The goal of the international project No Time For Heroes is to present a group of artists, working in the field of public art and site-specific experiments. The project connects three European cities: Kladno-Prague, Naples and Gdańsk, touching the problems of waterfront privatisation and the global usage of water resources. These industrial zones used to be an important part of production, today such locations are dangerous and abandoned, somewhere former industrial zones are claimed back by the nature. The mission of the project is to develop artistic research focused on the confrontation and presentation of these industrial areas, waterways and sea, and to find a better strategy for treating these zones and using their surroundings to preserve them.
Former steel mill POLDI, later on Poldi Kladno SONP, is one of the most interesting industrial complexes in the Czech Republic. This ancient development of Poldi Kladno SONP consists of large cement tanks that contained water and various chemicals used in steel production. It is also worth to point out the architectural diversity of Kladno by emphasizing the Art Nouveau villas that were built around the factories by outstanding architects as Josef Hoffmann.
Czech artist Martin Janíček presents performance and installation that reproduces the soundscape of the industrial zones in Kladno and Gdańsk. Martin Zet reuses urban objects and transforms their function and meaning into his personal vision of the contemporary society. He chose to exhibit small figural sculpture, which he made during his stage at the Poldi Kladno steel works.
The city of Naples is divided into two parts. The east of the city is a poor district around the port, where in the 80's huge factories were built and abandoned a decade later. The West area of Naples is totally different and consists of luxury villas overlooking the sea near the famous park of Virgilio and the island of Capri. Napolitan artists Christian Costa and Danilo Capasso are researching the urban history of east part of Naples, exercising their artistic strategy of interventions to the outskirts and it's degradation. The installation with photography and video by Danilo Capasso explores the “liminal spaces” of eastern Naples and reflects “a state of being between one´s past and future identities”. The documentary video and series of photography of Christian Costa brings his critical view on the degradation of industrial area of Naples called Cirio, Vela, Ponticelli, and the port area.
The grounds of the Gdańsk Docks are very unique. It's here where strikes, the system changes and the Solidarity movement started. The city is also interesting from the point of exploration of the waterfront. This is an example of conversion of already existing industrial architecture by changing its function (from industrial production halls into artistic lofts) and relations between the shipyard workers and artistic activities. Through a hypnotic flight of the seagull, the Polish artist Dominika Skutnik magnifies in the sublime way the relationships between the world of dreams, urban sounds and associations. Jaro Dufek combines different water sounds of Prague, Naples and Gdańsk through the interactive artwork using mobile phones. Krzysztof Topolski aka Arszyn challenges different strategies how to capture the urban sound and to create minimal acoustic installation originally presented in the former Power station of Nikola Tesla in Prague Libeň.
Curated by: Aleksandra Grzonkowska , Susanna Horvatovičová, Dagmar Šubrtová
List of exhibited works
DOMINIKA SKUTNIK: MOMENTUM
video 12'
2007
JARO DUFEK:BOMB - KGP01
Water from Kladno, Prague, Gdansk, condom,
matches, plastic bottle, mobile phone,
pump, electronic system, mechanism for
explosive device, wire from hairdryer
CALL 5 TIMES ON THE NTFH TELEPHONE NUMBER
+420 728 788 5xx TO MIX WATER FROM KLADNO, GDANSK &PRAGUE, 2011
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BOMB - KGP01,How to make a bomb
(video tutorial) video 1’50’’, 2011
KRZYSZTOF TOPOLSKI aka ARSZYN:THE HOLE
headphone output TRS 1/8”, Electronic audio, 2011
DANILO CAPASSO: LIMEN: A STATE OF POSSIBILITY
video 4’46’’, color (PAL), artist book 37,5 x
23,5 cm, 32 pages, 28 colored photographs, 2011
CHRISTIAN COSTA:DIS-LOOPS [NAPLES]
video 20’, 2011
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DSTR-LOOPS [NAPLES]
4 color photographs, 40x50 cm,2011
MARTIN ZET
ODPICH / TAP
bronz, 46 cm, 1981
MARTIN JANÍČEK: SOUND CONTAINER
metal pot, sound loop 40’, recorded 11.10.2009 in Mayrau Mine, 2011
Cooperation: MEMENEST Associazione Culturale, Naples Communication space Školská 28, Prague 6th Bienale Vestiges of Industry 2011 (Prague-Kladno), Výzkumé centrum průmyslového dědictví ČVUT v Praze
The exhibition is presented in framework of the 6th Biennial Vestiges of Industry 2011 (Prague-Kladno), supported by ČVUT in Prague.
Support: Residency of Krzysztof Topolski is realized thanks to the International Visegrad Fund (IVF). Polish participation is supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
