We set up several improvised outdoor working stations as we went and created art objects and vases from traditional Prasklo materials - glass waste and raw concrete.
This time however, we used polluted sand to prepare the concrete - containing plastic waste elements - plastic bottles, pieces of fishing ropes or small plastic pieces that used be things disposed time ago somewhere in the world, brought by rivers to ocean falling apart, some ending up on beaches and cliffs. So we figured it might have been something we threw to bin in Prague, the wind took it to streets, the rain took it to rivers, and we found it now here. For the glass part, we used locally found glass waste.
We mixed the sand with local cement and in our improvised studio, following our traditional recipe with some new spices, we have made special collection from that carries the testimony of changing environment and one of challenges this generation struggles with. We named it Continental Wasting.
We come from a small, very centrally located country. Czech Republic, as we Czechs like to say, is in the heart of Europe - you will hear the same from Swiss or Austrians.
In general, we Czechs tend to have very narrow perspective limited to whatever happens within our little country. It is a great pity because it makes many Czechs believe that Czech Republic is the worst country in the world. Those Czechs who manage to broaden their perspective, however see, that living in Czech Republic is one of the most comfortable living in the world. They also see how much the most urgent topics of the world remain on the edge of public attention, in here.
And so another consequence of our limited perspective is that we care little about global environmental challenges. We are in the middle of the continent relatively well protected by mountains from weather extremes (although many Czechs would disagree saying we have had some of the worst disasters such as floods, droughts and one devastating tornado). Yes we believe we are really suffering but sustainability is rather a funny word to most of us. We have no coastline, no ocean.
The tap water is 100 percent safe to drink, yet it is not considered fine to drink it. We drink water that we buy in supermarkets packed in plastic bottles. Maybe for the gas bubbles. We make coffee from capsules. The amount of disposed single use plastic items used every day is huge. The issue with plastic waste and excessive packaging standards is not in our heads, it does not concern us. The government is taking care - yellow containers to collect plastic waste are indeed on every corner.
The problem of plastic in oceans is not our problem.
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And then there is the obscure valley in which you find all the world top glassworks hiding like jewels in coarse lining. For many generations, all that the people from this valley have being doing, is blowing glass and precious crystal.
And that is where we like to come to pick up their wasters ready to be trashed; so that we can up-cycle it into a very different object to what it was meant to be; where its flaws do no harm, even using it as a feature as the case may be, underlining its uniqueness and giving the result personality.
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Without the right allies, nothing right comes up. We had been very lucky to be invited to ally with one of the most famous glass and crystal producers in the world with very long history and firm tradition.
Preciosa has produced famous Bohemian Crystal since ever, and you can find their wonderful articles around the globe. Naturally, they have tough QC and even the slightest flaw on a crystal leads to a resolute dismissal. Good for us, we loooove their fine waster and we always leave with car full of their rejects entranced with our beton visions :)
image: courtesy of Preciosa
We up-cycle it into a very different object to what it was meant to be; where its flaws do no harm, even using it as a feature as the case may be, underlining its uniqueness and giving the result personality.
]]>Our cooperation with the magical Artisème Gallery, situated in one of the most charming parts of old Prague, started some one and half year ago, and it was an absolute thrill for us to be invited to join them. We were shocked by how young still very maturely professional they were (not mentioning that everybody there was very nice and very handsome :).
We hope they shall get over the turbulences soon (and so the rest of the world actually). If you will, you can still support them by buying online from their eshop. And why not a Prasklo vase? ;))
You can visit Prasklo section in the Artisème e-shop here
Definitely, we recommend to visit the Gallery once the lockdown is over.
All images from Artisème instagram
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It all made us very nervous when approaching them for possible cooperation. And it was totally sensational when we got invited to display prasklo in their tasteful gallery shop and even got prospect of solo exhibition possibly already in 2020 in the Gallery's white box room.
Now GASK presents Prasklo as the artist of the winter and our enthusiasm is at the roof :) Thank you very much GASK. We hope that the virus situation shall be tamed soon enough so that people can again enjoy the wonderful magic of this place.
https://gask.cz/cs/designer-zimy-prasklo
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