Thanks to the support of the City of Košice and Creative Industry Košice, local professionals from the cultural and creative industries were able to work undisturbed from the comfort of their homes in June and July. Take a look at ten interesting projects, thanks to which our city’s artistic offer is a bit richer today.
Dávid Demjanovič – Sculptural interventions for Sídlisko Ťahanovce
Dávid is a member of the artist duo Mitríková & Demjanovič and works as a teacher at the Faculty of Arts TUKE. During his residency, he focused on designing functional sculptures – children’s playgrounds, drawing inspiration mainly from the 60s from Czechoslovak authors, including Olbram Zoubek and Zdenek Macháček. All these endeavors are connected by the effort to make the empty spaces between the blocks of flats more pleasant and cultural and arouse the inhabitants’ interest in public space and its functionality.
“Ťahanovce, as the youngest housing estate in Košice, is the only one without a sculptural realization. Since I have been interested in artistic projects in public space for a long time, I perceived it as a great creative challenge. It is also a good time to address it as the public is shifting its demands for the functions of public spaces compared to the past.”
Dávid wants to continue researching the potential of functional public sculptures with the involvement of students from the ASK 3D studio, where he currently works.
Julián Bosák – COMA
After studying at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Julián returned to Košice, where he worked in the film industry for several years and taught at the Secondary School of Arts and Crafts. During his home residency, he worked on a screenplay for the pilot episode of the COMA series, which is situated in Košice and would be available online at regular intervals.
“The series presents real-life events in the form of a fictional story of people in their forties who were once classmates in high school and are reunited later in life because their classmate fell into a coma. Current burning topics such as ecology, tolerance, social inequalities resonate in it, and the series presents innovations and artistic activities from Košice and its surroundings.”
After the residency, Julián will contact potential collaborators and look for resources to make the project happen.
Viktor Fehér – Contemporary muralism in the cities of tomorrow
As the founder of Street Art Communication (SAC), Viktor is a person that is responsible for large-scale paintings and various artistic interventions in Košice’s public space. The purpose of his residency was to start the preparatory process for a short documentary about SAC’s activities and show the importance of contemporary muralism and its role in our city.
“The documentary focuses on the issue of disappearing works from the facades of private buildings and their placement in various locations. It records the statements of relevant parties and institutions, including the Office of the Chief Architect of the City of Košice, the Monuments Board, the artistic community, but also the local inhabitants.”
The outputs of his residency will soon be presented in a short documentary that will show the public the current state of the Open Mural Gallery.
Zuzana Šuková – About the Prince who awakened
Zuzana is an architect and artist – she dedicates her time to creative activities, writing poems and books. During her residency, she prepared a children’s book that retells the classic story of Prince Siddhartha in a new manner, incorporating the historical legacy into our everyday lives and present a story from a different culture to people from the “Western world”.
“The character of Siddhartha as a person who has realized suffering, awakened and understood the needs of this world would guide the readers to what they need to do to help the world around them – awakened heart and eyes.”
More than 30 paintings by her late husband – the well-known Košice artist and architect Oleg Šuk – and their shared values served as the first impulse for Zuzana to start working on this project. The book About the Prince who awakened is being created gradually and brings us closer to Oleg’s dream world, his work, and legacy not only as an artist but also as a person. Her residency is the first sketch of the text for the future book and illustrations from his workshop.
Ján Gálik – For a Decent Slovakia through my eyes
Ján is the regional coordinator of the For a Decent Slovakia initiative. He took photos during their meetups, organizational meetings, or when visiting the President. During his residency, he compiled them into a collection of photographs and texts in digital form to humanize the movement and encourage the public to a healthy civic engagement.
“Decency, decent society, decent country. During For a Decent Slovakia meetings, we have often asked ourselves what that decency actually means. We agreed on many things, but everyone has their own definition based on their own unique story. In this publication, I choose portraits of people, who each in their own way, represent the values that together form a mosaic of decent Slovakia.”
In the spring of 2022, Ján wants to publish the collection in the form of a book. As a promotional event, he will organize a debate and presentation of photographs and books in the Artforum bookstore in Košice.
Martin Jeriga – Eastern Stories: Bach
Martin’s portfolio includes the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, a concert for the royal family at the Buckingham Palace, and a concert tour with Katarína Koščová. Therefore, it is not unusual that during his home residency, he focused on creating a musical work that draws from the work of J. S. Bach – he re-arranged a 4-minute cantata into contemporary musical forms with elements of pop and jazz with an emphasis on the classical original.
“The project’s goal is to bring positivity, encouragement, and hope during the pandemic and point to its impending end. The text of the work also speaks of a country that thrives when righteous rulers rule it.’ At the same time, it is an effort to calm down and present society with a positive vision when the situation seems dire. It challenges us to be better as a society through our own transformation.”
The result of his residency is a music score, audio recording, and video recording. The work itself and the video clip will be available to the public after he obtains additional funding.
Katarína Rampáčková – How to work creatively with an audio commentary for the blind in a dance performance
Katka is the co-founder of PST – Space for Contemporary Dance. She creates choreographies and performances. During her home residency, she explored creatively using the audio commentary for the blind in the dance performance Mirage, which she prepared in collaboration with an inclusive dance group from Finland – KAAOS Company.
“I want to find a way to give visually impaired people the opportunity to perceive a dance performance in all its complexity and to play creatively with an audio commentary so that it is not disruptive for the viewer, who can visually perceive the performance. The audio commentary should be an additional colorful touch to the performance.”
The output of this project is a manual in which the choreographers will find various options for working with an audio commentary. The audience could see a practical display of the research during its premiere in June 2021 at the X Dance Festival in Helsinki. After the pandemic, Katka wants to bring the Mirage performance to Košice as well.
Norbert Sándor – Visual identity for ART CUBE
Norbert is a student of architecture and design and also works on various other creative projects. During the two-month residency, he prepared a comprehensive visual identity for the newly established art agency ART CUBE, including branding, website, and graphic materials.
“We live in a time when art is being squeezed into the sidelines, so it is commendable that there are art enthusiasts in Košice who have decided to establish an art society in these difficult times. At ART CUBE, I was particularly impressed by their strong relationship with culture and the activities that the company plans to realize within the cultural and creative industries in our city.”
The marketing outputs of his residency are visible on the agency’s website and its social networks. The design is intended to appeal to as many young people as possible to discover the possibilities of cultural activities.
Tomáš Makara – A walk among the statues in Košice
Tomáš is a member of the art group Kassaboys and the civic association Alt30collective. He has long been engaged in educational activities and research on modern architecture. During his residency, he mapped modernist works of art in Košice’s public space and the interiors of buildings that are not normally accessible.
“I was motivated to work on this project because of my passion for the vast cultural heritage of public space art from the modern era, which is unfortunately often unjustly overlooked and sometimes even negatively perceived. This fact results in the disappearance of these works, which means we lose quality art. I am convinced that these works can become popular spots for ‘kunst’ tourism in our city and elsewhere. I believe that with this project, I will be able to increae the public’s interest in them.”
The result of Tomáš’s mapping results are photographs and basic information about the works, which he will later publish on an interactive website. Visitors will be able to plan their own “art route” according to location or their preferences.
Jozef Sikora – Jewelry as a support for cyberspace
Jozef has been making a living by creating original and hand-made jewelry for more than thirty years. He worked with leather and ceramics, and currently, his domain is copper and copper wire. Thanks to the residential support, he created stands for smartphones and tablets from these materials.
“Tablets and smartphones have a well-tuned, but sometimes cold and generic design, which we like to personalize with stickers, pendants, cases. However, a hand-crafted table holder can complement the impersonal device with a handicraft accent, pleasant material, and ornamental detail.”
The resulting items are suitable for everyday use or as an original gift or souvenir. It is pleasant to come across this design object when working from home.
The third round of the Home Residencies project was realized with the support of the City of Košice.