At the airport, a work by architect Franta resembling Havel should be created

Prague – A new artwork commemorating Havel’s legacy should appear at Václav Havel Airport this year. Architect Petr Franta succeeded in the competition announced by the Václav Havel Library (KVH) with his design. One of the remaining six participants, Petr Pištěk, is protesting the results. According to him, the winner did not meet the binding conditions of the competition. Havel's library stands by its decision. Pištěk told ČTK that he intends to seek justice through legal means and is preparing a lawsuit.

It is not yet clear when the installation will be completed. The construction is currently in the technical preparation stage, airport spokesman Roman Pacvoň told ČTK. "Given the technical complexity of the construction and also considering that the main material of the installation is glass, analyses of the materials and construction procedures are currently underway in the airport terminal environment, taking into account all operational and safety aspects,” Pacvoň stated.

At the airport named after the first Czech president, there was an installation called Forum Havlum since 2012, which recalled Havel’s quotes in the public part of the second terminal. The airport decided to replace it with a new work due to capacity reasons. It reached an agreement with KVH, which announced a competition for the new work.

From seven applicants, the jury, which included the director of Czech Centers Ondřej Černý, then-director of the National Gallery Prague Jiří Fajt, architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš, Jakub Puchalský from the airport, and KVH director Michael Žantovský, selected Petr Franta's design. The second place was taken by architect Petr Hájek’s design and the third by the team of Miroslav Cikán and Pavla Melková.

Petr Pištěk's proposal finished in fifth place and was not awarded, Martin Vidlák from KVH stated. Pištěk claims that a binding condition of the competition was for KVH to apply an existing digital exhibition about Havel based on touch control. "And then it unjustly awarded three proposals that do not meet this condition,” Pištěk informed ČTK. According to him, it was the technical requirements related to the implementation of the digital exhibition and the very placement of the installation at the airport that had a decisive influence on the possible solutions of the proposals. "The winning design has screens that no one can reach – and thus accounts for a different exhibition, as the author himself states,” notes Pištěk.

Vidlák told ČTK that Pištěk is mistakenly relying on the assumption that the tender conditions of the competition stipulated the use of an information video module installed in the KVH in the same technical configuration. "The tender conditions clearly state that it is necessary to account for the implementation of a digital exhibition in the facility, which can be viewed in the premises of the announcer (KVH) and technical documents for it can be requested. The manner of utilizing the digital exhibition is left to the discretion of the processor,” Vidlák said.

Pištěk stated that after the results were announced, Žantovský pointed out that the jury he led had violated the rules, and he urged him to annul the competition results. Vidlák indicated that representatives of KVH met with Pištěk and explained to him why his objections are based on a misinterpretation of the tender conditions and why the jury has no reason to change its decision.