Czech artist Kateřina Šedá will present her project researching Lewiston and Artpark at Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo NY. She is now also preparing another project - National Collection of Bad Habits from 2022 to mark the 200th Anniversary of the founder of genetics - Gregor Johann Mendel. Kateřina Šedá will present her new project National Collection of Bad Habits before the screening (7-8 pm) of Kouř on August 17, 2023.
KATEŘINA ŠEDÁ COMES TO ARTPARK: A SOCIAL PRACTICE READING OF ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE EXPERIMENTS IN COMMUNAL ART GATHERINGS
Kateřina Šedá, an acclaimed Czech artist who designs experiences for communities that create and foster connections, will talk about her work as well as her perspective on Artpark and her ideas for engaging history through a proposed large group action.
Friday, August 25, 2023, 1 pm — 2 pm at Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo NY Reception to follow. More
A Social Practice Reading of One of the Most Innovative Experiments in Communal Art Gatherings and How it Transformed a Small Village
Kateřina Šedá, an acclaimed artist from Czech Republic who designs experiences for communities that create and foster connections, was invited by Artpark President Sonia Clark to research Lewiston in April and November 2022. Šedá started by asking the people of Lewiston – high school students, art teachers, seniors, the mayor, business owners, history buffs – to describe their village in three words: “historic,” “family/hometown,” “quaint/small/safe/kind.” What were its top qualities and its biggest problems? When asked to name things that had changed in the public space over the last twenty years, the biggest thing was “Artpark,” and the impact it had on their lives, their view of the world, their social connections, and their professions.
Šedá’s process begins like this in her home country and around the world as she explores relationships between people, places, and issues within a community. She then devises collaborative actions (such as games, activities, or competitions) that alter how individuals within the community perceive social constructs; these can range from synchronizing the routines of local people, asking neighbors to draw views from their front doors, or inventing a holiday for a small village to celebrate together. Šedá’s meaningful interventions alter relationships, perceived understanding of social constructs, and have long lasting positive effects on a community.
Come learn about Šedá’s work as well as her perspective on Artpark and her ideas for engaging that history through a proposed large group action.
Šedá’s research over two years has been supported in part thanks to a NEA Artist Research Grant.
Further information about the event here.
WELCOME TO THE NATIONAL COLLECTION OF BAD HABITS!
The National Collection of Bad Habits is a project I created in 2022 to celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of Gregor Johann Mendel, the founder of genetics. The aim of the project was to raise awareness about him in an accessible and educational way and to introduce this great scientist to the general public. As G. J. Mendel was a heavy smoker, I decided to create a unique collection of bad habits that would map both common and peculiar Czech bad habits. The collection will be published as an encyclopedia and the largest online database of Czech habits, which will serve not only for reflection but also for getting to know each other.
During one year I wanted to collect as many personal, family, professional, local and national bad habits as possible. Currently there is almost 30,000 habits from different fields and areas in the collection, which surprised me not only because of their diversity but also because of the amount - originally, I planned to collect only 10,000 habits. Yet we still miss some types of bad habits in the database, such as bad habits of Czechs living abroad.
I would like to invite you to join the collection and submit Czech national bad habits. If you are not Czech, but you know, live or work with some Czechs, you can submit their bad habits to the collection too if you think they are typicall Czech! Thanks to your unique perspective on Czechs and their way of living you can notice their bad habits that they would normally overlook. Your contribution to the project is vital!
Your submission can be in Czech or in English.
What could be a bad habit?
A habit is a behaviour of one person or a group of people that is repeated and bothers us. For example, regular cleaning bothers some people but others appreciate it.
Would you like to take part?
Submit a bad habit directly on our website: www.sbirkazlozvyku.cz
I really look forward to learning about your bad habits!
Kateřina Šedá
Kateřina Šedá (1977) is a Czech artist whose work is close to social architecture. In her work, Kateřina Šedá focuses on socially-conceived events, often employing dozens or hundreds of people who have nothing to do with art. The events mostly take place right in villages or city streets. The purpose of experimenting with interpersonal relationships is to bring those involved out of their stereotypes or social isolation. She tries to induce a lasting change in their behaviour by means of their own (provoked) activity and a new usage of everyday resources.
