ARTSEMESTR winter 2024

In addition to the opportunity to get to experience contemporary works by both artists, designers and teams of various scales and themes, ARTSEMESTR also provides a glimpse into the creative environment of 27 studios. The visual style of this year's edition by David Novak's team presents UMPRUM as a space for imagination, taking visitors back to childhood memories of a modular house where one can fall into one's own imagination.

"At a time when we are surrounded by serious issues, it is important to maintain our inner playfulness and imagination without losing the ability to reflect on the complicated world around us. UMPRUM is a space where the world of imagination meets reality. This time in the finals period we open our doors not only to those who are close to art, architecture and design, but also to those who feel the need to spend time in an improvised workshop to engage in a commemoration related to the tragic event at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University. Come and join us to sort the candles into separated material, which we will use to cast a collective landscape on Palach Square." Adds Ida Chuchlíková, Vice-Rector for External Relations.

The main mission of UMPRUM is to educate and train professionals in artistic, research, and scientific fields. Although the academic environment guarantees a free space for artistic creativity and is not bound by rules and restrictions from practice, the students encounter real-life issues under professional guidance during the course of their studies. UMPRUM represents a unique bridge between cultural and creative space, imagination and industry in the field of universities. The focus on collaboration with partners from the field brings contemporary academic topics closer to industry and the real world in turn inspires and motivates the internalization of different perspectives.

Among the projects based on cooperation with partners, we can mention the Studio of Industrial Design, which worked on the KOMMO rehabilitation aid in cooperation with the St. Joseph Nursing Home. Similarly, the Studio of Graphic Design and New Media teamed up with Srdem Robinson, a non-profit organisation caring for the psychological stability of parents of seriously ill children, to design a visual identity for them. As part of its Re-build theme, the Studio of Architecture III prepared a design for the transformation of the Invalidovna building in Prague's Karlín district, and the Studio of Architecture I prepared designs for the Municipal Library in Úvaly based on an architectural competition. The project of the Studio of Film and TV Graphics, whose animated jingles will be part of this year's Anifilm International Animation Film Festival in Liberec, will also be unmissable.

The ARTSEMESTR Winter 2024 exhibition is open to the public from January 26th to February 1st. In response to the tragic events at the neighbouring UK Faculty of Arts, the UMPRUM is offering a candle wax sorting workshop. The sorted material will become part of a collectively cast landscape. At the same time, visitors of the exhibition can donate via QR code to the account of the Charles University Foundation.

Studios and themes

Studio of Architecture I / Jan Šépka, Asst. Prof. Miloslava Gulbisová: Municipal Library in Úvaly - assignment based on architectural competition // final project: Municipal Library in Úvaly - design of garden and grounds.
Studio of Architecture II / A2 Future Architectures Platform / Eva Franch i Gilabert, Asst. Prof. Alžběta P. Brůhová, and Kateřina Vídenová: Neorituals: New rituals for a changing society and their architecture(s) // final project: New Ritual for UMPRUM.
Studio of Architecture III / Imrich Vasko, Asst. Prof. Shota Tsikoliya: Re-build - reconstruction - the application of new technological and material processes to an old substance, the realization of new typologies in the old structure and the search for new aesthetics in the old form // Final: design of the transformation of the Invalidovna building in Karlín.
Studio of Architecture IV / Roman Brychta, Asst. Prof. Markéta Mráčková, Asst. Prof. Barbora Šimonová: On the outskirts of Olomouc - the relationship between the city of Olomouc and the countryside, fortresses and gunpowder stores, monument protection and current problems in the area // final.
Studio of Industrial Design / Ivan Dlabač, and Asst. Prof. Vlastimil Bartas: 1st year stylization of nature into 4 materials; 2nd year occupational safety; 3rd year free topic - automotive; 5th year robobar; team task of the department - rehabilitation aid KOMMO; quick task 2nd-5th year seats for mass transport // final: development of semester topics.
Studio of Furniture and Interior Design / Roman Vrtiška, and Vladimír Žák, Asst. Prof.  Petr Hák: 1st year - Box - creating a product that must fit folded into a box of a given size; 2nd-5th year - Showroom/shop for designers from the Studio of Fashion and Footwear Design - designing the interior of a real space with an emphasis on technical production.
Studio of Product Design / Michal Froněk, Jan Němeček, Asst. Prof. Michal Malášek: Vision of gastronomy // final: a pint beer glass for pressed glass technology.
Studio of Fine Arts I / Amálie Bulandrová, Tereza Jindrová, Dominik Lang: Gates for Nourishment of Otherness - activation and testing of our senses in the form of collective collaboration with a focus on multisensory stimuli, possibilities of synaesthesia or exploring extended senses such as intuition or empathy, etc.
Studio of Fine Arts II / Lenka Vítková, Asst. Prof. Denisa Bytelová: works for the exhibition Room for Unearthing, loosely related to the themes of still life and reconstruction; free creation.
Studio of Fine Arts III / Michal Pěchouček, Dominik Gajarský: open ended assignment.
Studio of Fine Arts IV / Aleksandra Vajd, Martin Kohout: Role, kterou hraje reprezentace nás samotných v současném umění, literatuře, technologiích a společnosti. // final: free topic.
Visting Artist Studio / Sláva Sobotovičová, Jana Ndiaye Beránková (visiting artist): North-South. Cultural exchanges between Eastern Europe and the Global South // final: free topic.
Studio of Glass / Rony Plesl, Asst. Prof. Klára Horáčková: Design for the KLIMCHI brand - design solutions for new products for the KLIMCHI brand (The results of this collaboration will be presented in the summer semester) // final: why glass? - a critical look at the work of Czech and international glass artists and the presentation of their works in a gallery environment - the result is an essay and a glass object, where the artists reflect on their own glass creations.
Studio of Ceramics and Porcelain / Milan Pekař, Asst. Prof. Tereza Sluková: final: Porcelain room - the assignment works with the historical reference of the porcelain room, which serves as a conceptual framework for the reflection of specific historical technologies and objects.
Studio of Concept – Object – Meaning (K.O.V.) / Tadeáš Podracký, Asst. Prof. Romana Drdová: Greeting Rituals - work taking into account social orientation, globalization, new perspective on greeting customs, clashes of subcultures.
Studio of Fashion Design / Miroslav Sabo, Asst. Prof.  Monika Krobová: Timelessness - the theme of timelessness in fashion with emphasis not only on the environmental footprint, but also on craftsmanship and aesthetic qualities, output models loosely inspired by an element of the timeless wardrobe - the jacket // final: elaboration of the semester topic.
Studio of Fashion and Footwear Design / Simona Rybáková, Asst. Prof. Vojtěch Novotný: DRESS CODE AS A SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF CONTEMPORARY CLOTHING DESIGN - the execution of a collection of a specific design in a material with an emphasis on the relationship to the theme.
Studio of Textile Design / Linda Kaplanová, Asst. Prof.  Martin Pondělíček: Architextura - architecture using textile techniques // final: other space - textile objects and textile images created by classical methods in other and different modifications.
Studio of Illustration and Graphics / Juraj Horváth, Asst. Prof. Michaela Kukovičová: Journal - Inspiration from newspaper genres, results of workshops Copy Masters, Signpainting training, Pilot Eight...// final: song in pictures - the text of the song made into a picture board to show the story to the public.
Studio of Type Design and Typography / Filip Kraus, Asst. Prof. Jan Čumlivski: Revivals of the original typographic fonts of the Gottlieb Haase Söhne printer - designing digital fonts based on the original fonts of a major Prague printer; Designs of a new edition of sheet music publications of the AMU publishing house // final: pamphlet - creating your own specific message in any medium.
Studio of Graphic Design and Visual Communications / Zuzana Lednická, Asst. Prof. Richard Jaroš: Enjoy the Silence Sound and rhythm in graphic design and visual communication, the visual style of a music festival: Prague Spring, Czech Philharmonic Prague Sounds, Lunchmeat festival, Creepy Teepee // final: developing the semester themes.
Studio of Film and TV Graphics / Jan Drozda, Asst. Prof.  Jakub Zich, Asst. Prof. Zuzana Bukovinská: Storytelling with interactive tools - a joint project with the Studio of Design and Digital Technologies; original projects // final: student jingles for the Anifilm festival.
Studio of Graphic Design and New Media / Petr Babák, Asst. Prof.  Lukáš Kijonka, Asst. Prof. Martin Ponec: Creation of a visual identity for the non-profit organization Heart of Robinson; next assignment: action or campaign carried out under a fictional or hidden identity; 1:8000000000 - Map creation // final: convert the old medium into a new medium + explicative text.
Studio of Photography II / Alena Kotzmannová, Asst. Prof. Karin Zadrick: P.S. ("Teachers - Students") project, involving different levels of working collaboration - photographic series of the 2023 collection by designer Hana Zárubová // final: ONE - any original photographic concept of a design vase by Dechem studio.
Studio of Design and Digital Technologies / Jan Netušil, Asst. Prof. Jiří Hölzel: Narration with interactive tools (in collaboration with the Animation and Film Studio) and Narration using MoCap technology // final: Making digital technologies accessible in the exhibition industry.
Visual Arts - follow-up master's programme in English / cold, it's getting hot, it's burning! - a selection of works by Visual Arts students.