Architecture 16. MFDF Ji.hlava
The new edition of the International Documentary Film Festival in Jihlava once again posed a challenge and a solution to the classic problem of how to get a lot of entertainment with a minimal budget. So that the festival can be felt in the city during those few days.
This year's leitmotif of the festival was aiming – “hitting the bullseye” or opening the question of what can or cannot be the goal – the center of the target, whether for documentary filmmakers or for each of us. In the festival's graphic visual, traditionally created by Juraj Horváth, there was an ever-present motif of a carnival colorful target. We adapted the target and typography for the needs of application to the festival architecture into the form of a stencil.
We rented a truck of so-called eurofences, which are commonly used to enclose construction sites, bought a lot of cheap wrapping foil, acquired a few cubic meters of cheap lumber as sponsorship – unclassified boards and roofing battens, and finally sourced a lot of old chairs. All of this became the foundation of the festival architecture. As always, punk, but functional and serving its purpose. The festival center was equipped with a café and usual services for festival audiences and film professionals (including the so-called “message boxes” - mailboxes, this year more like envelopes, for all festival guests), large billboards marking festival halls appeared in Jihlava, and a gigantic light sign “for a penny” was installed at DKO (a fulfilled dream of the festival president Marek Hovorka, who always wished for a large festival neon, which, however, will never have funding). From DKO, chairs in festival colors spread out. And in Jihlava's Masaryk Square, we built a large maze, a symbol of searching and finding the way, with a reward in the middle. The observation tower, built entirely from subtle unclassed boards, allowed for a perspective over both the right and blind paths, over hits and misses. A sensitive Jihlava resident could see from the untraditional horizon what is usually left unnoticed. It was pleasant to observe the popularity that the maze with an observation point gained among local children and, not just through them, many adults.
When I had to briefly describe the concept of this year's festival architecture for an urgent press release shortly before the festival, I happened to be in the hospital and could only muster the following “Ji.hlava alias post-narcotic” poem. For me, it perhaps still best captures this year's concept.
Wall, barrier, gate, fence...
bars, protects, aims, leads...
stop and spot.
Autumn in Ji.hlava, Masaryk wanders
from Prioru to the side.
Look from above!
Wrap, spray, paint, coat
Besides that!
Lean on it, sit down.
Red, blue, ochre...
the city is walked by chairs,
festival ones...
This year's leitmotif of the festival was aiming – “hitting the bullseye” or opening the question of what can or cannot be the goal – the center of the target, whether for documentary filmmakers or for each of us. In the festival's graphic visual, traditionally created by Juraj Horváth, there was an ever-present motif of a carnival colorful target. We adapted the target and typography for the needs of application to the festival architecture into the form of a stencil.
We rented a truck of so-called eurofences, which are commonly used to enclose construction sites, bought a lot of cheap wrapping foil, acquired a few cubic meters of cheap lumber as sponsorship – unclassified boards and roofing battens, and finally sourced a lot of old chairs. All of this became the foundation of the festival architecture. As always, punk, but functional and serving its purpose. The festival center was equipped with a café and usual services for festival audiences and film professionals (including the so-called “message boxes” - mailboxes, this year more like envelopes, for all festival guests), large billboards marking festival halls appeared in Jihlava, and a gigantic light sign “for a penny” was installed at DKO (a fulfilled dream of the festival president Marek Hovorka, who always wished for a large festival neon, which, however, will never have funding). From DKO, chairs in festival colors spread out. And in Jihlava's Masaryk Square, we built a large maze, a symbol of searching and finding the way, with a reward in the middle. The observation tower, built entirely from subtle unclassed boards, allowed for a perspective over both the right and blind paths, over hits and misses. A sensitive Jihlava resident could see from the untraditional horizon what is usually left unnoticed. It was pleasant to observe the popularity that the maze with an observation point gained among local children and, not just through them, many adults.
When I had to briefly describe the concept of this year's festival architecture for an urgent press release shortly before the festival, I happened to be in the hospital and could only muster the following “Ji.hlava alias post-narcotic” poem. For me, it perhaps still best captures this year's concept.
Wall, barrier, gate, fence...
bars, protects, aims, leads...
stop and spot.
Autumn in Ji.hlava, Masaryk wanders
from Prioru to the side.
Look from above!
Wrap, spray, paint, coat
Besides that!
Lean on it, sit down.
Red, blue, ochre...
the city is walked by chairs,
festival ones...
Josef Čančík
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