CZ2: Visions for the Future › 20/4–2/6/2024

authors: students and tutors of The Why Factory at BK TU Delft, FA CTU Prague, FUA TU Liberec, FA VUT Brno, ARCHIP

curators of the Pardubice reprise: Winy Maas (The Why Factory at BK TU Delft, NL), Regina Loukotová (ARCHIP, CZ), Šimon Knettig, Daniel Hub, Szymon Rozwalka (VUT Brno, CZ) & the GAMPA team

PROJECT › THE ERROR IS NOT A MISTAKE 2024

We work in year-round thematic cycles. This year's umbrella theme is "Error is not a mistake." Through three exhibitions, we will contemplate errors as a natural part of the human and non-human world, speculate on the difference between error and mistake, and inquire into who determines what is erroneous and what is not.

We kick off the cycle with a project that is the culmination and continuation of an extraordinary semester project, in which more than 150 Czech and international students from the faculties of architecture of CTU, TU Delft, TU Liberec, VUT Brno, and ARCHIP participated in 2022–2023. These students delved into a thorough examination of the future of the Czech Republic. The result is a comprehensive range of ideas and projects aimed at addressing the key issues and potentials of Czech society.

The CZ2 project is not just an author's exhibition; it is primarily a manifesto, an invitation, a challenge to join a discussion platform that would allow both experts and the general public to seek and shape a vision of the republic, regions, and cities, and to determine their direction. We open a critical dialogue towards architects, urban planners, creators of strategic plans, as well as other experts in the fields of technology and social sciences, and we ask how to think differently about architecture and public space, natural and technical infrastructure, and society in times of climatic, cultural, political, and other turbulent changes.

We envision the future(s) of the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic, a small country in the heart of Europe, often perceived by its inhabitants as a unique gem hidden behind the mountains, an oasis of peace amidst a restless world, is indeed a place with a deeply ingrained founding myth, whose image is constantly evolving on many levels. A myth that is an irrational fiction of reality, a fiction that conceals the fear of the complexity, variability, and uncertainty of the contemporary world. A fiction that can be strongly and clearly observed even at the level of architecture and urbanism.

Despite the fact that the transition from socialism to a market economy had far-reaching consequences for the anthropogenic environment and significantly increased the geopolitical significance of this part of Europe, despite new challenges shared by the entire planet, this founding myth of the uniqueness of this valley remains incredibly vivid and unquestionable. Like any myth, it helps reinforce a sense of belonging, but at the same time, it is a strong impediment to possible transformations.

However, the urgency of the climate crisis and recent complex geopolitical events require immediate action. We need a new awakening, a new tuning, a new sensitivity, without which new thinking cannot emerge.

CZ2 offers some of the many visions that can shape the future direction of the Czech Republic and its more equitable, just, and sustainable future(s). It's not about a single, even the best, ideal, final vision, but about an infinite set, a diversity of ideas. A landscape of differences that do not fight against each other but are capable of coexisting alongside each other in a tolerant collage.

Through the synthesis of academic, sometimes highly transdisciplinary, other times optimistically naive, research, creative design, and strategic foresight, this collection of ideas depicted on an immersive map 1/20,000, created by more than 150 students in international cooperation from 5 schools of architecture, represents potential interventions on various scales and with various goals.

We perceive CZ2 as a public platform (the country as such) for the exchange and discussion of our ideas, opinions, and dreams about the future(s) that can emerge from this landscape.

We thank for the finacial support: Ministry of Culture ČR, Pardubice
Media partners: Artalk.cz, Artikl, Artmap, Artyčok.tv, FlashArt
Collaboration: ARCHIP, BK TU Delft, FA ČVUT, FAA TUL, FA VUT