Student participiants:
Marcin Stępień, Paul Aboin, Filip Pavka, Dorota Swiderova, Helena Wierzbowska, Matylda Wolska, Dajana Maršovská, Patrycja Bartos
Location: Castle Hill
Castle in Cieszyn, the oldest part of the city. The castle hill is home to one of the most valuable monuments in Cieszyn – the Piast Tower and the Rotunda of St. Nicholas and St. Wacław. The first of these objects is an old defensive tower from the 14th century. It’s almost 30m tall. There are 120 stairs leading to its top, surrounded by a wall with a thickness of more than 3 meters. Originally, its top was built with a roof, but during the 19th century, it gained a viewing terrace visited by numerous tourists to this day. It is the best viewpoint on the Polish and Czech sides of Cieszyn Silesia. The second object is a characteristic, round castle chapel. It dates back to around the 12th century, which makes it one of the oldest architectural monuments in Poland. The Cieszyn Castle (Polish: Zamek Cieszyn) is an institution that has been established in 2005 and has been successfully promoting modern design ever since. This place has become recognisable throughout Europe as a connection between designers, scientists and entrepreneurs. Their joint work allows to design and implement innovative ideas using modern technologies and/or traditional methods. Educational and promotional projects are carried out in the Castle.
TASK- to create furniture for music in public space
Music is an integral part of experiencing the city space and builds its image among the audience. On the one hand, it is part of the city’s soundscape, its bustle and rhythm, and provides the background for the perception of urban space; on the other hand, it is able to impart this rhythm to the city and its inhabitants.
Music in the city is made up of accompanying sounds such as the bustle of the street, the noise, conversations, music heard from inside buildings or street musicians. Music not only accompanies us as we wander through the city, but also makes us stop and take notice of something, to listen. Musical events bring the community together and foster integration.
Spaces that are conducive to the organisation of musical events and spontaneous concerts attract citizens and enter their consciousness as places of importance, as well as places that are attractive, conducive to recreation, entertainment and respite. Popularising music in public spaces enables artists to come into closer contact with their audiences and reach out to audiences that do not have the chance to receive their work on a daily basis.
GUIDELINES:
- furniture – its elements should be mobile – allowing rearrangement of the space – retractable castors seem to be the best solution. But due to the open nature of the area – the furniture needs to be vandal proof.
- space – audience – for 15-20 people
- Platforms for invited guests and artists – it is proposed to create 3 platforms of different sizes and heights (the highest about 40 cm). One of the proposed platforms must allow for at least two artists (musicians or guests – e.g. a moderator and an invited artist) to perform in a sitting position, and there must also be space for standard music stands.
- a larger platform for performers should also have – a kind of frame – which gives the possibility to create a small stage or to place there graphics informing about the event/festival
- there should also be an element for displaying the repertoire (in A3 format)
- as the location is under conservation protection, the preferred furniture material is natural wood
- it would seem to be a good idea to place on the trunk of the felled tree – located centrally on the plot in front of the Tourist Information Office – the joint logo of Cieszyn and Cesky Tesin, or another graphic sign – which could draw attention to this space
FINAL RESULTS
The group’s project not only had to win the favor of future recipients – young musicians and the authorities of the Cieszyn Castle and the City, but also the Provincial Conservator of Monuments – who takes care of the entire Castle Hill. As a result of the consultations, a piece of furniture called Music Platform was created, which, in addition to the function of a space for small concerts, is also to serve as a meeting space for the series of cultural events taking place at the Castle.
The piece of furniture is located on a small hill, on one side bordering the historic tourist information and administration building of the Castle, and on the other side limited by a path leading to the top of the Castle Hill. Tall ash trees growing on three sides create a dense green background for the scene, which is one of the two elements of the construction. The stage consists of three square modules, 1.8×1.8 m in size, placed on a 7.4 m long beam made of glued laminated timber. Two modules have movable elements which, when folded out, form a comfortable support for four people – on one side in a sitting position and on the other side in a reclining position. When folded together, they create a flat stage that can accommodate several musicians. In front of the stage, there is a 5-meter-long bench made of three large glued-laminated timber beams, providing space for a small audience.
Tutor: OBJEKTOR
Architects from Czech Republic
Václav Šuba + Jakub Červenka
Objektor was formed in 2017 during studying at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague by Vaclav Suba and Jakub Cervenka as a platform for cooperation in the field of Architecture and its related subjects. From then on they have been worked on projects of various scales and typologies. OBJEKTOR team now focuses both on small scale objects and larger architectural assignments.
Architects listen carefully to their clients, who are partners with whom they share enthusiasm for the creative process.
