DIALOGUES IN TIME / HOMMAGE À RICARDO BOFILL

15 November Lecture Evening Dedicated to the Work and Personality of Ricardo Bofill

Event will be hosted by Petr Kratochvíl

The Dialogues in Time exhibition is, to some extent, the continuation of the first successful presentation of the exhibition New in the Old, held ten years ago. The theme of contemporary architecture in historical environments is often presented as a conflict between architects and conservationists. Unfortunately, this simplification is very misleading and in a way prevents both sides from engaging in a meaningful dialogue. The potential conflict is not one between the new and the old, but between quality and low quality. Architecture is an endless story that cannot be interrupted or even closed. However, just as it is senseless not to allow new architecture into a historic city, neither can architects be freed of their responsibility towards the city. The only way to find meaningful solutions is through open dialogue.

Compared to the first exhibition, we do not present the visitor with a long list of successful, as well as failed, realisations, but this time we will focus on a selection of thirty-five realised reconstructions, new buildings, but also interventions in public space across the country and especially in recent years. The selection includes the recent award-holding reconstruction of Helštýn Castle, the reconstruction of Kocanda in Kravsko, the conversion of the Silo Tower in Olomouc, the new headquarters of Lasvit in Nový Bor, parking houses in Dolní Břežany and Brno, and the cable car exit station in Pustevny. Featured gallery and museum institutions include the Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc, the DOX Gallery, the Jan Palach Memorial, the depository of the North Bohemian Scientific Library in Ústí nad Labem, the Závodný Gallery in Mikulov or the Pavlov Archaeopark, and among the selected cultural and social buildings there will be the reconstruction of the canteen of Charles University’s 17. listopadu dormitory or the South Bohemian Scientific Library in České Budějovice. Reconstruction, revitalisation and new buildings in connection with the revitalisation of public space will be represented by examples of realisations in Zlín, Litomyšl, Ostrava, Prague on the embankment and in Karlín or in Brno on Kraví hora.

The second part of the project is a tribute to the late global architect Ricardo Bofill, who was the first foreign architect to enter into an uneasy dialogue with the genius loci of Prague's historical scenery in collaboration with Czech colleagues (architects, engineers, investors). Their joint architectural transformations of the industrial landmarks of Karlín and other architectures of the capital contributed significantly to the debate on the integration of contemporary architecture into the historical context. This contribution will also be presented in the debate and presentation of his Czech and international collaborators.

A69 architekti, A8000, AED project, AP ateliér, ARCHITEKTI D.R.N.H., Architekti Hrůša & spol., Atelier Brno, architekti chmelík & partneři, ARCHITEKTONICKÁ KANCELÁŘ RADKO KVĚT, ARCHTEAM, atelier AVN, Atelier zahradní a krajinářské architektury Sendler, atelier-r, CASUA, EHL & KOUMAR ARCHITEKTI, ellement architects, Fránek Architects, Henkai architekti, HŠH architekti, CHYBIK+KRISTOF ARCHITECTS, Ivan Kroupa architekti, Kamil Mrva Architects, Kuba & Pilař architekti, KWK Promes, Létající inženýři, MCA atelier, OK PLAN ARCHITECTS, ORA, ov architekti, Pavel Hnilička Architects+Planners, Pavel Mudřík architekti, Pavel Rydlo, Pavel Tůma, Petr Šulc, Petr Hájek ARCHITEKTI, petrjanda/brainwork, Projektový ateliér DAVID, QARTA Architektura, Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, Strnadová - Girsa, Štěpán Děnge, TaK Architects, TRANSAT architekti, Zlámal architekti