MANOP, POSLEDNÍ PRVNÍ
Projekt Barbory Šlapetové a Lukáše Rittsteina Manop, poslední první, inspirovaný jejich opakovanými cestami na Západní Papuu a setkáními s domorodými kmeny žijícími v pralese. Výstava obsahuje velkoformátové fotografie Šlapetové, konfrontované se sérií Rittsteinových soch nazvanou Les. V rámci doprovodných programů Café DOX se koná cyklus přednášek o vztazích naší civilizace k přírodním národům, který představí širší kontext výstavního projektu.
Lukáš Rittstein, jeden z nejvýznamnějších českých sochařů a laureát Ceny Jindřicha Chalupeckého vysvětluje, proč hledá inspiraci u domorodců v pralese: „Na samém ‚konci‘ civilizace se o ní i o sobě dovíte nejvíce. Oblast, kde panuje animismus v čisté podobě, má pro mě, jako pro sochaře, který balancuje mezi realitou a abstrakcí, velkou duchovní hloubku. Ta spočívá v konfrontaci mého tvůrčího myšlení s chápáním reality domorodců, kteří zase nemají žádnou hranici mezi přirozeným a nadpřirozeným.“
Součástí výstavy je i několik citátů z rozhovorů s příslušníky domorodých kmenů, dokládajících jejich představy o Zemi a kosmu. Někteří Papuánci například věří, že Země se skládá ze tří pater, mezi nimiž mohou zvláště nadaní jedinci cestovat, nebo že oči zvířat v noci cestují po nebi a pozorují Zemi. Ve snaze iniciovat dialog mezi světem naší civilizace a světem domorodců Rittstein a Šlapetová zapojili do svého projektu dvě osobnosti jako zástupce našeho světa a moderní civilizace, kteří se zúčastní vernisáže výstavy: prvního amerického astronauta asijského původu Leroye Chiao (kterého si umělci vybrali jako kmotra projektu) a Václava Havla.
Barbora Šlapetová o tomto záměru říká: „V roce 2002 jsme se spřátelili s náčelníkem Nepřistupuj blíž a on si přál popovídat si s naším náčelníkem. Na základě toho jsme oslovili pana Václava Havla, který si pro náčelníka připravil několik otázek. Chtěli jsme jim ukázat, co znamená naše profese, a rozhodli jsme se udělat z jejich těl odlitky. Ty jim pak Lukáš dopravil zpět ve zvláštním objektu, do kterého odlitky vložil pan Havel. Ten tvar pak v Papue visel na stromě, oni si to sundali a vyřezali si z něj odlitky, je to součást dialogu, kterého se účastníme my, domorodci i pan Václav Havel.
- This exhibition is called "Manop", The Final First.00:00:32.879
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- It is a result of ten-year-long happening.00:00:36.561
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- During this time we went regularly into Papuan jungle00:00:41.033
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- to visit the most untouched culture in this world.00:00:45.840
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- At the last moment we tried to make a symbolic contact,00:00:51.511
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- we call it "the first last contact" because we do not think00:00:58.013
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- that there will be more tribes like this in the jungle.00:01:03.388
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- At the same time, this is the first contact thas has ever been made by artists.00:01:08.865
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- We try to bring a complex testimony,00:01:14.519
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- we confront spirituality of jungle and symbolism of contemporary art.00:01:17.221
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- You can find large format experimental photos in the exposition.00:01:23.708
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- Barbora brought some reflexive materials and textiles with her into the jungle00:01:29.972
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- because she realized that traditional document was not suitable for the photos,00:01:38.127
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- that it did not adequately reflect the current situation.00:01:46.018
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- Our dialogues with Papuan people may represent a sonde into Papuan soul.00:01:50.857
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- We listened to their spiritual stories about what is under the ground, above the sky00:01:56.452
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- what the Earth is made of and how people turn into ghosts.00:02:01.018
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- And they were these stories that have influenced Barbora´s photos so much.00:02:08.390
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- The sculpture that is installed in the whole hall is called "Forest".00:02:14.509
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- Simply said, it expresses the nostalgia of disappearing wilderness.00:02:21.039
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- They are shapes that mostly recall a human heart.00:02:25.996
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- I wanted them to recall something like a soul.00:02:30.046
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- All of them have one part in common.00:02:36.147
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- And these are paws that hold horizontal trunks spasmodically.00:02:39.452
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- This is a symbol of a strong axis to which everybody fixes,00:02:43.511
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- especially, people in civilization.00:02:48.849
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- It often looks natural, but in fact it is artificial.00:02:52.516
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- As a result, they are trunks from the forests that should cover our planet,00:02:57.107
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- but here, they look like imitations that we construct in our world00:03:06.315
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- and like all our dreams and illusions.00:03:16.419
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- Here we can see a very important happening00:03:21.336
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- that is called "the return of castings or relocation".00:03:25.559
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- During one expedition we casted distinguished warriors.00:03:31.055
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- And they wanted to keep their bodies for their offsprings.00:03:38.357
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- They called it "casts in the white solid mud."00:03:44.362
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- We promised them to send these things back one day.00:03:48.350
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- I have used the casts for the sculpture "Strong colour".00:03:54.851
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- They are part of white material that arises from the documentary photos below00:04:01.493
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- where the moment when I was putting the gypsum on their chests is documented.00:04:08.266
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- And the white material represents the moment when the souls are flying away somewhere00:04:13.877
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- and it is there where the torsos are placed.00:04:17.748
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- This all is followed by the happening when we sew this shape from canvas and white plush.00:04:22.825
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- It is a shape that is included in the serie, so it reminds the bubble as well.00:04:32.285
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- Then Václav Havel, as a symbolic chieftain of civilization, placed the casts into the leather.00:04:38.223
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- Let´s say that he sent a cargo.00:04:44.286
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- Then it appeared as if by miracle, but of course with our help, in the jungle.00:04:47.042
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- People found it, brought it into the village00:04:52.529
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- and cut the casts out of the leather and distributed them.00:04:57.068
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- Then they celebrated their discovery. They killed a pig and prepared a feast.00:05:02.397
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- It is interesting that the godfather of all project is an American astronaut Leroy Chino.00:05:07.605
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- Barbora took pictures of him.00:05:12.787
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- It is also symbolic because when he was observing the jungle of New Guinea,00:05:15.721
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- he was surprised by the green colour that was so different from any recordings.00:05:20.757
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- Then he realized that somewhere there about a hundred of people live00:05:27.108
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- that are still like they were created ages ago.00:05:32.471
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- This can be compared to a small number of people00:05:35.972
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- that were able to see our Earth from the cosmos.00:05:39.770
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- But during five years, these people will change their thinking and will be included in our society.00:05:43.554