About the installation

Installation crossroads responds to the unique location where people from all over the world cross paths every day, but also to the inner crossroads we experience in our lives. The idea of connecting movement in physical space with the inner world was at the very birth of the curatorial concept. As curator Kristina Pourová explains, "Every day we are faced with bigger or smaller decisions, something worries us, other things make us happy, and we want to share a lot of it. And the crossroads space is permeated with all of that."

The initial impetus for the project came in 2024 from the Prague Congress Centre, which was looking for a way to revive a neglected part of the terraces, which was covered in graffiti, while at the same time maintaining respect for the architecture and history of the site. As Veronika Matějková, co-founder of PRAHO! project, describes, the goal was to create not only an aesthetic intervention, but also a place with a deeper meaning: "We wanted the terraces to become a new point of interest, meeting and reflection, and at the same time to complement the artworks that already exist within the Art District Vyšehrad."

The creation of the installation was from the beginning firmly linked to the authentic testimonies of people who move around the area. The selection of the content took more than six months and the team drew on its extensive database as well as on specially organized collections of testimonies through posters placed in public spaces, newsletters, social networks, offline questionnaires and personal interviews, for example with seniors from Prague 4. Dramaturg and content selection specialist Klára Hamsíková adds: "I wanted the content to reflect the thoughts of the locals and the opinions of those who shape the place. We strive to maintain a diversity of attitudes and authenticity, so we leave the statements almost unchanged."

The visual appearance of the realisation itself also played an important role. The artist Nina Sibinská sought to make the design fit naturally into the space: "I always try to work with the concept of the place so that the design fits. For example, I stood at the wall under the KCP for an hour and a half and just looked at it." The minimalist colour scheme of the installation, shades of grey with white elements and black text, was deliberately chosen to correspond with the monumentality of the whole building and at the same time contrast with the greenery of the parks and paths leading to Vyšehrad.

Implementation crossroads is also the first installation of the PRAHO! project where the content is created equally in Czech and English, with overlap into other languages. The whole process of creation and realization was built on careful collaboration between the curatorial, artistic and dramaturgical team. The visuals are the result of a combination of original painting and UV printing, which allows for an environmentally friendly yet high-quality execution of the texts on the walls.

The project also includes an online interface designed by Annoumarie Čermáková, founder of PRAHO! project, and is based on the idea that the digital world can be a place of meeting, sharing and reflection. Through QR codes placed in the installation, visitors can participate in the realisation itself - respond to questions asked, go through a therapeutic intervention, peek behind the walls of the Prague Congress Centre in a video tour, or watch video stories of passers-by. 

The installation is not just an aesthetic intervention in public space - it is an invitation to reflect, share and stop. It brings a new moment of calm, reflection and connection to the dynamic space of the Prague Congress Centre.

How was the installation created? The transformation of the walls into a visual work can be seen here: