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    Mural “40 Days of Red” for Reduta Theather, 2005
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    Exhibice:Mural “40 Days of Red” for Reduta Theather, 2005

    Complex project of the Reduta Theather reconstruction in cooperation with D.R.N.H. architects Antonín Novák, Petr Valenta won the Grandprix OA 2005.

    The mural consists of layers of red undulating lines laid next to one another on a red background. In each of the superimposed layers the undulating lines have a different direction. The monochrome effect of the red paint, together with the colour of the parquet flooring arranged into historical patterns conjures up a solemn ambience nurtured by the rare occurrence of the colour red in nature patterns, and even more so by its endorsement of the cultural and historical tradition (in ancient Greece the manufacture of a single red gown for the ruler required riches otherwise sufficient to acquire several villages). The regular layers of repeatedly painted undulating lines impregnate the walls with aspects of time, exertion and sumptuousness. No celebration can take place without show and splendour as, in essence, a “purposeless” celebration is the most natural human response to the mystery of life.

    In the atrium the gaps in the terazzo flooring follow a composition principle applied to some of my paintings. Thin undulating lines run in three directions extending from a equilateral triangle. The solemn and overwhelming impression of the ceremonial hall is amplified by the selection of a gentler colour design in the atrium. The gaps shaped as undulating lines and the execution of non-rectangular line intersections made up of the two metal strips sandwiching strips of cherry-tree wood introduces an element of work by master craftsmen into the atrium and calls for respect for their skills.

    Note on Works in Architecture, 2005

    In paintings realized as part of new construction projects and created in close collaboration with the architect we strive to create an overall new form. From its inception the project relies on the merging of the architectural and purely artistic design. An example of this is the ceiling painting at Deutsche Bundesbank where the painting, together with the frontal alabaster wall, acts as the intended dual dominant feature of the building.
    In restaurants and the remodelling of existing buildings we add a new layer to the evolving architecture. The emphasis is
    on understanding and respecting the architectural, historical and social aspects of the building. Sometimes, as in designing and implementing the project of the “House of the Veil”, we conclude that the painterly intervention should be completely subordinated to the building, its function and use and that the design does not require a clear artistic stamp (an autonomous expression was only reflected in the chair upholstery design).
    A different, and a conspicuous new layer has been added to a project via the painterly realization as part of the reconstruction of the Reduta Theatre. In this special example a new approach to the ceremonial hall could hardly have relied on the architectural conception only, something which was otherwise quite acceptable in most other spaces. As a result, the atrium and the café found equal application for the existing layout and new layers of architectural and artistic designs.

    releated text: arch. Ivan Koleček, A Stroll Through Architectural Space