Sound installation on the old railway bridge in Trencin

The sound installation Takt, set in the environment of the old railway bridge in Trenčín, is a new work of art by the TRAKT civic association. The interactive work was created together with other invited colleagues from the cultural and technological field. The work was created with the help of the ECC Trenčín 2026 team, which worked intensively on the candidacy of the city of Trenčín in this prestigious cultural event (European Capital of Culture). The sound installation was first launched to the public in a test phase at the turn of November and December 2021.

The author of the music is the young performer Toello, coming from Trenčianske Teplice, who layered 16 unique original tracks. These are triggered interactively by embedded sensors and thus react to people coming and going directly on the bridge. If one person enters the bridge the first musical layer is triggered, the next person crossing triggers the next, and so on. When the passer-by leaves the bridge, the track turns off again. If there are, for example, 10 people on the bridge at the same time, in the sensed environment directly above the river Váh, 10 sound tracks will play in parallel, which together will form a single musical unit. The maximum is 16 music tracks. At that point, passers-by will be able to hear the full track. If there is no one on the bridge, it will remain silent. Takt is available every day from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The work responds to collaboration, togetherness and connectedness in a local context. For example, in the quest to become ECoC 2026, but also in the unification of the cultural and artistic community. However, it also responds to global contexts such as the polarisation of society in different areas. The sound installation presents in a rather illustrative way the idea of “unity is strength”, where only by being present with each other can people play a musical piece in its full scope. Although the individual plays an essential role, he or she cannot create the whole on his or her own.

Photos by Juraj Majersky and Lukas Matejka.

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Site-specific installation digital art entitled Strom slov (Tree of words) was introduced at the park of Milan Rastislav Štefánik in Trenčín after twilight. The piece of art opens up the subject of ecology, climate and even history and a relationship between a human and the nature. The installation art consists of a sound projection on a specific branch of a tree which transforms into a 3D talking head. This sexless face of an “avatar” tells a fictional story having support in historical events. A once in a lifetime experience with elements of surrealistic and supernatural overlap.

The piece of art is a part of CL!CL! The research is funded by the Slovak Arts Council from public resources in the form of scholarship. The project was financed by the city of Trenčín – Mládež grant.

Photography: Juraj Majerský

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Artists Lukáš Matejka (TRAKT) and Štefan Oliš (TRAKT), in cooperation with Peter Štuller, participate in the festival with a new author´s visual work of art that was directly inspired by a couple of stained glasses. The release is planned for the 2^nd of July 2021 (after twilight) on the façade of the House of Culture in Považská Bystrica.

The House of Culture in Považská Bystrica was built in September 1969. During the 70s, it was one of the richest houses in Slovakia. On the inside, it was decorated with travertine, crystal chandeliers, stained glass from glass workshops around Brno and with tapestry from Matejka. It was built during the times of Slovak normalization. Povazšká Bystrica was a very rich town – the employment rate was almost 100 % thanks to engineering plants the (even during the economic crisis). Up until 1989, when the production of arms was closed, and the company with almost 9 billion in the assets became a delicious bite for privatizers, Považská Bystrica begun to decay and has lost its status of one of the richest places in Slovakia. (source: Cooltajner, narration of J. Smatana)

The first year of the festival will take place on the premises of the Cultural Center Cooltajner and other rooms of the House of Culture OZK and its exterior from the 28^th of June 2021 until the 4^th of July. The program of the festival will be teased during the month of June 2021. Main partner of the festival is the Slovak Arts Council which supported the festival from the public resources.

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Our festival will bring an adaptation of a subject of MEMORY into the public space of the city of Banská Bystrica with the help of contemporary artists in December 2021. Many artists work with the subject of memory, often to record something for future generations. Others prefer to disrupt the memory in unexpected ways to change the methods by which we look at the past. How does the art influence our collective memory? And how can it inform our experience about significant events of our time?

We want to do art that tells stories. Stories about personal and cultural memory. Art is open to interpretation. Memory of the past is not a clear story. It is a combination of opinions from different points of view.

WHEN: 15. – 18. 12. 2021

WHERE: public space of Banská Bystrica

More information at: www.svetlo-tien.sk

Festival was funded by the Slovak Arts Council from public resources. Thank you.

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MIRAGE, Is it an illusion or a dream? is a site-specific multimedia performance created from the residence of several artists.

director: Tomáš Žižka (CZ/SK)

performance by: Lucia Lužinská, Boris Čellár, Ján Kružliak, Tono Popovič, Braňo Hargaš, Péter Cseri (HU/SK), Ján Bárta (CZ), Klára Jakubová (CZ/SK), Petra Fornayová, Monika Haasová, MAJKA: Theater de Generator – Sandra Kramerová (NL/SK), Álvaro Congosto (SP/NL)

lights design and video projection by: Lukáš Matejka and Štefan Oliš /TRAKT

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Focusing on the changes we are going through as humanity, but also about the deep essences we have in common as humanity, this interdisciplinary project aims to to pass on the call of the Earth for change and for a more conscious approach to it as well as to ourselves. Project is an ode to nature, the call for empathy, and a change in our behavior. 

Earth premiere:

22.04.2022 Palác Akropolis, Prague

23.04.2022 Sharpe festival, Bratislava 

We celebrated International Earth Day with this unique interdisciplinary performance, which also featured special guests- including violinist and singer Nina Rosa, percussionist Miloš Vacík and musician Bára Zmeková.

The project was supported by the Slovak arts council.

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The theater exhibition about Matúš Čák Trenčiansky will tell a story that happened or maybe did not happen. It is not going to be a historical painting of facts, not even a lovely rhyme. We are meeting Matúš and his story somewhere in the middle. Up in his castle which has been towering above Trenčín up until now.

Who knows, maybe there will be some truth to our story…

20 artists perform in this play.

Screenplay, direction: Vojtech Bartko / Divadelná spoločnosť

The director of the play is an author of various international festivals of ghosts and bugbears on the castle in Bojnice (Strašidelný majáles – Frightening dance party, Prebudený les – Awakened forest, Krkavec – Raven, Prízrak – Phantom, Bosorka – Witch and other).

Dramaturgy, sound mixing: František Kňažovič

Visualization: Maxo Kormaňák

Costumes: Divadelná spoločnosť

Photo on the poster: DF Foto

Poster graphics: U maxa

Projection on the façade of Barbora´s Palace: TRAKT.

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No refreshments will be offered during the event and in order to keep the surrounding nature clean it will be imperative to follow the rules set by the organizer. Culture and nature have a lot in common. They should be available to everyone, a tourist with an artist and a skier can squeeze in, maybe even together with a sensitive and civilized developer who directs his/her activities towards a tolerable framework bounded by the public interest.

6PM Dance production CHARON (Šmatláková, Paľko, Piovarči)

7PM Reading of a text about the relationship between humans, culture and the nature

7:30PM Solo concert – Ivana Mer

8:30PM Scenic essay entitled Pastierska Symfónia (Shepherd Symphony) (Potôň Theater)

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After an introduction of the Prague theater Na Jezerce, we cordially invite you to the final event of the festival taking place on the 18^th June around 9:15 pm and a ceremonial evaluation of the two festival weeks – PROJECTION OF FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS. The projection that was prepared by TRAKT will be projected on the castle walls in the presence of organizers of the festival from Jozef Gregor Tajovský Theater and their hosts. More information is available at www.zhz.sk. The festival was funded from the public resources by the Slovak Arts Council. It is organized in cooperation with the Slovak National Gallery – Zvolen Castle. The festival is organized with financial support from Autonomous Region – Banská Bystrica and the city of Zvolen.

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The title “NOCTURNO” comes from the word “nocturno” which is a translation for night music or instrumental music that is played outside, as for example a serenade. The night during the NOCTURNO should also be like a song, a beautiful music of visual arts.

Artists like Arter Eniac from Kremnica, who has created a lot of graphics for the city, artists from the civic association TRAKT with their piece of work entitled Strom slov (Tree of Words) created by Lukáš Matejka and Štefan Oliš in cooperation with Alexandra Rychtarčíková and Viktor Vilkovský and a piece of work entitled Modrá planéta (Blue planet) by Štefan Oliš, artist Ivana Laila Drobná, Ové Pictures art group or a group of young architects will be presented. The programme is going to be accompanied by a lecture dedicated to the history of Zechenter garden, a Andy Switch concert or a movement performance by students of the Department of Dance Creation of the Academy of Performing Arts.

Strom slov (Tree of Words) (2021)

Lukáš Matejka (TRAKT), Štefan Oliš (TRAKT), Viktor Vilkovský and Alexandra Rychtarčíková

Site – specific digital installation entitled Strom slov reflects the history of Zechenter garden in Kremnica and, at the same time, opens up the themes of ecology, climate or history and of a relationship between people and the nature. The installation consists of sound projection on a specific branch of tree which transforms into a 3D talking head. This sexless face of an “avatar” tells a fictional story with the support of historical events which is connected to the specific place and to the specific chosen tree. A once-in-a-lifetime experience with elements of surrealistic supernatural overlap is thus created.

Modrá planéta (Blue planet) (2021)

Štefan Oliš (TRAKT)

Short, but that much powerful videoprojection is a conceptual work of art that is broadened by a certain illustrative idea of an artist. The projection is strongly focused on the current issues of climate change and its aspects. It primarily bets on the subject matter of the work of art and its main idea. The goal is to “shake” the spectator and leave them with an emotion worth thinking over.

Photos by: Bibiána Hudáková

Translated by: Karin Miklossiová

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