This morning, we had some free time, so a group of us went to the Wallenstein Gardens. They were absolutely beautiful, and the architecture transported me to the 17th century. There was a white peacock and giant koi fish. It was a perfect time to relax and enjoy some quiet in the garden.
Later in the day, we visited an art museum called Kunsthalle Praha. They focus solely on contemporary exhibitions, and we learned that their construction was limited by city regulations for the historic building. They had free rein to design as they wished on the interior. They drew inspiration from the Guggenheim and other iconic art museums. One of my favorite aspects of the construction was how they incorporated concrete and wire remains from the previous building into the new concrete floors. The director described the concrete as having “fossils” from the old building. I really connected with this decision because it was sustainable, but also acknowledged the cultural significance and history of the previous structure.
One of my favorite exhibits in the museum was called Petrified Times. It was created by an artist during COVID who collected New York Times newspapers and glued so many together that they formed the shape of a tree stump. The artist also glued together hundreds of newspaper bags to make a tapestry. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this exhibit. It focused on the idea of presence in nature, and the play on words was clever—Petrified Times, because it resembled petrified wood made from The New York Times.
The artist also created poems from the assorted newspapers. One of my favorites was: “Woods / Tapestry of Earth / Kindred spirits / Feels right at home.”
I appreciated the amount of time the artist put into this work and how they interpreted the concept of time in relation to nature.
Another exhibit I really enjoyed was a digital tapestry filled with layered tattoos of trees. People submitted pictures of their tree tattoos, and the artist isolated and animated the tattoos, then layered them on top of each other to create a digital forest. It was so beautiful and peaceful inside the exhibit.
Swanson School of Engineering 