Civilization at the Crossroad: Engineers of Scientific-Technical Revolution
4th December 2018 – 17th February 2019 Vernissage: 4th of December, 6pm at FUTURA gallery and 7.30pm at DISPLAY – Association for Research and Collective Practice
The exhibition Civilization at the Crossroad: Engineers of Scientific-Technical Revolution reflects the findings of an interdisciplinary research done by Czech philosophe Radovan Richta’s team during 60’s in order to introduce vision of “a new Czechoslovakian socialism”.
A total number of 14 Czech and Slovak artists will present their works dedicated solely to the exhibition Civilisation on the crossroads. The exhibition will also contain period documents and objects like an organizational diagrams, magazines and newspaper and a number of films and TV shows, which at that time were the main medium to demonstrate and popularize the scientific and technological revolution during the 60’s. The exhibition restores the trend of the interdisciplinary approach in research and dialogue typical for the period of 60’s, owing to the cooperation between historians from the Czech Academy of Sciences, curators and artists. Today, this approach is becoming more relevant and meaningful due to the current development the human society is undergoing – like the matter of automation, job-less society or climate changes. The fact that the exhibition is set in two different venues also relates to the two levels of interpretation of the history and work of Richta’s team.
Part of the exhibition set at the DISPLAY Gallery is dedicated to the infrastructural aspects of the scientific and technological revolution – while especially topics of cybernetics, automation, chemistry dependence are stressed as basis for the vision of a new human who was supposed to rise upon these means. Second half of the exhibition at the FUTURA Gallery displays an overview of the publications, articles, TV shows and other period documents presenting the results of Richta’s team research. It also examines the interdisciplinary working method itself as a consequence of the process of self-awareness of the world of science as a whole. The relation between historical events during 60’s in Czechoslovakia and their effect on activities and the final destiny of Richta’s team is pointed out as well.
FUTURA Gallery (Holečkova 49, Praha 5) | 11am – 6pm, Wed – Sun DISPLAY – Association for Research and Collective Practice (Dittrichova 9, Praha 2) | 12pm – 6pm, Tue – Sun
Public transport connection between exhibits: Tram no. 10 or 16 (alight at Palackého náměstí and Bertramka); Bus no. 176 (alight at Palackého náměstí and Holečkova stops)
The exhibition is held thanks to the support from the Czech Academy of Sciences program Strategie 21, National Film Archive, National Museum, Brno University of Technology and the company Intersys, a. s.
