Pro/Exchange Karlín - exhibition at Gallery VI PER
The exhibition Pro/Change Karlín maps the transformation of Karlín from the flood in 2002 to the present from various perspectives – economic, architectural, and sociodemographic. The comparison of pricing and ownership maps with maps of destruction/construction, emphasizing the construction of new development projects, aims to enable reflection on the physical, functional, and even immaterial metamorphosis of the district after 18 years.
The research seeks to answer the question of the extent and scope to which the flood allowed for a drastic building and demographic shift in Karlín. The goal of the project is to demonstrate current urban issues, such as the housing crisis and gentrification in a post-socialist city, using a specific example, thereby creating a basis for broader discussion about the impact of globalization, urban deregulation, and acceleration on space.
The exhibition consists of two lines:
The flood threshold is a comparison of the state before and after the flood, specifically in the years 2002 and 2020. Fragments of Karlín (M 1: 500) point to the rising price levels, the privatization of public spaces, changes in the cadastral division of land, and the architectural transformation of the urban landscape. Six case sculptures (M 1: 250) document various typologies of new buildings in Karlín: 1) a new building on a vacant lot on Rohanský Island; 2) a new building after a house that collapsed during the flood; 3) a new building after the demolition of a heritage-protected house suspected of having an unobjective structural assessment; 4) a new building replacing a significant industrial structure, of which only a fragment of the facade was retained; 5) the reconstruction/rebuilding of an industrial hall; 6) the reconstruction/addition to a residential building. The sculptures serve as a subject for discussion on phenomena such as rent gap, genius loci, or the extraction of market potential of parcels through the multiplication of their area. Where is history used or neglected to increase the value of new construction? When does space slip into mere commodity? What relationship do developers have with the time of the city when the primary goal is the fastest possible appreciation of investments? This level is complemented by demographic, sociological, and economic data, which reveal important aspects when reflecting on Karlín 18 years after the flood.
The banks of the flood work with gray material that cannot be computed or expressed through objective data but is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the metamorphosis of Karlín's image. What is natural and what is forced? Two distinct stories flow concurrently in the projections displayed in vitrines. While the media, politicians, architects, and developers present Karlín as a phoenix that rose from the ashes, or as an ugly duckling that matured into a beautiful white swan, former residents of Karlín, both old and new inhabitants, perceive gentrification differently and tell a less-known story about the conditions of eviction and everyday life in Karlín.
The projections created by David Přílučík were developed in collaboration with anthropologist Barbora Matysová, who conducted interviews with both evicted and current residents of Karlín. The testimonies are shared by members of both the majority and minority populations. Karlín is one of the Prague neighborhoods where the aspect of the displacement of the Romani population beyond the urban line emerges clearly and distinctly.
The question of how the character of the industrial Romani-Czech district has transformed into a luxury global district within one adult lifetime cannot be answered without understanding the political and economic contexts, such as the gradual waves of housing policy – restitution, privatization, and (de)regulation of rents – and also, on a smaller scale, specific practices of developers.
The exhibition connects various fragments of stories and data. The past in this respect is not viewed as nostalgia but as a source for understanding our post-socialist present. The urban phenomenon that can be observed in the example of the Karlín district reflects the precarious state of many Prague neighborhoods, in which the interests in the city ebb and flow with varying intensity among different actors. Thirty years after the revolution, it may thus be the ideal time to balance the advantages and losses concerning transformation – not only of cities – and to debate future directions and the meaning of progress.
Curators: Eliska Malkova, Lynda Poescopia
Collaboration: Barbora Matysová, David Přílučík
The research seeks to answer the question of the extent and scope to which the flood allowed for a drastic building and demographic shift in Karlín. The goal of the project is to demonstrate current urban issues, such as the housing crisis and gentrification in a post-socialist city, using a specific example, thereby creating a basis for broader discussion about the impact of globalization, urban deregulation, and acceleration on space.
The exhibition consists of two lines:
The flood threshold is a comparison of the state before and after the flood, specifically in the years 2002 and 2020. Fragments of Karlín (M 1: 500) point to the rising price levels, the privatization of public spaces, changes in the cadastral division of land, and the architectural transformation of the urban landscape. Six case sculptures (M 1: 250) document various typologies of new buildings in Karlín: 1) a new building on a vacant lot on Rohanský Island; 2) a new building after a house that collapsed during the flood; 3) a new building after the demolition of a heritage-protected house suspected of having an unobjective structural assessment; 4) a new building replacing a significant industrial structure, of which only a fragment of the facade was retained; 5) the reconstruction/rebuilding of an industrial hall; 6) the reconstruction/addition to a residential building. The sculptures serve as a subject for discussion on phenomena such as rent gap, genius loci, or the extraction of market potential of parcels through the multiplication of their area. Where is history used or neglected to increase the value of new construction? When does space slip into mere commodity? What relationship do developers have with the time of the city when the primary goal is the fastest possible appreciation of investments? This level is complemented by demographic, sociological, and economic data, which reveal important aspects when reflecting on Karlín 18 years after the flood.
The banks of the flood work with gray material that cannot be computed or expressed through objective data but is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the metamorphosis of Karlín's image. What is natural and what is forced? Two distinct stories flow concurrently in the projections displayed in vitrines. While the media, politicians, architects, and developers present Karlín as a phoenix that rose from the ashes, or as an ugly duckling that matured into a beautiful white swan, former residents of Karlín, both old and new inhabitants, perceive gentrification differently and tell a less-known story about the conditions of eviction and everyday life in Karlín.
The projections created by David Přílučík were developed in collaboration with anthropologist Barbora Matysová, who conducted interviews with both evicted and current residents of Karlín. The testimonies are shared by members of both the majority and minority populations. Karlín is one of the Prague neighborhoods where the aspect of the displacement of the Romani population beyond the urban line emerges clearly and distinctly.
The question of how the character of the industrial Romani-Czech district has transformed into a luxury global district within one adult lifetime cannot be answered without understanding the political and economic contexts, such as the gradual waves of housing policy – restitution, privatization, and (de)regulation of rents – and also, on a smaller scale, specific practices of developers.
The exhibition connects various fragments of stories and data. The past in this respect is not viewed as nostalgia but as a source for understanding our post-socialist present. The urban phenomenon that can be observed in the example of the Karlín district reflects the precarious state of many Prague neighborhoods, in which the interests in the city ebb and flow with varying intensity among different actors. Thirty years after the revolution, it may thus be the ideal time to balance the advantages and losses concerning transformation – not only of cities – and to debate future directions and the meaning of progress.
Curators: Eliska Malkova, Lynda Poescopia
Collaboration: Barbora Matysová, David Přílučík
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