Thomas Kot’k, Julie Schulzov‡

PERCEPTION MACHINE II

Prague is a unique European
city because of the variety of
architectural styles which
harmoniously coexist. Baroque
palaces stand next to
Modernist buildings, which
stand next to Neo-Gothic
houses. The effect is often
beautiful, but it creates a
special problem for artists
when making public art,
especially sculpture. How the
artist creates a piece that
works together with its
surroundings without
destroying the integrity of
the site is the main
challenge. The answer lies in
not only what one does, but
where. Some areas are already
so architecturally complete,
or they are so historically
significant that any addition
may be an unwelcome invasion
of the siteÕs integrity. 

Our site in Mala strana that is
one contains all the elements
needed for a successful public
sculpture. Between Snemovni
street and U Zlate studne lies
a small, unnamed triangular
square whose nose slopes
sharply downwards towards
Valstjensky palac. Formed by
historical buildings and
palaces (Baroque and
Renaissance), it has
atmosphere and is intimate in
scale, but there is enough
open space to allow for a
sensitively conceived and
executed sculpture. What
strikes one first is the
contrast between the levelness
of the facades on the square,
with their even rows of
windows and architectural
details, and the sloping stone
paved square, off balance on
its hillside position.
Accentuating these differences
are three large trees crammed
into the squareÕs small area,
two level with each other at
the top of the square and one
at the bottom, which provide a
vertical element against the
horizontal facades. Both the
trees within the square and
itÕs position on a hill
highlight the exactitude of
architecture against the
seeming randomness of nature.
Because people have been
living for centuries in this
part of Prague, it is nearly
impossible to tell what
existed before the city was
built, but in this little
square nature still has a
strong presence, even under
stone pavement.

Our sculpture will unite these
aspects of the square into a
simple geometric form,
creating a new relationship
between architecture and
landscape. A long steel rod
will securely balance on a
special pedestal, dissecting
part of the square along its
downwards slope. At first
glance the rod will look
stationary and level, in
harmony with the surrounding
facades and in contrast to the
squareÕs slope. It will be
mobile however, able to seesaw
on its axis when pushed from
either end, imitating the
squareÕs natural topography.
The rod will be painted a
bright red color, so as to
stand out from its environment
and act as a marker to
delineate the contrasts
between siteÕs topography and
its architecture in both the
day and nighttime hours.

This sculpture does not seek
to be an invasive presence in
the everyday life of the
square. It will simply be
there to point out the unique
subtleties of this place.
Thus, in creating a sculpture
that seeks to open a dialogue
with a particular siteÕs
characteristics we preserve
the integrity of both the
location and the sculpture,
meeting the main challenge of
making public art in Prague.