OMG!!!

• artyčok.tv presents00:00:02.501
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• Ostrava City Gallery00:00:16.037
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• TENTACLES FROM DEEP00:00:26.208
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• Winter Ostrava Antonio Vivaldi / WINTER00:00:35.310
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• After twenty years of various conflicts and postponements00:00:47.504
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• Ostrava got finally its own City Gallery with an exclusive focus00:00:51.864
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• on presentation of contemporary art.00:00:56.066
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• For some time now there have been many signs suggesting00:00:59.742
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• there has been established an outstanding institution00:01:03.498
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• with a marked ambition to surpass the borders of not just the region00:01:07.399
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• but also the whole of Czech Republic. The process of its inception deserves00:01:10.483
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• though to be analyzed since it mirrors almost all the imaginable abuses00:01:14.195
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• that can possibly appear along a birth of such institution.00:01:17.969
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• Therefore, let's go back to the very beginning to recap a few views00:01:21.298
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• that can shine a light on the situation back then.00:01:25.047
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• The idea of city gallery and its support goes back to the nineties.00:01:32.058
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• Back then it had been almost approved but the arrangement00:01:35.546
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• to create a city gallery was cancelled by the city council00:01:38.506
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• in a last minute decision.00:01:41.595
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• Ilona Rozehnalová - owner of Fiducia club and gallery, founding member of Kunsthalle Ostrava NGO00:01:44.625
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• And when we had begun to discuss it more with new city council00:01:49.102
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• that the city gallery should be founded, we got it introduced00:01:52.501
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• into the strategical plan of Ostrava city culture.00:01:55.685
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• We were the members of group who created the conception of city culture,00:01:59.653
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• so we have put there also the need to found a city gallery.00:02:03.996
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• Then the city told us it doesn't have a partner with whom it could be discussed.00:02:08.959
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• So we have founded an NGO Kunsthalle, and I am not sure now00:02:12.753
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• which year was that, I guess 2011. And under the heading of Kunsthalle00:02:16.918
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• we have started to promote the founding of city gallery.00:02:21.102
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• Jan Světlík - CEO of Vítkovice Machinery Group, PLC (later stepped down),00:02:24.814
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• member of Triple Hall corporate association, member of Vítkovice Mining Region corp. ass.00:02:27.778
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• It was de facto me who came up with the idea of city gallery and00:02:31.558
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• I didn't participate at nothing after that. I had convinced the city that00:02:35.071
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• the city gallery should be founded. I have convinced then city council00:02:38.551
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• that there has to be at first established an institution and after that00:02:42.588
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• there should be built a building. Not the other way around.00:02:46.432
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• Because for twenty years now they have demanded a building00:02:50.494
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• while expecting to have something to be moved in only afterwards.00:02:54.467
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• Andrea Vojkovská - spokeswoman of mayor of Ostrava00:02:57.621
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• The story of genesis of Ostrava City Gallery is quite long,00:03:00.391
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• starting at least in 1999. The current mayor of city Peter Kajnar00:03:03.307
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• has been for a long time calling upon artists to come up00:03:07.437
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• with some initiative of their own. The proceedings were, once again,00:03:10.403
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• started anew when Simona Piperková became under-secretary.00:03:14.135
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• These discussions resulted in a proposal by Kunsthalle NGO00:03:17.719
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• suggesting that city should establish a semi-budgetary organization,00:03:21.297
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• and also that the gallery could find its place00:03:24.552
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• in the National Cultural Heritage Coal Mine Hlubina.00:03:27.322
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• We have submitted a proposal to the city00:03:30.385
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• how should the gallery function. It went through the city council00:03:32.720
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• and it was agreed that the city gallery should be established.00:03:35.855
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• And since the very beginning we had been insisting00:03:39.071
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• it should be established by city as a semi-budgetary organization00:03:42.362
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• just like it is usual in Czech Republic where most of the kunsthalle type00:03:46.749
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• galleries are established as semi-budgetary organizations.00:03:50.185
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• In December 2012 the city council received two options.00:03:53.292
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• First, a semi-budgetary organization suggested by Kunsthalle NGO,00:03:56.510
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• in which case artists initiated but didn't offer a way how to00:04:00.385
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• secure operation of city gallery since the National Cultural Heritage00:04:04.457
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• Coal Mine Hlubina wasn't at that moment available anymore00:04:08.526
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• for the operation of city gallery. Second, there was Triple Hall (Trojhalí)00:04:12.421
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• who offered not just to secure city gallery operation00:04:15.398
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• but also to provide space, specifically not just Gong (Assembly Hall)00:04:18.371
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• but at that time also the reconstructed Triple Hall00:04:21.791
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• heritage site which is available, as well, at certain times of year00:04:24.929
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• and for certain kinds of Ostrava City Gallery exhibitions.00:04:28.121
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• It was an unpleasant surprise for us to learn they didn't00:04:32.115
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• even inform us there is an alternative in consideration,00:04:35.294
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• even though we were actually the ones whose project00:04:38.691
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• was accepted by the city. It means that there was a project00:04:42.523
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• approved by the city council to establish a city gallery00:04:46.325
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• according to certain assessment and then we learned that00:04:49.511
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• our approved project enters another round of approvals00:04:53.613
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• without anyone bothered to tell us. We haven't submitted it00:04:57.465
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• this second time, of course, we had no idea it was on.00:05:00.701
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• So there was our project of a semi-budgetary organization00:05:03.984
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• located in Compressor Hall (i.e. Coal Mine Hlubina)00:05:07.616
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• and competitor's project of Triple Hall, but without any of us making00:05:10.209
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• that happen because we hadn't demanded00:05:14.445
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• any other project on top of that. Meanwhile, what happened00:05:16.916
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• since the time the city council approved our project for Compressor Hall00:05:20.023
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• was they found no assurance that our project will receive00:05:23.736
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• European funding so they started to look for another space.00:05:26.536
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• So we have started to propose to city some other spaces00:05:29.507
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• suitable for city gallery.00:05:32.843
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• Jiří Surůvka - founding member of Kunsthalle Ostrava NGO00:05:34.961
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• The city kept on making excuses that it doesn't own suitable spaces00:05:37.882
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• for the gallery while selling one building suitable00:05:41.763
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• for the gallery after another, like, for example00:05:44.445
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• the slaughterhouse in city centre. For some years there was00:05:47.586
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• this building behind me available for 20 million CZK;00:05:51.616
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• that is a two-year budget of the currently existing gallery.00:05:55.763
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• Instead, the city exploited our Kunsthalle Ostrava NGO00:05:59.864
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• in order to approve in city council an allotment of funding.00:06:04.020
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• It was a mutual understanding that the financial assets00:06:11.261
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• for the gallery were released. But after that they stopped00:06:15.435
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• talking to us because Vítkovice Company lobbied00:06:19.632
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• for the placement of the gallery in Gong.00:06:23.865
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• And the gallery could have been for example here,00:06:27.999
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• there are some 1.000 square meters which is about twice00:06:32.276
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• the size of Gong and it still wouldn't be as expensive as it is in Gong.00:06:36.361
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• But unfortunately someone has already bought it probably because there is00:06:42.661
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• something going on inside, so it's fucked up as it usually is.00:06:46.361
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• They used to propose to us making it happen in the Palace Hotel00:06:49.368
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• because someone had lobbied again, owner of the hotel presumably00:06:53.515
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• had ties with city council and they couldn't sell it00:06:57.275
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• so they wanted to do it there at all costs.00:07:01.224
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• And then they suggested savings-bank, but it moved to Fukushima00:07:04.106
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• or what's it called... to Nová Karolina.00:07:07.281
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• So it's always only the interests of some people in shadows, some fuckers.00:07:11.411
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• And the city council, just like a weather-cock,00:07:15.939
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• whoever told them... whoever rustled with money00:07:20.090
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• under their noses won. In the end, who rustled the most,00:07:24.156
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• was Světlík, and that's it. They made complete fools of us,00:07:27.634
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• of the whole fine art community and others...00:07:31.944
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• there were architects, too. Everybody was there:00:07:36.127
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• architects, artists, art historians, all those in Ostrava who were00:07:40.360
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• concerned with it for years, that is experts and specialists.00:07:44.143
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• They got ditched.00:07:48.373
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• We have actually never understood why is it that city submits00:07:51.170
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• to city council our project that has been approved00:07:54.693
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• already once and now also the competitor's project of Triple Hall...00:07:57.505
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• we went to city council, of course, to tell them00:08:00.961
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• that it hadn't been us who had submitted it and that we believed00:08:03.547
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• it shouldn't be pushed through in such a manner.00:08:06.858
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• People shouldn't think that Kunsthalle NGO got suddenly angry00:08:09.305
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• with having a competition. Not at all. It's not the point.00:08:12.136
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• We in Kunsthalle NGO had no interest in running a city gallery.00:08:15.907
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• Since the very beginning we have been demanding for the institution00:08:20.106
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• to be established by the usual way, as a semi-budgetary organization,00:08:24.085
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• just like it is everywhere else in Czech Republic.00:08:28.105
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• The model of semi-budgetary organization is proven00:08:31.109
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• and functional and it's a transparent example of00:08:33.436
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• how the institution can operate. Not to mention that city00:08:36.261
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• has announced in advance it is willing to provide 10 mil. CZK00:08:39.450
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• for the operation of gallery. It means they would easily00:08:42.859
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• afford to pay employees and fund the whole operation with top programme.00:08:45.338
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• The sum of ten million CZK ranks above standard00:08:49.484
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• of city gallery budget. For example, in our own project00:08:52.054
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• we were counting on seven million.00:08:55.343
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• The representatives of city council opted for an option00:08:57.559
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• they considered more effective, economically more expedient.00:09:00.065
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• They definitely didn't want to establish new semi-budgetary organization,00:09:04.232
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• so they decided and voted for Ostrava City Gallery00:09:08.140
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• to be built in Ostrava run by the Triple Hall00:09:11.196
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• with exhibition spaces in two places;00:09:15.182
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• not just in Gong but also in Triple Hall that was inaugurated00:09:19.227
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• a few weeks ago.00:09:23.494
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• INTERESTING ARCHITECTURE!!!00:09:26.777
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• "- Hey, have you had an opportunity to go sightseeing in Ostrava00:09:29.390
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• or do you believe one can see here only black piles of coal00:09:33.146
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• and wagons of iron ore and so on?00:09:36.176
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• - Nonsense. Ostrava is today quite different a place.00:09:38.547
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• New, modern city full of unique historic areas, but also parks.00:09:41.308
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• - Agreed. Nice metropolis for citizens of Ostrava,00:09:45.177
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• tourists, students, families, investors and managers.00:09:49.082
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• - Exactly. Simply cool city."00:09:53.142
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• Let's look then at what was so enthusiastically approved00:10:11.883
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• by Ostrava city council. Triple Hall - Karolina,00:10:14.651
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• a project of corporate association, was founded in November 2012,00:10:18.888
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• nearly two months prior to so called second round00:10:22.796
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• of submissions of city gallery proposals to city council00:10:26.839
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• whereof Kunsthalle NGO wasn't informed anymore.00:10:30.676
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• The Triple Hall concept was presented actually as a turnkey project.00:10:37.209
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• It included wide portfolio of activities from big international shows00:10:43.110
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• to commercial exhibitions, to famous Smalt Art Vítkovice workshop,00:10:46.955
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• to presentations of the end-of-the year works of art schools.00:10:50.974
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• The project included even a position of art director00:10:55.065
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• already staffed by Ostravian artist Ivana Štenclová00:10:59.126
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• for long years strongly associated with organization00:11:03.298
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• of Smalt Art Vítkovice workshop. Among partners of the new gallery00:11:07.214
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• were meant to be The Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation,00:11:11.122
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• National Gallery in Prague and Zdeněk Sklenář Gallery00:11:15.326
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• as a representative of expert advisors in fine art.00:11:17.917
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• The strategic plan of OMG (Ostrava City Gallery,00:11:21.335
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• in Czech as Ostravská městská galerie)00:11:23.798
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• and exhibition programme of the first year00:11:26.357
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• was proposed by Ladislav Kesner.00:11:28.636
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• CHILL CITY00:11:31.101
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• Autumn Ostrava Antonio Vivaldi / AUTUMN00:11:38.456
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• Kunsthalle NGO immediately adopted a very critical stance00:11:50.776
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• towards this project and it was endorsed00:11:54.026
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• by many distinguished members of public.00:11:56.754
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• Among those who had sent a written appraisal00:11:59.853
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• to Ostrava city council representatives were00:12:02.694
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• Rostislav Koryčánek, Milena Bartlová, Jiří Ptáček,00:12:05.094
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• Michal Škoda and Otto Urban.00:12:07.819
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• Peter Nedoma, the director of Rudolfinum in Prague,00:12:10.221
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• stood up for Triple Hall. The project was critiqued,00:12:13.782
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• above all, for the pre-occupied position of art director00:12:18.013
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• without selection procedure, unclear and uselessly complicated00:12:22.186
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• structure of organization and, last but not least,00:12:26.336
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• objectionable items in many parts of budget00:12:30.284
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• no matter how preliminary it is for now.00:12:32.770
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• The way the project is described makes an impression00:12:35.754
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• of founding more of a new branch office of a company00:12:39.245
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• than an exposition of new cultural institution.00:12:42.992
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• There is a paradox regarding the fact that in these projects00:12:45.937
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• we don't do business, we don't do things,00:12:49.723
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• we actually stand in for unsuccessful state00:12:51.869
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• and unsuccessful city. And I am glad that the city00:12:54.726
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• and the region give to it their absolute support,00:12:57.487
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• because they realize it's supposed to be rather them00:13:01.454
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• who shall doing these projects. That it was the thing00:13:05.483
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• that had to be provided by a private entity,00:13:09.348
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• who invested his own money. And they actually act now00:13:13.374
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• in accordance with desire for its development,00:13:16.491
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• they participate on it - we do a lot of things in collaboration00:13:19.734
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• and the rivality of who, what and how has perished.00:13:24.003
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• I have invested in the project relatively...00:13:29.924
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• without our private funds, in case Vítkovice didn't partake on it00:13:34.085
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• and make everything happen, like Triple Hall reconstruction00:13:38.374
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• - up to now a decaying building - because it wasn't possible00:13:42.435
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• to fulfill the official deadline, so we had done a complete00:13:46.195
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• investment preparation and without it the building00:13:49.750
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• wouldn't be... it looks great today.00:13:53.154
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• And on top of that I think there is a possibility...00:13:56.832
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• and when I see how many opinions there were00:14:00.884
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• and which I got by e-mail and what disgusting scenes00:14:03.971
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• have taken place, I don't think I will ever00:14:07.098
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• want to partake in this in future,00:14:10.497
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• because this fully exemplifies the proverb00:14:14.410
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• "All good deeds will be punished."00:14:18.235
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• So I think I let it... somehow.00:14:22.052
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• I don't care for it anymore,00:14:26.392
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• because as Vítkovice we have even left the Triple Hall association.00:14:30.574
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• We had invested time, initiative, money,00:14:38.068
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• and were criticized the most by people who hadn't done00:14:42.298
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• anything for it, who had had some ambitions...00:14:46.441
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• I get it that... I have later understood00:14:50.218
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• that they wanted some money from the city and that they00:14:52.809
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• would keep preparing it for another twenty years,00:14:56.729
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• but I think that today... well, it's a plan...00:14:59.862
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• it had cost us 20 million CZK, but yeah, I think it's...00:15:02.899
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• that for the city culture it was worth it00:15:06.305
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• and I don't worry about it anymore.00:15:09.600
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• He is still unable to understand our position,00:15:13.869
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• because it's different in business, there it works00:15:16.867
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• by what has been agreed, money gets distributed00:15:19.930
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• and it works, and if there is no agreement,00:15:23.827
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• there will be next time. But there is still this00:15:26.881
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• one group that keeps on insisting on the same thing00:15:31.113
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• and isn't willing to come to an agreement,00:15:34.022
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• and I think he is unable to understand, that it is so,00:15:36.681
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• that it's different in culture, it's a different segment00:15:39.836
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• of people, they think differently, they don't care for money,00:15:42.882
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• money is not a value for them so much00:15:46.298
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• as to act or decide differently on their behalf.00:15:49.316
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• They insist, on some fundament, on some vision, idea.00:15:52.459
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• And I think he confronts here this world that is strange,00:15:56.130
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• incomprehensible to him.00:15:59.475
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• What I thought, when we had found out00:16:03.202
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• Triple Hall wants to run the city gallery,00:16:07.270
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• that Světlík would make the selection procedure public00:16:10.414
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• and find someone big-time, someone really capable,00:16:13.787
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• who knows how it is done, and by that he would00:16:16.934
• 00:16:16.934
• steal a march on us and show us he is capable00:16:19.994
• 00:16:19.994
• to build a great institution. Be it paid by city money.00:16:22.867
• 00:16:22.867
• That's OK, he doesn't have to finance it all alone;00:16:25.952
• 00:16:25.952
• nobody would want that of him. That he would make us00:16:29.148
• 00:16:29.148
• look in awe, and say: Look, how well had I done it!00:16:32.527
• 00:16:32.527
• And I don't need an assistance. I know how to do it.00:16:35.859
• 00:16:35.859
• I had done a selection procedure, I had chosen the best man00:16:39.116
• 00:16:39.116
• and he would steal a march on all of us.00:16:42.391
• 00:16:42.391
• And that's how I had thought it would be like.00:16:45.115
• 00:16:45.115
• when I saw there Ivana Štenclová and how patched up it is00:16:47.932
• 00:16:47.932
• I was very surprised because it's an amateurism00:16:50.736
• 00:16:50.736
• I would have never expected. I would expect him to steal00:16:53.778
• 00:16:53.778
• a march on all of us. That he would want that,00:16:57.771
• 00:16:57.771
• desire that, to steal a march on us and show...00:17:00.964
• 00:17:00.964
• because for the whole time he was saying...00:17:04.001
• 00:17:04.001
• that what about us that we don't know00:17:07.266
• 00:17:07.266
• how it is done and that we just want money00:17:10.202
• 00:17:10.202
• and somebody willing to pay it for us.00:17:13.267
• 00:17:13.267
• That's how he had written it in e-mail.00:17:15.987
• 00:17:15.987
• But he alone had made wrong impression of himself,00:17:18.034
• 00:17:18.034
• because he had a great opportunity, supported by city council.00:17:20.898
• 00:17:20.898
• He knew he could push it through any way he liked.00:17:24.017
• 00:17:24.017
• And he botched it completely. Literally, he botched it.00:17:27.191
• 00:17:27.191
• The original project is terrible. Not to mention he doesn't00:17:30.137
• 00:17:30.137
• count with the selection procedure or he employs00:17:33.197
• 00:17:33.197
• there someone inexperienced. Even the budget...00:17:36.265
• 00:17:36.265
• that there are sums which he doesn't necessarily need00:17:39.279
• 00:17:39.279
• because he could have paid a third of his current rent.00:17:42.375
• 00:17:42.375
• It doesn't make it look good. And by that he, unfortunately,00:17:45.283
• 00:17:45.283
• negates his own patronage. Had he been a patron of art,00:17:48.420
• 00:17:48.420
• had he really wanted to be one, he would have taken00:17:51.673
• 00:17:51.673
• from the city budget as little as possible and invested00:17:54.901
• 00:17:54.901
• into activities as much as possible so that the institution00:17:57.869
• 00:17:57.869
• was as best as possible. And he takes the minimum,00:18:00.911
• 00:18:00.911
• the necessity, what he pays for light and heating,00:18:04.244
• 00:18:04.244
• what he needs for the minimal rent he has to pay00:18:07.147
• 00:18:07.147
• to prevent paying under price and being critiqued for it00:18:10.482
• 00:18:10.482
• by European Union and what not. But he doesn't absolutely need it,00:18:13.210
• 00:18:13.210
• so then you have hard time to understand what his stake in it is.00:18:16.921
• 00:18:16.921
• If he wants to be a patron, then this is not how patronage works.00:18:20.560
• 00:18:20.560
• In patronage one strives for maximum quality00:18:24.091
• 00:18:24.091
• and the maximum quality is the best man and00:18:27.295
• 00:18:27.295
• that's neither Ivana Štenclová nor Ladislav Kesner.00:18:30.021
• 00:18:30.021
• But, for example, Pokorný might be it.00:18:33.207
• 00:18:33.207
• He is top man, but, of course, he was selected00:18:36.519
• 00:18:36.519
• by the city council, after all. Though with city not demanding00:18:39.326
• 00:18:39.326
• the selection procedure as was implied by our critique.00:18:43.154
• 00:18:43.154
• It wouldn't take place at all. Milena Bartlová described it00:18:46.040
• 00:18:46.040
• exactly when she said that Kesner hadn't grasped00:18:49.066
• 00:18:49.066
• the point of local discussion and the role public experts play here.00:18:52.261
• 00:18:52.261
• Because to perceive us as a threat is simply wrong.00:18:56.139
• 00:18:56.139
• In his summary there he had painted us as a threat,00:18:59.442
• 00:18:59.442
• that we threaten the gallery.00:19:02.278
• 00:19:02.278
• It has disappointed me a lot that he sees it like that.00:19:05.461
• 00:19:05.461
• It is so primitive to perceive it like that. It is really primitive.00:19:08.710
• 00:19:08.710
• We are not activists, we are public experts.00:19:12.108
• 00:19:12.108
• We articulate expert opinions on some situation that occurred.00:19:15.071
• 00:19:15.071
• Since the beginning of the project it was marked as a threat00:19:18.149
• 00:19:18.149
• whereby he is locking himself out and dividing00:19:21.406
• 00:19:21.406
• it here in two halves. We have never tried to dig trenches,00:19:24.511
• 00:19:24.511
• we have always been communicating with city council.00:19:27.700
• 00:19:27.700
• Up to now, every time I meet under-secretary, she can confirm it,00:19:30.712
• 00:19:30.712
• we talk about the gallery and I tell her always the same:00:19:33.675
• 00:19:33.675
• it's a pity how it ended up, you should change it,00:19:36.967
• 00:19:36.967
• transform it into semi-budgetary organization.00:19:39.458
• 00:19:39.458
• I haven't felt any concerns of external influences00:19:41.659
• 00:19:41.659
• declared in past or coming from certain interests00:19:44.960
• 00:19:44.960
• or goals tied to the project and coming from elsewhere,00:19:48.146
• 00:19:48.146
• not from inside, from what it is supposed to do.00:19:51.345
• 00:19:51.345
• Marek Pokorný - art director of Ostrava City Gallery00:19:54.268
• 00:19:54.268
• (elected by additional selection procedure)00:19:57.010
• 00:19:57.010
• And even before I started to think about it I have made00:19:59.593
• 00:19:59.593
• an inquiry into how it is meant and whether00:20:02.966
• 00:20:02.966
• I really want to do this.00:20:07.153
• 00:20:07.153
• Because probably everybody knows me00:20:12.886
• 00:20:12.886
• and I don't expect anybody expecting me to do something00:20:16.836
• 00:20:16.836
• I don't want to do or I don't think is right.00:20:20.800
• 00:20:20.800
• When I came to it there were some money available,00:20:24.730
• 00:20:24.730
• some contracts, some spaces,00:20:27.941
• 00:20:27.941
• which make for wonderful starting conditions00:20:31.443
• 00:20:31.443
• but the idea of how should it be realized00:20:35.330
• 00:20:35.330
• wasn't detailed enough or let's say00:20:38.927
• 00:20:38.927
• it wasn't prepared very thoroughly.00:20:42.334
• 00:20:42.334
• My mission is to convince all the parts,00:20:45.695
• 00:20:45.695
• be it community of artists, culture community,00:20:49.148
• 00:20:49.148
• political representation or founders of the project,00:20:53.065
• 00:20:53.065
• that there is meaning to it. That it has meaning00:20:56.507
• 00:20:56.507
• in a certain shape I am going for00:20:59.798
• 00:20:59.798
• and that we should talk about the second step;00:21:02.277
• 00:21:02.277
• that is about the type of institutionalization00:21:05.394
• 00:21:05.394
• and sources of long term funding of such project.00:21:08.223
• 00:21:08.223
• The pressure that was felt from the beginning00:21:14.923
• 00:21:14.923
• and that still is obviously coming from the city council00:21:18.268
• 00:21:18.268
• that it must be a world-class institution00:21:21.492
• 00:21:21.492
• with world-class programme when there has been00:21:24.679
• 00:21:24.679
• so much money poured in. No, I think all of that shall come,00:21:27.868
• 00:21:27.868
• and it shall be, of course, the genetical part of the institution.00:21:31.114
• 00:21:31.114
• That's why we collaborate with artists and curators00:21:34.653
• 00:21:34.653
• of the closest international neighborhood,00:21:37.897
• 00:21:37.897
• be it Poland or Germany. So it isn't a key component00:21:40.459
• 00:21:40.459
• for me to invite here the world-class artists00:21:43.733
• 00:21:43.733
• so that people from Prague could come here and tell me00:21:46.932
• 00:21:46.932
• Marek, you are doing it right. I aim at creating standard00:21:50.143
• 00:21:50.143
• framework and some normal behavior that we are used to,00:21:53.520
• 00:21:53.520
• that we call for and that would interconnect us, for example,00:21:56.858
• 00:21:56.858
• with Polish environment with its advanced state of matters.00:22:00.211
• 00:22:00.211
• In Poland, they been working on it for twenty years,00:22:04.042
• 00:22:04.042
• and it seems like it has succeeded in the last five years.00:22:07.485
• 00:22:07.485
• We weren't so successful - and that's important for me.00:22:12.586
• 00:22:12.586
• It would be ideal to enlist one more partner,00:22:43.141
• 00:22:43.141
• be it the district who has enough troubles00:22:47.587
• 00:22:47.587
• with city gallery and investments already00:22:50.971
• 00:22:50.971
• or some private sponsor of the donor type.00:22:54.208
• 00:22:54.208
• This is feasible in Ostrava because you can find there00:22:57.454
• 00:22:57.454
• the classical type of capitalist behavior00:23:00.683
• 00:23:00.683
• including the effort to turn oligarchy into elite.00:23:04.789
• 00:23:04.789
• And this model of behavior is much keener to support00:23:12.640
• 00:23:12.640
• contemporary art "unselfishly"00:23:16.778
• 00:23:16.778
• than interests of some art collectors who00:23:20.804
• 00:23:20.804
• aren't industrialists but they deal with financial matters00:23:25.099
• 00:23:25.099
• or they are developers.00:23:28.625
• 00:23:28.625
• The situation in Ostrava is not good and that's why00:23:32.505
• 00:23:32.505
• one can only welcome funds coming from both00:23:35.835
• 00:23:35.835
• public sector and private initiative.00:23:39.416
• 00:23:39.416
• Jan Keller - sociologist, member of European Parliament.00:23:42.141
• 00:23:42.141
• However, as a sociologist I know that people00:23:45.272
• 00:23:45.272
• who put a lot of effort into gaining big influence00:23:48.535
• 00:23:48.535
• and big money won't lavish them in an unproductive way.00:23:51.970
• 00:23:51.970
• That means one has to expect they will want somehow00:23:55.212
• 00:23:55.212
• to exploit these activities. In better case scenario00:23:58.526
• 00:23:58.526
• they would want a publicity and thus profiting in some00:24:02.642
• 00:24:02.642
• other business of theirs. In worse case scenario00:24:06.011
• 00:24:06.011
• they would want to liken themselves to00:24:09.575
• 00:24:09.575
• what Ancient Greeks called euergetism and euergetists.00:24:12.576
• 00:24:12.576
• An euergetist was a rich citizen00:24:15.523
• 00:24:15.523
• who using his own money provided people with cultural monuments,00:24:18.845
• 00:24:18.845
• it was paid by him. And what he expected for it00:24:23.080
• 00:24:23.080
• was absolute power over city.00:24:26.856
• 00:24:26.856
• The ideal position, truly, worldwide, the best project,00:24:29.220
• 00:24:29.220
• be it America... I know that Europe, like...00:24:32.713
• 00:24:32.713
• what I see here...00:24:36.811
• 00:24:36.811
• it's always a coupling of state funding with the private one,00:24:40.035
• 00:24:40.035
• because really, if there is private capital involved00:24:47.313
• 00:24:47.313
• in the project, it is always a mark of excellence00:24:51.429
• 00:24:51.429
• of the project, because... if there were only such investments00:24:55.289
• 00:24:55.289
• in the city that would require at least partially private funding00:24:59.423
• 00:24:59.423
• then I guarantee to you that there wouldn't be00:25:03.633
• 00:25:03.633
• any bad project realized, not in the whole Czech Republic,00:25:07.766
• 00:25:07.766
• and that the projects would be much much more cheaper.00:25:11.792
• 00:25:11.792
• So, from this point of view I think that the daemon00:25:14.956
• 00:25:14.956
• of bolshevism in us is still... we believe that the state00:25:18.886
• 00:25:18.886
• would be the best to do it. Well, of course, the state00:25:22.262
• 00:25:22.262
• can do it somehow, yeah, but if those two worlds00:25:25.752
• 00:25:25.752
• are to meet in some project, it is always marvelous,00:25:29.299
• 00:25:29.299
• because there are more subjects there00:25:32.713
• 00:25:32.713
• and that you can see it through different eyes00:25:36.864
• 00:25:36.864
• and that has never harmed anybody.00:25:39.990
• 00:25:39.990
• NEW OSTRAVA!!!00:25:43.035
• 00:25:43.035
• "- Gentlemen, how about a bit of entertainment."00:25:45.488
• 00:25:45.488
• ENTERTAINMENT DAY BY DAY!!! "- Well, so be it.00:25:48.576
• 00:25:48.576
• Ostrava is home to Muses of all kind.00:25:50.952
• 00:25:50.952
• - Well, then I want a piece of everything."00:25:53.515
• 00:25:53.515
• "- Wow, my head is already spinning.00:26:14.083
• 00:26:14.083
• - Well, it's no surprise. Ostrava simply knows00:26:17.352
• 00:26:17.352
• how to have fun. Day by day, that is."00:26:20.585
• 00:26:20.585
• EURO-FIVE-YEAR-PLAN00:26:25.035
• 00:26:25.035
• Summer Ostrava Antonio Vivaldi / SUMMER00:26:32.958
• 00:26:32.958
• Let's step aside a bit further now and speculate00:26:47.878
• 00:26:47.878
• what has actually turned our whole case00:26:50.976
• 00:26:50.976
• to such imbroglio and what caused its current state.00:26:54.175
• 00:26:54.175
• The parameter of so called sustainability of project00:26:59.663
• 00:26:59.663
• became a smash hit of recent years00:27:03.238
• 00:27:03.238
• - and not just within culture politics.00:27:06.062
• 00:27:06.062
• This concept tied intrinsically with development subsidies00:27:08.653
• 00:27:08.653
• of European Union structural funds defines conditions00:27:12.157
• 00:27:12.157
• of funding approval, often concerning large sums,00:27:15.593
• 00:27:15.593
• for a purpose of development.00:27:18.736
• 00:27:18.736
• Timing of a few parallel projects00:27:39.082
• 00:27:39.082
• and their sudden overlap has led to almost ideal opportunity00:27:42.257
• 00:27:42.257
• to kill several flies at one blow.00:27:45.879
• 00:27:45.879
• The city's belatedness in using available euro-subsidies00:27:56.562
• 00:27:56.562
• for the reconstruction of the Triple Hall site00:27:59.913
• 00:27:59.913
• was saved by an investment of Vítkovice holding company.00:28:03.253
• 00:28:03.253
• Vítkovice mining region, actually very large00:28:09.001
• 00:28:09.001
• and maybe even the only public space in Czech Republic00:28:13.392
• 00:28:13.392
• owned by a private entity,00:28:17.044
• 00:28:17.044
• was also using big financial sums from the euro-subsidies00:28:20.102
• 00:28:20.102
• for the reconstruction of former steelworks and its transformation00:28:23.788
• 00:28:23.788
• into state of the art science and technology education center00:28:27.357
• 00:28:27.357
• and for the sake of the sustainability of both00:28:30.941
• 00:28:30.941
• recently finished projects they needed a suitable00:28:34.556
• 00:28:34.556
• definition of their function.00:28:37.784
• 00:28:37.784
• Instead of the usual legal status, e.g. semi-budgetary organization,00:28:42.209
• 00:28:42.209
• the project of city gallery ended up, even despite many objections00:28:46.482
• 00:28:46.482
• and protests, as a temporary grant project, also with00:28:50.602
• 00:28:50.602
• a five year subsidy provided by the city.00:28:54.759
• 00:28:54.759
• The exhibition spaces are in the Triple Hall and Gong gas holder00:28:57.849
• 00:28:57.849
• belonging to the Vítkovice Mining Region.00:29:01.813
• 00:29:01.813
• But the problem of sustainability does in no way apply only00:29:05.041
• 00:29:05.041
• to particular projects but also to a wider and much more00:29:09.254
• 00:29:09.254
• complex category of so called sustainability of development00:29:13.294
• 00:29:13.294
• of a whole city.00:29:16.484
• 00:29:16.484
• The current economic situation has slowed down the plans00:29:18.108
• 00:29:18.108
• of Ostrava city to build the culture centers and00:29:21.271
• 00:29:21.271
• that's not just the building of Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra00:29:24.574
• 00:29:24.574
• but also the Ostrava City Gallery.00:29:28.803
• 00:29:28.803
• That's why we use buildings that are available right now.00:29:33.913
• 00:29:33.913
• Their sustainability is important.00:29:38.238
• 00:29:38.238
• This applies not just for Triple Hall but also for Gong00:29:42.423
• 00:29:42.423
• in Vítkovice Mining Region. We have two exhibition spaces,00:29:46.681
• 00:29:46.681
• both are interesting, surely, and thanks to their uniqueness00:29:50.218
• 00:29:50.218
• they are attracting visitors.00:29:54.050
• 00:29:54.050
• In the case of Gong it's a place visited yearly00:29:58.229
• 00:29:58.229
• by cca 400.000 people who don't come primarily to the gallery00:30:02.156
• 00:30:02.156
• but because they come to Vítkovice Mining Region00:30:05.522
• 00:30:05.522
• they also go and see the shows in Ostrava City Gallery,00:30:09.463
• 00:30:09.463
• which is a synergic effect, and that's surely favorable.00:30:13.190
• 00:30:13.190
• We fulfill the requirements. If we didn't we would00:30:16.997
• 00:30:16.997
• have to return the money. As a private entity00:30:20.235
• 00:30:20.235
• we guarantee for all of it. There is a talk of... some funds00:30:23.769
• 00:30:23.769
• but it is essentially very hard work really00:30:27.299
• 00:30:27.299
• and we have to undergo many check-ups00:30:31.154
• 00:30:31.154
• counting hundreds of them ranging from00:30:35.099
• 00:30:35.099
• the Ministry of Finance to the last tax clerk.00:30:38.662
• 00:30:38.662
• So the money really isn't free00:30:42.820
• 00:30:42.820
• and we have to realize many various goals of the project.00:30:46.965
• 00:30:46.965
• From this point of view I consider it a clearly00:30:53.553
• 00:30:53.553
• private project because it is us as a private entity00:30:57.852
• 00:30:57.852
• who is responsible for a problem when it occurs.00:31:01.374
• 00:31:01.374
• It could make up for an entire art movement00:31:04.643
• 00:31:04.643
• that would describe behavior of some00:31:08.215
• 00:31:08.215
• civil servants in these positions. It is really a big show00:31:11.737
• 00:31:11.737
• what's taking place here.00:31:15.752
• 00:31:15.752
• Still, it's a reasonable to believe00:31:19.067
• 00:31:19.067
• it could help finance the sustainability00:31:22.918
• 00:31:22.918
• of the project as demanded by European Union.00:31:27.110
• 00:31:27.110
• And European Union follows certain economic idea,00:31:31.419
• 00:31:31.419
• most of the EU projects deal with problems of this kind,00:31:35.655
• 00:31:35.655
• and I can't say that this type of ability to sustain00:31:41.728
• 00:31:41.728
• a project would be such a matter of fact00:31:46.113
• 00:31:46.113
• in other projects.00:31:50.422
• 00:31:50.422
• Therefore, I wouldn't be too critical about this.00:31:57.381
• 00:31:57.381
• Or, I don't see it too critically, even though I myself00:32:01.612
• 00:32:01.612
• am quite sensitive about it.00:32:04.740
• 00:32:04.740
• He may really thrive these two years but then he will be00:32:07.921
• 00:32:07.921
• threatened by the new subsidy whether he will get it or not,00:32:10.771
• 00:32:10.771
• and what amount would he get, we've been talking about this,00:32:13.433
• 00:32:13.433
• they could give him less, say a half, and then00:32:16.352
• 00:32:16.352
• the institution wouldn't be able to function at00:32:18.503
• 00:32:18.503
• the expected level of quality. Or he might get nothing at all,00:32:21.165
• 00:32:21.165
• because Gong's sustainability will expire - it was planned00:32:24.703
• 00:32:24.703
• for five years, and in two years it will expire.00:32:27.694
• 00:32:27.694
• So maybe he can say he doesn't want it there00:32:30.457
• 00:32:30.457
• anymore or that there will be something else.00:32:33.278
• 00:32:33.278
• So, nobody knows and that doesn't help the institution at all.00:32:35.959
• 00:32:35.959
• One question keeps coming. We are quite obstinate00:32:39.732
• 00:32:39.732
• about it and I myself am quite annoyed about it00:32:42.206
• 00:32:42.206
• because one keeps repeating it like a parrot.00:32:45.273
• 00:32:45.273
• But the question remains unanswered:00:32:47.784
• 00:32:47.784
• Why couldn't be the semi-budgetary organization00:32:49.761
• 00:32:49.761
• founded if there was no reason not to?00:32:51.927
• 00:32:51.927
• No reason at all. It would be transparent,00:32:54.403
• 00:32:54.403
• it would be just like anywhere else,00:32:56.524
• 00:32:56.524
• there would be selection procedure guaranteed,00:32:58.415
• 00:32:58.415
• clear organization structure, director would have00:33:01.183
• 00:33:01.183
• signing rights, simply everything would work00:33:03.392
• 00:33:03.392
• and it could have easily operated in a rented place,00:33:05.695
• 00:33:05.695
• even in the Gong, why not. If they need sustainability00:33:08.085
• 00:33:08.085
• of the European project then be it, let it be there,00:33:11.423
• 00:33:11.423
• temporarily, until we find something more suitable.00:33:13.853
• 00:33:13.853
• And still nobody has answered this; why it can't be so.00:33:16.619
• 00:33:16.619
• In the beginning there was some initial political decision;00:33:19.475
• 00:33:19.475
• under certain circumstances.00:33:23.751
• 00:33:23.751
• One can leave it completely or turn it into something else00:33:27.953
• 00:33:27.953
• but since this political decision did take place00:33:32.018
• 00:33:32.018
• then the pressure will stay... if we manage to be effective00:33:36.146
• 00:33:36.146
• for the coming three years in building wider audience,00:33:40.339
• 00:33:40.339
• wider background, if the elements, that is,00:33:44.528
• 00:33:44.528
• concerned people in the city will get connected and it will00:33:48.519
• 00:33:48.519
• attract some extra-regional attention which is, I believe,00:33:52.652
• 00:33:52.652
• to a certain extent already happening,00:33:56.681
• 00:33:56.681
• then it's a new situation that needs to be handled00:34:00.788
• 00:34:00.788
• differently by the donor, that's the city.00:34:04.962
• 00:34:04.962
• And that is the opportunity to the institutional development,00:34:08.478
• 00:34:08.478
• which is, I think, maybe more reasonable and better,00:34:11.095
• 00:34:11.095
• even though it's not all that likable, because we would00:34:13.590
• 00:34:13.590
• prefer politicians to be enlightened enough to say00:34:16.181
• 00:34:16.181
• it should be like this, placed a call for a well-written proposal,00:34:18.431
• 00:34:18.431
• talked about it on the international level,00:34:21.408
• 00:34:21.408
• offered some five options of how to do it,00:34:23.579
• 00:34:23.579
• chose one, the first year got it tested,00:34:26.172
• 00:34:26.172
• the second year launched it, the third year it got00:34:28.993
• 00:34:28.993
• international attention and it would go on like this.00:34:31.735
• 00:34:31.735
• But, unfortunately, this is not how it works here.00:34:35.032
• 00:34:35.032
• But there is still a great chance that in a few years00:34:38.296
• 00:34:38.296
• there will be a regular institution created in Ostrava00:34:42.210
• 00:34:42.210
• with parameters of institute of contemporary art00:34:46.161
• 00:34:46.161
• or some kunsthalle or some platform for contemporary art00:34:50.461
• 00:34:50.461
• with its own identity and institutional framework00:34:54.713
• 00:34:54.713
• and it will have its very own behavior;00:34:58.713
• 00:34:58.713
• different to other institutions.00:35:02.524
• 00:35:02.524
• More likely it's a question for the city, what will happen00:35:05.260
• 00:35:05.260
• in two years time? Because, I think the project...00:35:08.590
• 00:35:08.590
• I still believe in the project, and I believe also there was00:35:11.995
• 00:35:11.995
• a good management chosen, yeah and that it works properly...00:35:15.315
• 00:35:15.315
• that's something else. Well, we'll see.00:35:19.288
• 00:35:19.288
• We... are busy enough with our own work.00:35:23.715
• 00:35:23.715
• If anything I regretted the rotten building00:35:27.890
• 00:35:27.890
• that 300 million CZK allocated for it would be forfeited00:35:32.098
• 00:35:32.098
• and then it wasn't possible to make it on time,00:35:36.355
• 00:35:36.355
• so it was really about wanting to have something, here in Ostrava,00:35:39.553
• 00:35:39.553
• another ruin got repaired.00:35:43.078
• 00:35:43.078
• It is certainly worthwhile to preserve the industrial heritage00:35:44.927
• 00:35:44.927
• that's there but nobody shall think it would attract00:35:48.298
• 00:35:48.298
• the same amount of tourists as a seaside spa.00:35:51.649
• 00:35:51.649
• It would need to stay funded all the time00:35:54.915
• 00:35:54.915
• and there might be available more money than it would earn00:35:58.041
• 00:35:58.041
• and in past Ostrava was significant as one of the biggest00:36:01.830
• 00:36:01.830
• economic resources of the whole republic.00:36:05.002
• 00:36:05.002
• Now it would change into a hole with others throwing money00:36:08.457
• 00:36:08.457
• in it so that all there wouldn't deteriorate and I don't know00:36:11.018
• 00:36:11.018
• how long would they be fine with that.00:36:13.375
• 00:36:13.375
• METROPOLIS FULL OF LIFE!!! "- Ostrava is today00:36:16.046
• 00:36:16.046
• an objectively beautiful city. - I see Ostrava literally00:36:18.511
• 00:36:18.511
• as a metropolis full of life.00:36:21.032
• 00:36:21.032
• NEW OSTRAVA!!!00:36:33.002
• 00:36:33.002
• - One more thing. Fortune favors the prepared.00:36:35.485
• 00:36:35.485
• CONVENIENT INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES!!!00:36:38.665
• 00:36:38.665
• Every investor now expects a supportive background.00:36:41.153
• 00:36:41.153
• And Ostrava, in this matter as well, doesn't leave it00:36:43.380
• 00:36:43.380
• to the chance and is prepared. - For example how she wants00:36:45.466
• 00:36:45.466
• to make the best of Vítkovice industrial area00:36:48.801
• 00:36:48.801
• - that's fantastic! She turned, say, the historical burden,00:36:51.187
• 00:36:51.187
• simply into a profit turning it into a unique dominant.00:36:54.108
• 00:36:54.108
• - Not just Vítkovice is changing. Also Karolina, Černá louka,00:36:58.028
• 00:36:58.028
• Mošnov, simply pragmatic vision and modern realization.00:37:01.158
• 00:37:01.158
• - Ostrava obviously doesn't fear new ideas and solutions00:37:06.011
• 00:37:06.011
• and I am sure it will keep surprising us."00:37:09.658
• 00:37:09.658
• DROWNED UTOPIA00:37:15.761
• 00:37:15.761
• Spring Ostrava Antonio Vivaldi / SPRING00:37:22.439
• 00:37:22.439
• Let's look at the whole thing from even wider perspective00:37:32.015
• 00:37:32.015
• that will place our take on the issue a bit more00:37:35.487
• 00:37:35.487
• in an inseparable context of societal development.00:37:38.705
• 00:37:38.705
• In 2014 Ostrava city has put forward a bid to become00:37:44.478
• 00:37:44.478
• European Cultural Capital in 2015,00:37:47.860
• 00:37:47.860
• awarded in the end to Plzeň city.00:37:50.721
• 00:37:50.721
• The application for the competition counting 400 pages includes00:37:55.439
• 00:37:55.439
• great many projects, visions, rebuildings00:37:59.204
• 00:37:59.204
• and entirely new buildings for cultural self-realization.00:38:02.929
• 00:38:02.929
• The prologue of the application reads, among other things, this:00:38:09.068
• 00:38:09.068
• "One of the principles of our project is realistic idealism.00:38:12.998
• 00:38:12.998
• What does it mean? It means to lay out ideal,00:38:16.902
• 00:38:16.902
• maximalist goals and at the same time00:38:20.970
• 00:38:20.970
• a pragmatist way to reach them.00:38:24.344
• 00:38:24.344
• We decided to place side by side an idea and a goal.00:38:27.346
• 00:38:27.346
• Adopt a plan for a viable utopia.00:38:31.560
• 00:38:31.560
• To imagine city as a space for happy life in such a way00:38:34.808
• 00:38:34.808
• that could be made real.00:38:39.154
• 00:38:39.154
• We adopted principle of Olympic Village.00:38:43.052
• 00:38:43.052
• No single part of the project is one-off and ephemeral.00:38:46.956
• 00:38:46.956
• All stays there for the city as new cultural events,00:38:50.610
• 00:38:50.610
• transformation tools, self-reflective criteria00:38:54.381
• 00:38:54.381
• for future development. We opt for a longterm00:38:57.799
• 00:38:57.799
• cultural influence on development and sustainability of the city."00:39:00.982
• 00:39:00.982
• Using the nomination for European Culture Capital00:39:05.773
• 00:39:05.773
• Ostrava attempted also a complete make-over00:39:08.906
• 00:39:08.906
• of her identity, though strictly limited to culture politics.00:39:12.969
• 00:39:12.969
• At the moment of the failure of this attempt00:39:17.326
• 00:39:17.326
• there kept on hanging a few projects being created00:39:20.678
• 00:39:20.678
• in the long term all of which converge as interconnected00:39:23.957
• 00:39:23.957
• parts of our case.00:39:27.412
• 00:39:27.412
• It bears a witness to obvious connection of seemingly00:39:29.868
• 00:39:29.868
• heterogenous things we need very much to be aware of.00:39:33.375
• 00:39:33.375
• The utopia of the project of Ostrava city00:39:38.435
• 00:39:38.435
• as European Cultural Capital looking almost like00:39:41.663
• 00:39:41.663
• a cultural miracle turned out to be more likely00:39:44.899
• 00:39:44.899
• a short-sighted bewitchtment by the possibilities of huge00:39:47.933
• 00:39:47.933
• subsidies for a wide spectrum of culture activities.00:39:51.149
• 00:39:51.149
• Their true meaningfulness lies namely in a more complex00:39:54.875
• 00:39:54.875
• handling of such possibilities, above all in creating00:39:58.643
• 00:39:58.643
• environment favorable to long term presence of creators00:40:01.992
• 00:40:01.992
• and recipients of this high culture00:40:05.920
• 00:40:05.920
• and in education of local population.00:40:09.024
• 00:40:09.024
• Ostrava put forward a bid for European Culture Capital in 2015.00:40:13.166
• 00:40:13.166
• Unfortunately her project wasn't accepted but00:40:17.375
• 00:40:17.375
• part of project was a culture cluster Černá louka.00:40:21.595
• 00:40:21.595
• One of the buildings planned to be constructed00:40:25.118
• 00:40:25.118
• as a part of the culture cluster was meant00:40:28.582
• 00:40:28.582
• for the city gallery, as well as a space for00:40:31.127
• 00:40:31.127
• Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, etc., etc.00:40:33.305
• 00:40:33.305
• Today, however, the economic situation doesn't allow us00:40:35.253
• 00:40:35.253
• to go on realizing and developing00:40:38.535
• 00:40:38.535
• Černá louka culture cluster.00:40:41.097
• 00:40:41.097
• Of course we do our preparations for a time00:40:44.130
• 00:40:44.130
• when the economic situation will be better00:40:47.560
• 00:40:47.560
• and when Ostrava will be able to realize its original intention.00:40:50.645
• 00:40:50.645
• The European Culture Capital competition is certainly00:40:56.949
• 00:40:56.949
• meaningful because it's addressed to those cities00:40:59.923
• 00:40:59.923
• that can't develop anymore the same way00:41:03.014
• 00:41:03.014
• and they need an impulse to find a new way of development.00:41:06.319
• 00:41:06.319
• I was a member of "Ostrava as European Culture Capital"00:41:10.082
• 00:41:10.082
• preparation committee but only very shortly00:41:13.663
• 00:41:13.663
• because even though people working there were very nice00:41:15.505
• 00:41:15.505
• I didn't like the project as a whole.00:41:19.447
• 00:41:19.447
• Because they were actually suggesting to build00:41:22.513
• 00:41:22.513
• a big sculpture or a super-modern music00:41:25.962
• 00:41:25.962
• auditorium in Ostrava,00:41:29.490
• 00:41:29.490
• that is in a city that has00:41:32.929
• 00:41:32.929
• - though not by its own fault - poor everyday culture.00:41:36.909
• 00:41:36.909
• There simply two definitions of culture.00:41:41.069
• 00:41:41.069
• First, culture meaning art. Second, culture meaning life style.00:41:44.127
• 00:41:44.127
• And here they wanted to install high art in a city where00:41:48.407
• 00:41:48.407
• for a few months a year one cannot open window00:41:52.647
• 00:41:52.647
• without ending up choking;00:41:55.845
• 00:41:55.845
• in a city with a relapsed network of small businesses00:41:58.928
• 00:41:58.928
• because there have been built several huge monsters of a mall;00:42:03.009
• 00:42:03.009
• in a city where you have a great area built00:42:07.367
• 00:42:07.367
• next to a railway station when it comes to malls,00:42:11.615
• 00:42:11.615
• but if you go from there in any direction00:42:15.653
• 00:42:15.653
• you see only wasteland.00:42:18.901
• 00:42:18.901
• And in this they wanted to place some big sculpture,00:42:21.989
• 00:42:21.989
• gallery, exhibition hall, and similar stuff.00:42:25.896
• 00:42:25.896
• So I parted ways with the committee00:42:29.723
• 00:42:29.723
• on the idea of culture and what Ostrava really needs.00:42:33.995
• 00:42:33.995
• It's complicated to do it right. Because, for example,00:42:42.183
• 00:42:42.183
• in 2005 the European Culture Capitol was awarded to Lille00:42:45.747
• 00:42:45.747
• - the city was immensely helped by it;00:42:50.001
• 00:42:50.001
• it had had high unemployment rate,00:42:52.966
• 00:42:52.966
• there had been mines closed for men00:42:55.618
• 00:42:55.618
• and textile factories for women, that is,00:42:58.231
• 00:42:58.231
• a situation similar to Ostrava. But Lille managed to cultivate itself,00:43:00.669
• 00:43:00.669
• because it's not that hard - you can get from Lille to Paris00:43:04.917
• 00:43:04.917
• or to Brussels or to London or to Cologne in an hour.00:43:08.733
• 00:43:08.733
• While Czech Republic is, unfortunately,00:43:12.125
• 00:43:12.125
• a European periphery and Ostrava region, where I live,00:43:14.086
• 00:43:14.086
• is, unfortunately, a periphery of this periphery.00:43:16.445
• 00:43:16.445
• And trying to cultivate it the same way as Lille is nonsense.00:43:19.689
• 00:43:19.689
• That means... I believe we should have gone00:43:23.539
• 00:43:23.539
• the way of supporting higher education in Ostrava,00:43:26.722
• 00:43:26.722
• supporting quality of life of students,00:43:30.042
• 00:43:30.042
• because young and university educated people00:43:33.145
• 00:43:33.145
• are leaving Ostrava. What would be the use00:43:36.369
• 00:43:36.369
• of supporting high culture when people who are00:43:40.382
• 00:43:40.382
• the first rate recipients of it leave Ostrava sooner00:43:43.702
• 00:43:43.702
• than the big sculpture and auditorium get completed.00:43:47.153
• 00:43:47.153
• Ostrava went through a very complicated times.00:43:52.058
• 00:43:52.058
• When you take... in 1994 smelting works got closed,00:43:55.619
• 00:43:55.619
• in 1998 blast furnaces were closed in Vítkovice,00:43:59.767
• 00:43:59.767
• then by European Union decree many technological processes00:44:03.987
• 00:44:03.987
• were stopped, so the nineties were very difficult,00:44:07.946
• 00:44:07.946
• so if we take how they handled it elsewhere in the world,00:44:11.676
• 00:44:11.676
• for example Bilbao is quite known, or Pittsburgh,00:44:15.300
• 00:44:15.300
• the population halved.00:44:19.676
• 00:44:19.676
• When we visited these cities, when I was in Bilbao00:44:22.811
• 00:44:22.811
• and talking directly with the planner00:44:26.841
• 00:44:26.841
• of the Bilbao miracle I was shocked first00:44:29.910
• 00:44:29.910
• by the fact it had taken them twenty years00:44:33.166
• 00:44:33.166
• and, second, it had costed ten billion EUR.00:44:36.445
• 00:44:36.445
• So when we look at Ostrava, it had costed absolutely nothing.00:44:39.782
• 00:44:39.782
• Because it hadn't costed even as much as00:44:44.106
• 00:44:44.106
• the Guggenheim Museum itself.00:44:48.470
• 00:44:48.470
• When I asked the planner whether he doesn't think00:44:52.229
• 00:44:52.229
• those 300 or 400 million EUR is too much.00:44:56.004
• 00:44:56.004
• He said the sum represents00:44:58.895
• 00:44:58.895
• 00:44:58.895
• and it's a good brand. So from this point of view,00:45:01.986
• 00:45:01.986
• if you let it go to hell completely00:45:06.064
• 00:45:06.064
• the reconstruction is very complicated.00:45:14.548
• 00:45:14.548
• When it comes to sustaining Ostrava's viability or00:45:17.783
• 00:45:17.783
• some kind of renewal the high culture can't be a priority.00:45:21.723
• 00:45:21.723
• There have to be two priorities. Ostrava will always be00:45:27.726
• 00:45:27.726
• industrial city and the goal is to make the industry ecologically00:45:31.370
• 00:45:31.370
• acceptable and, how they say fashionably nowadays, intelligent.00:45:35.685
• 00:45:35.685
• It means to thin it down raw-material-wise and00:45:39.245
• 00:45:39.245
• energy-wise and leave only modern industry.00:45:41.539
• 00:45:41.539
• Second, in order to get this done,00:45:44.320
• 00:45:44.320
• one has to put in a lot of knowledge,00:45:46.798
• 00:45:46.798
• that means that in Ostrava there has to be supported00:45:49.204
• 00:45:49.204
• first of all technical education and I have to lobby of course00:45:52.288
• 00:45:52.288
• also for the university because I am educated in humanities.00:45:55.399
• 00:45:55.399
• All in all I don't think Ostrava ended up entirely poorly00:45:57.656
• 00:45:57.656
• because following the findings of the European Culture Capital00:45:59.687
• 00:45:59.687
• competition Ostrava ended up being the second most cultural city00:46:02.054
• 00:46:02.054
• of Europe right after Plzeň.00:46:04.685
• 00:46:04.685
• Are we prisoners of system not just incapable but00:46:15.985
• 00:46:15.985
• also unwilling to look and think beyond deadlines00:46:19.518
• 00:46:19.518
• of so called sustainability?00:46:22.617
• 00:46:22.617
• What's the purpose of squandering huge sums00:46:25.908
• 00:46:25.908
• of money with so ridiculously short00:46:29.064
• 00:46:29.064
• sustainability requirement of five years?00:46:32.207
• 00:46:32.207
• In a longer perspective, isn't this system creating00:46:35.499
• 00:46:35.499
• more like a theatre scenery without audience and actors?00:46:39.155

2x comments “OMG!!!”

1. JH says on30. Dec. 2014:
   

   Strašně se to seká :-(( Škoda, že to nebylo někde ke stažení…

2. janek says on02. Jan. 2015:
   

   dobry den, bohuzel mame docasny problem s novym prehravacem, pracujeme na tom jak se da! omlouvame se za problemy s prehravanim, rovnez nas to mrzi*

   funkce stahovani videi by mela byt take brzy obnovena, ale prehravac by mel byt kazdopadne schopen reagovat na rychlost pripojeni u divaka a podle toho prizpusobit kvalitu videa, aby se nesekalo

Here you can express yourself. (*required)