In the Neo-Renaissance halls of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, DesignBlok will present dozens of designer exhibitions, a special project celebrating Hurvínek’s 100th anniversary, as well as one of the main curated exhibitions of this year’s festival.
The exhibition Retro Lamps: Forgotten Stories of Czechoslovak Design will focus on modern lighting from the 1950s to the 1980s, particularly mass-produced table, floor and pendant lamps. It will also highlight key figures of the period and present lighting as an important part of everyday culture and industrial production.
The theme of light will be further explored in the installation 500 Lights for the Emperor in the museum’s Votive Hall, dedicated to the beginnings of electric lighting and the intersection of glassmaking with one of the major technological revolutions of the 19th century. It will recall, among other stories, some of the first electrified crystal chandeliers made in Kamenický Šenov, which illuminated the imperial palace of Franz Joseph I with hundreds of light bulbs in 1883.
The programme will also include an intervention by designer Bodo Sperlein in the museum garden. Directly opposite the museum, in front of the Rudolfinum on Jan Palach Square, the monumental light installation BEACON by British designer Lee Broom, created in collaboration with BROKIS, will also be on display.
The festival pass will additionally provide access to the museum’s other current exhibitions.
