<h1>Formal Unveiling of the Sculpture in Honor of Jaroslav Seifert</h1>

On the occasion of the 115th anniversary of the birth of poet Jaroslav Seifert, an artistic work will be presented to the public, which is intended to remind especially Žižkov, this distinctive Prague district, of the exceptional individual who has his roots right here. The project to create the artistic object in honor of the poet is the result of a purposeful citizens' initiative. It arose from the initiative of the landowner (where the object is installed), with active support from the Prague 3 municipal district and connection with the Czech Center of the International PEN Club. The project was also supported by the poet's daughter, Jana Seifertová-Plichtová.

The establishment of the PEN Club Foundation in July 2015 gave the realization of the "tribute" idea tangible outlines. In September, the foundation stone was laid in the presence of numerous personalities from the cultural life, including the Minister of Culture, who took the patronage of the entire project. The foundation succeeded in acquiring a reasonable amount of funds thanks to the understanding and enlightenment of partners and sponsors, which, among other things, was convinced by the enthusiasm of the protagonists of the emerging work. The author of the sculptural part of the project can also be added to this group, who, like some others, renounced the right to a fee. After a year of work, the wish became reality.

The place of "remembrance" is a triangular area defined by the intersection of Chelčického, Seifertova, and Táboritská streets. The architecture of the work is conceived in such a way that it transforms the unfavorable height conditions in the area into an advantage and helps connect the entire space.

The idea of the sculpture transformed into artistic reality initially derives from the ordinary shape of a curb, passively carrying the railing that borders the cramped plot. The matter of the curb gradually abandons its mundane fate and, in a bronze surrealistic transformation, freely and energetically soars toward the open sky. At the same time, it carries upwards in a relief depiction a verse from Seifert's poem December 1920: “... THAT WORD FLEW LIKE A BIRD INTO A NET OF STARS...”. The material liberated by the sculptor's hand becomes a ribbon – a bookmark in the open book of Žižkov and evokes by its outline the initial of the poet's name inadvertently.

Architectural concept: Ing. arch. Ivan Vavřík, Ing. arch. Matyáš Roith
Sculptural implementation: akad. soch. Jan Roith
Study: 2014
Building permit: 2015
Realization: 2016