First Impressions and Must-Sees at DesignBlok’s Hub
DesignBlok is back in Prague, and there is no shortage of beautiful work to see (and sometimes touch, hear, and taste) this week. Just at the Trade Fair Palace, there are dozens of designers exhibiting their work – and by combining such a large space with the festival’s theme, Light, there is never a dull moment.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys roaming through the lights section in IKEA, then this festival was made for you. Here are a few highlights that you shouldn’t miss.
The first piece which caught my attention was the sculpture done by LASVIT, Splash: Between Forces. Martin Gallo beautifully captured the motion of not just light, but also water and metal – symbolizing a constant ebb and flow as we feel polarized in vastly different directions. Additionally, the installation welcomes you to roam freely around it, so you can see each detail up close. The scale and delicacy of this piece are nothing short of impressive.
A collaboration between Česká Spořitelna and Visa brought possibly the most thought-provoking piece of the evening. Outside an enclosed, white sheet stands seven bowls of marbles, each a different color representing a different idea: Family + Home, Finances, The Planet + Balance, Meaningful Work, Health, Relationships + Friends, and finally “My Future”. Participants are invited to choose which marbles are most important to them, and upon entering the sheet, find themselves surrounded by aurora-like projections of light. Placing your chosen marbles in a spiraling, center table prompts a reading of their corresponding colors, creating a unique combination of colors projected around the tent. The appropriately named “What is the Light of Your Life?” installation is not just a creative take on the festival’s theme, but also invites visitors to contribute something unique to the festival.
Jílek 1905 ruined all other chandeliers for me. Tereza Šváchová’s design depicts a variety of lamps to create one large chandelier overhanging shards of glass seemingly from the same materials. The work symbolizes renewal in cultural practices like glass making as new technologies and forms of craftsmanship emerge. This is another work that is hard to miss, as it immediately catches your eyes but possess a subtly which makes it easy on them, too.
The description provided for the next work is short: “We invite you to the Light Lab, where the boundaries between darkness and light blur. Immerse yourself in the dark and create a unique small light object – your very own firefly.” It’s vague, but once you’ve experienced it, you’ll know exactly what they’re talking about. The Light Lab is an installation by Kaufland and Světluška, a project by the Czech Radio Foundation which aids people with severe visual impairments. I don’t want to give too much away so that you experience it yourself, but this piece compels participants to be grateful for light in the midst of darkness.
Other works worth mentioning are GROHE SPA’s waterfall of faucets, a first glimpse into Škoda’s newest design, Škoda Peaq (which allows you a fix of that blissful “new car smell”), and the most endearingly designed pickle jars by Znojmo.
Also at the Trade Fair Palace are multiple vendors outside the space, as well as Maxim Velčovský’s installation, “Veranda”. The hub of this year’s DesignBlok is nothing short of such, and it’s certainly worth visiting before the end of the festival on the 11th of October. You’ll never be able to walk look at those IKEA lamps the same way again.
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