The forth exhibition in the Possibilities of Villa Tugendhat Space Interpretation series is presented by author Vladimír Burian in cooperation with the Lighting Design Studio at the Theatre Faculty of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts.

One of the basic principles of the villa is its connection between the interior and the exterior. The garden thus becomes part of one space, inhabited and shaped. The ordinary visitor naturally wonders how the villa’s inhabitants lived in the constant presence of two open walls, which, unlike the others, are certainly not a passive participant in our existence. They demand action – they demand the gaze.

When our art project was conceived, the question was how to bring the garden space even closer to the interior.

A characteristic feature of this urban garden is the residual light of the city lighting system. A uniform spectrum with a distinct monochromatic trace of orange light becomes an inseparable background for the perception of any urban landscape. If we want to highlight the garden of the villa against this backdrop, there is the possibility to light it and thus separate the immediate surroundings of the villa by changing the light chromaticity.                      

Another motif of the project is the question of capturing the relationship of the villa’s inhabitants in the system of reflections and light transmission through the windows, to which they are mercilessly exposed every time they look out of the window. This mirrors not only the walls and furnishings of the villa, but also controls our every movement. How does this relationship affect the increase in light levels of the garden? And what if the lights go out in the villa?

Vladimír Burian

Vladimír Burian graduated from the University of Applied Arts in Prague, the studio of conceptual design of prof. Adéla Matasová. Since 1997 he has been working as a technician, lighting technician and later as a lighting designer. He gained experience with theatre on Czech stages and abroad, participated in the technical support of festivals (Za Dveřmi, Korespondance, Siraex), worked for emerging artists (presentations of children’s dance troupes from leisure art schools) and for world-famous distinguished companies (Farma v jeskyni, Spitfire company, TNF, Krepsko, MESA, VerTeDance, etc.). He worked for a long time in the Alfréd ve dvoře theatre, but is genetically connected with the contemporary dance scene (collaboration with HAMU and Ponec theatre). Since 2010 he has been working on digital interactivity and its implementation on stage. He has been teaching and popularizing lighting design since 2003. From 2009 to 2015 he worked as an external lecturer at HAMU. Since 2016 he has been the head of the lighting design studio at JAMU. In 2017 he started his PhD studies here with the topic “Scene as a luminance map”.

The Lighting Design Studio was established at the Theatre Faculty of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in 2013. It is primarily focused on stage lighting design, but students are encouraged to think independently about creative work with light in various artistic disciplines. Throughout their studies they develop an understanding of lighting and projection techniques and technologies used in stage design, architecture, audio-visual and film production, performance, installation and exhibition. An important part of the study is the students’ own work, whether it is working on a theatre production (all genres – opera, dance theatre and ballet, drama, musical, etc.) or their own artistic creation in the field of artistic lighting. During the workshops, the studio is regularly visited by experts from the Czech Republic and abroad, who introduce current trends and tendencies in the fields working with light.

SCHEDULE:

IMPRINT:

29. 9. 2021, 6:00 p.m. exhibition opening

30. 9. – 31. 10. 2021 exhibition of the results of the light intervention on the technical floor of Villa Tugendhat (open Tue–Sun 10:00–17:30 for 50 CZK)

3. 10. 2021, 7–9 p. m.  lightning of the garden (weather permitting; as part of the Architecture Day programme)

Concept of INTERPRETATION 4
Vladimír Burian

Light designers
Vladimír Burian, Jindřich Hudeček

Photography
Barbora Bachanová, Mizuki Nakeshu, Dominika Prášková

Performers
Dita Dvořáková, Jindřich Hudeček

Authors of the concept and production of exhibitions
Barbora Benčíková, Ludmila Haasová, Neli Hejkalová, Lucie Valdhansová (Villa Tugendhat Study and Documentation Centre)

Curator
Neli Hejkalová

Graphic design
Atelier Zidlicky – Marcela Schneiberková

Translation
Kateřina Báňová