Tradition Untraditionally: Wood
The first part of ÚĽUV's new exhibition cycle Tradition Untraditionally presents the phenomenon of wood in contexts in which you do not know it. Design from museum collections through current creation with a view to the future.
ÚĽUV Gallery Bratislava
Wood became the central theme of ÚĽUV for 2022, and it will also dominate the organization's other year-round activities. The philosophy of the first material exhibition of wooden objects is to help discover a new energy of cooperation between the masters of manufacturers and ÚĽUV.
The effort of the curators of the exhibition of designers Ferdinand Chrenka and Václav Kautman is to acquaint the public with the diversity of wood - how it lives with us, changes and still surprises. The exhibition is a choice of design in three time levels: history - present - future, installed in thematic contrasts. The units are arranged in individual rooms according to the significant functions of the objects in which wood dominates as a material - containers, furniture, toys, jewelry, musical instruments and sticks.
"Wood as a material for the creation of utility objects offers endless possibilities of use, and although only one of the themes of the current exhibition, such as containers, would easily cover the entire gallery space. However, we decided on the diversity of views on wood processing and we conditioned the choice by the areas where it is naturally located. The sensitive spectator will have the opportunity to observe the technological complexity of working with wood, from classic manual forms of processing through mechanized to digital,“ the curators explain the exhibition.
Due to the size of the exhibition space, it is not possible to present all current authors in the field of wood in person. The selection of the most prominent is therefore present at the exhibition through the virtual gallery of the ÚĽUV masters. The walk through the gallery of design of wooden utility objects is accompanied by large-scale images of wood structures and the atmosphere is complemented by an audiovisual installation conceived from iconic old film footage.
The focus of the exhibition concept on the usefulness of the objects corresponds to tradition. Today's admired pieces of old bowls or furniture were once a common part of households, only their lifespan and people's relationship with them were more durable than in today's time of massive industrial consumption. The works of today's master manufacturers and designers retain durability despite their primary aesthetic function, although they are in shape for practical use.
The exhibited objects are borrowed from the collections of the Museum of Folk Art Production, Slovak National Museum - Historical Museum, Slovak National Gallery, Slovak Museum of Design, Josef Vydra School of Art, Bratislava, Ružomberok School of Applied Arts, Kremnica School of Applied Arts in Bratislava and from the private collections of exhibiting designers and master producers.
The exhibition presents a poster with a photograph of a wooden bowl by Tibor Uhrín. The Fossil bowl is milled on its own device. A small paper boat floats on the ripples of ash. Its painting in the wooden sea represents a symbolic path to the eternal search for the beauty of wood.