In the DOX gallery, the book Phenomenon about the stairs of architect Eva Jiřičná was launched

PRAGUE — The book "Phenomenon" with the subtitle "Stairs of Eva Jiřičná as an Artistic Object," authored by Petr Volf and published by the company "Prostor - architecture, interior, design," was launched on Tuesday, June 4, at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague. The event included a tour of the exhibition "Jiřičná," featuring a reconstructed staircase made of glass and stainless steel from this world-renowned Czech architect.

"The staircase looks like a constructivist sculpture, like a beautiful cult work that the exhibition curator Leoš Válka and Eva Jiřičná had built on a glass pedestal to highlight its fragility. It seems as if it is levitating, but that is precisely the magic that accompanies the works of this architect. It functions like a magnet, people are drawn to it with a special force. Only in an environment where it speaks for itself, without being disturbed by other operational contexts, as is the case in everyday life, can it reveal all its strengths," describes the author of the book "Phenomenon," Petr Volf.

The staircase of Eva Jiřičná was originally located in the Paris branch of the store chain
Joan & David and represents the centerpiece of the entire exhibition at the DOX gallery. "The staircase reminded me of how difficult it was at that time to obtain permission from the approving authorities for a construction that seemed too bold at the time. Today, it would be hard for anyone to say they have never seen anything like it," says Eva Jiřičná.

"When I learned in 1998 that the staircase I knew from reproductions in design magazines was to be removed, I immediately thought whether it could be saved. We only had a week to transport it from Paris to Prague. We knew that if we didn't make it, it would be destroyed. Fortunately, we eventually succeeded in transporting it to our factory in Hostivař," recalls Jiří Kejval, CEO and Chairman of the Board of TECHO, the general partner of the exhibition at the DOX gallery.

TECHO collaborated with Artefakt on the staircase's reconstruction. "This staircase was made by an English manufacturer; only its remnants and drawings, which lacked what we specifically needed, reached us. I believe that without the previous experiences we gathered over many years on Eva's projects, we probably wouldn't have managed the reconstruction. Her long-standing school is irreplaceable," says the owner of Artefakt, Pavel Růžička.

"While the reconstruction lasted five months, the new installation was completed in just four days, everything was finished on the night of March 16 to March 17. It was probably the first time here that such a progressive modern staircase was relocated for an exhibition, where it became an independent exhibit, soaring up to the ceiling of the main gallery space. As if fleetingly, the tips of its steel threads touched it," describes Petr Volf in the book.

The "Jiřičná" exhibition at the DOX gallery runs from March 22 to August 12 this year.