Landscape festival in Plzeň this summer will highlight public spaces

Plzeň - The summer Landscape festival in Plzeň aims to highlight public spaces, offer possibilities for their revitalization and use, and generate interest among people. From May to September, it will present exhibitions, lectures, artistic interventions and installations, professional conferences, and workshops at several locations, said Dan Merta, director of the organizing Gallery of Jaroslav Fragner, to reporters today.

The Landscape festival is being held for the fifth time; in previous years, it has revitalized works by artists, architects, and landscape architects in places like the Prague freight station Žižkov and public spaces in Opava. In Plzeň, the organizers have teamed up with the city council, the municipal Department of Concept and Development, the university hospital, the DEPO2015 association, and the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art.

The showcase will begin on May 19 with a happening at Republic Square and a concert. Until September 30, the Landscape festival will address themes such as greenery in the city center, recently established pedestrian zones, transitions from urban to open landscapes, and vertical and green gardens. According to Merta, Plzeň is well-prepared in utilizing public space, not only by local governments but also by various community groups and associations, stemming from the European Capital of Culture 2015 project. A series of activities and events in public spaces initiated then continues to this day.

The Landscape festival serves as a dialogue between responsible authorities in cities, municipalities, regions, and among artists, architects, and professionals about how public space can function in the Czech Republic. How it can be of high quality, how architects, designers, and landscape architects can engage in the dialogue about its potential and future, Merta said. "There will be nine exhibitions, around 30 installations, artistic works, or architectural interventions, and two conferences will take place," he stated. Plans include lectures, debates, and workshops—about 50 activities in total.

The event is also welcomed by Irena Vostracká, director of the municipal Department of Concept and Development. "What's fundamentally important is that what we envision for Plzeň and currently only have on paper will take on some real form or example. We'll try it out and also verify in discussions what can all be integrated into public space," she said. While people often talk about the need to revitalize and enhance public space, they do not have concrete ideas. Temporary installations and interventions are therefore, according to Vostracká, ideal for helping people envision potential uses.

The festival will take place at various locations—at the square, in the recreational area of Bolevecké ponds, in Borský Park, in the industrial areas of DEPO2015, Papírna, at the Plzeňský Prazdroj complex, at roundabouts, or in the pedestrian zone. The university hospital also wants to try improving public spaces with art or installations that would momentarily distract patients from their health conditions.