH concert series: Piano Trio Aries

Piano Trio Aries

The table and chairs, decorated with Havel’s symbol – red hearts, were designed by architect and designer Bořek Šípek. Šípek came up with a design symbolising "Democratic Debate", comprising two metal garden chairs and a table placed around a linden tree, the national tree of the Czech Republic. His idea was to create a gathering place in a public space to promote dialogue, discussion and freedom of speech. Bořek Šípek named the installation "Democracy Talks" and described it as "a place where people can meet and exercise their freedom of speech in a democratic dialogue with others".

The Brussels bench to honour Václav Havel was unveiled on 12 October 2021 as the 41st memorial of its kind.



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The Václav Havel Bench has returned to the Leopold Park 

vh bench

The Beautiful Work project is dedicated to folk crafts, their revival, and their involvement in people's contemporary lives. It builds on the tradition of Družstevní Práce (Cooperative Work) and the Krásná Jizba (Beautiful Room) organisation. Among other things, it cooperates with art schools. One of its active members is the Studio of Product Design at UMPRUM, led by Michal Froněk and Jan Němeček. Under their guidance, students created their own collections of products in which they recall, revive, and push forward traditional craft techniques.

A selection of nine diverse realisations will be on display at the exhibition at the Prague House in Brussels. The works could be imaginatively divided into three categories - fashion, food, and structure. Here, young designers apply old, often forgotten crafts and revive them in new, contemporary forms.

"Working on the project was a great challenge for us. It wasn't just about learning the craft processes, preparing the necessary raw materials, and mastering the technology. We were looking for new ways to apply traditional craftsmanship in the present day. We asked ourselves questions about its place in today's society. In some cases, we found that the chosen type of craft is commonly used in a different form in modernised production or traditional practices can be enriched with new technologies so that they have a chance to compete in today's market. At other times, it was enough to give it a more comprehensible form for today's society and thus support the narrative of the craft's usefulness in our times", explains Adam Kvaček, one of the authors and curator of the exhibition, about the process of creating and applying original crafts to the present.

Adam Kvaček focused his work on the processing of the cattail. The result of the cattail propaganda project is a bag and a series of photographs highlighting the craft's present-day competitiveness.  Tereza Bláhová has taken a similar approach, modernising Horňák embroidery. She works not only with motifs and embroidery but also with costume patterns. Sofia Artemeva decorates clothes, and handbags with fish scales. She designed a collection of accessories, respecting the original purpose of the material, but at the same time, she experiments with its use at the level of jewellery. Ivo Jedlička responds to the growing popularity of baking homemade bread. He has therefore designed a collection of tools to facilitate its preparation. He combines here, for example, pottery or brushing. Karolína Vintrová, who focuses on food fermentation, works similarly. Other crafts include cutlery, shepherding, woodcarving, and leatherworking.

"In this project, it was essential for students to encounter the reality of disappearing crafts and search for their sustainability in the future. They succeeded in translating the techniques into the needs of the 21st century. This could never have been achieved without the opportunity to work with the masters of old technologies, learning about them and the craft. Thanks to this, they gained a new perspective and respect for the craft", says the head of the studio, designer Michal Froněk.

To highlight the very complex work and value of the crafts, a catalogue was published to accompany the exhibition. In addition to descriptions of individual works, it includes essays by young artists who share their experiences of working with masters in their field, their own creative journey, and plans for how to use traditional arts and practices in the future. The catalogue can also be seen as a guide to how traditional arts and practices can be preserved and developed in the future.

The exhibition Beautiful Work proves that even declining crafts can be modern and up-to-date, and will be on display at the Prague House in Brussels until the 30th of September.

Exhibitors: Sofia Artemeva, Tereza Bláhová, Miloslav Chytil, Ivo Jedlička, Sára Kučerová, Adam Kvaček, Jan Lechner, Mikuláš Procházka, and Karolína Vintrová

Curator of the exhibition: Adam Kvaček

Pedagogical leadership: Michal Froněk and Jan Němeček (Heads of the studio), Michal Malášek (assistant professor)

Production, and installation design: Adam Kvaček, Ivo Jedlička, and Jan Lechner

Graphic design: Oskar Koutný

Photography: Samuel Alexander Petráš, Adéla Zlámalová, Dominik Bek, Petr Jelen, Karolína Kadlčáková, Petr Žemla, Barbora Hostašová, Lenka Glisníková a Karolína Matušková, and Silvie Leitmenová.

The exhibited works were created in cooperation with the Cooperative Labour Foundation and its project Beautiful Work (www.krasnaprace.org, IG: krasnaprace)

The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Prague House in Brussels.
The UMPRUM Studio of Product Design regularly presents itself at the prestigious Brussels Design September show. The latest exhibition Beautiful Work, which was created in collaboration with the project of the same name, was the studio's tenth presentation at this event.

The exhibition was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.


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The festive opening of the exhibition BEAUTIFUL WORK

beautiful work

Among other things, the concept of the exhibition seeks to introduce a common view of art, which draws on natural inspiration and traditional patterns, seeking lost harmony in our hypervised world and is looking for a positive relationship with the viewer. The exhibition connects music and theater using the sea as the intermediate line. 

For years, David Radok collected driftwood healed and gritted by sand, waves and sea water, and then assembled it with other found objects into authentic art objects or sculptures. New objects do not deny romantic wanderings and unexpected discoveries, smell the sea, cooperate with the elements and nature and offer us a refreshing feeling of freedom. The drawings of Josef Kroutvor, which were created during his stays on the island of Belle-ile in Brittany, capture marine impressions, lighthouses, pumps and dangerous rocks. The sea is also a big inspiration for art of Ivan Theimer, who can watch the waves from the terace of his studio in Tuscany.

The exhibition can be seen until the end of August. You are kindly requested to book your visit at praguehouse@praha.eu.

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The festive opening of the exhibition PORT OF PRAGUE: Roads to the Sea and Also to the Theatre

port of prague

The Václav Havel's bench is being repaired, it will be back in its place in a few weeks. Thank you for your understanding, Prague House in Brussels

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The Václav Havel's bench is being repaired

The actor and singer Barbora Poláková is a holder of five “Anděl” Music Awards, which she received for her first two albums (Barbora Poláková, 2015 and Ze.Mě, 2018). She is the author or co-author of both lyrics and music and the author of most of her music video themes. 

In parallel with the recording of her third studio album, Barbora Poláková managed to prepare a unique live one shot video releases for song compilations called Něhy (Tenderness) and Dydjiny. 
“I wanted to make a few songs before the summer and just put it on YouTube to tease our fans for summer concerts. I thought that the Dydjiny would resonate more and I was surprised and touched at the same time by the responses to Něhy and numerous comments, letters and messages. That's why we decided to release the songs on vinyl and digitally and to go on a special tour and play them in various interesting places.”

This bonus record and bonus tour started in April 2023 in specific places in the Czech Republic, and was closed during the Prague House Garden Concert in Brussels in June 2023.

Brussels fans of Barbora couldn´t care less about the rainy weather and were delighted by the performance. During the evening, the crowd enjoyed songs like Ona, Kdyby, Voda (feat. Matěj Fendrich) and Polovina, as well as older hits Kráva, Nafrňená and a special version of the new song Sousedův trávník.

Barbora's new release is already out and is going on a tour of the same name to accompany the album called ON/OFF. ON/OFF comes five years after her last album Ze.Mě. It brings with it a strong combination of three producers. One of them is David Hlaváč, who has been a duo with Bára since her first album, another is Jan P. Muchow, who produced both previous albums, and for the first time Bára met producer Filip Jelinek. The album also features a number of interesting guests – Ben Cristovao, Marek Adamczyk or Jan Cina. Some of them will also be part of the live performances, so don’t miss it!

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PH Garden Concert: Barbora Poláková - Něhy

Poláková - Něhy

DUO EDEN has been created in 2001 by the cellist Olsi LEKA and the harpist Samia BOUSBAÏNE and since, the duo has been performing regularly both in Belgium and abroad. The exquisite mingling of the sounds of the cello and harp produces a sensation of rare delicacy. 

Programme :

J. S. Bach: Sonata in G major BWV 1039, original for flute and basso continuo
 1. Allegro
 2. Adagio
 3. Allegro
 
J. L. Duport & Ch. N. Bochsa: Nocturne - Theme and Variations

Max Bruch: Kol Nidrei, Op. 47, orIginal for cello and orchestra

Gabriel Fauré: Élégie, Op. 24, original for cello and piano

Walter Huber: Fantaisie, Op. 13 for cello and harpe

Camille Saint-Saëns: Allegro appassionato, Op. 43, original for cello and piano






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PH Concert Series - Voyage

voyage

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We would like to introduce the Prague House, the residence of the City of Prague’s Representation to the EU. This place is an integral part of Prague’s City hall, and all its activities are targeted towards promoting the interest of the City.

Welcome to the Prague House!

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