Museum Island Hombroich

I had no idea about the existence of the park for a long time until one of my friends from Dresden chose it for her pre-diploma seminar. She returned from there thrilled. She showed me the catalog published by the Bregenz Museum (KUB), and said she needed to return as soon as possible. In the pictures, it seemed like student works from Alena Šrámková's studio. When I finally found the time and went there, visiting it was one of the most impressive experiences of the entire NL03 trip. I won’t hide the fact that we also went to see Insel Hombroich 2 (the former rocket base), where famous authors contribute their pavilions. We saw the under-construction Anda, Sizu, Nishizawa, and others, but we still liked the old park more.
There is a difference when an artist or an architect builds. Each places emphasis on something different. The artist tries to fight the gaps in technical education, while with architects you can see how the desire to be an artist sometimes has to be forced. I had the honor of observing the Czech Erwin Heerich for three years - thanks, Davide!
The island's process is not and will never be completed. New pavilions constantly arise here (see the wooden building of the kindergarten, the constantly changing exhibitions, and the newly emerging transformations of the rocket base).

The island is maternal.
It nurtures, jointly embraces, helps, serves, and sets free.
It is not a duty, but a possibility.
It is not either-or, but this and that.
It requires confrontation, a clash with oneself.
It is not a male sphere for organization, persecution, rush, power, and demonstration.

The events on the island have never been predictable in advance, mostly not even imaginable. Many diverse things came under one roof, held together by an invisible skin; a network of people, ideas, and work, whose points are increasingly tightly and firmly linked, can spread further. Perhaps the island is intended only for experiencing and not for describing it.
All those involved in the organization of the island each, in their own uniqueness, give meaning to the word WE. Different characters, temperamental and original, were bound together by an invisible bond based on an initial stance and idea of what may happen and what may not. Those who wanted to escape these rules were pitied and left. Problems that seemed insurmountable were resolved the next day - just as a storm cloud disappears from the sky. Spiritual affinity allowed for active development on the island. Work held everyone and everything together. Essentially, everyone took care to provide others with a platform for their work and ideas. Snarky jealousy, harsh criticism, and vanity occasionally cast their shadow. However, in the end, everyone stood up for the common cause. There was no hierarchy or order. Cautious cohesion and modest acquisition facilitated natural growth.
Each participant of the island - whether young or old - has their own life story and work. They stand on their own feet and can manage without the community of the island. This individual strength creates bonds on the island, making contracts meaningless; it allows for an exchange between taking and giving to occur without accounting for gain or loss. Work on the island is not a competition with others who create in the same field. No one here wants to do anything better than what they saw over there. It is different and it is who the people are.
The island is such a small space where people from various cultural fields meet. Despite their cultural differences, they feel and observe that they are connected to each other. It could be exaggeratedly said that it is a small universal cultural circle of Americans, Chinese, Europeans, Japanese, and Russians who grew up and were influenced in the Buddhist, Christian, Orthodox, or Taoist world. First and foremost, they are people who do not fit into any boxes, do not follow any -ism, and are responsible and aware of their origins. They do not build a common house, but are committed to its community. Standing firm in themselves, they do not erase individual personal boundaries. On the island, you integrate parts of your work and life into the life of the island, sometimes more and sometimes less, but always with affection.
The existence of the island is its continuous change and transformation. Therefore, its future remains in darkness. The participants have no idea about the development and goal. They know that there is no state of tranquility or path back and the end remains open. The island should not acquire any firm form but remain mutable. In response to the assertion of the island's constant growth, it can be argued that the island decreases through reduction and minimalism. There is hope that this will continue into the future and the island will bring people from all areas of human endeavor to the same primary ideas that so far have only been held by its main participants (authors), and that the following generations will not abandon seriousness and love for this matter.
The development of the island has been smooth even without theoretical planning. The infection of the island bacillus transcends its borders. The island demonstrates that culture has many bearers. From the germ cell that arose from artists, gardeners, composers, musicians, and poets, people from economics, politics, and public administration have arrived. They were all united for its emergence. resonant. Following them were architects, scientists, personalities from various religions, and ecological fields. All of them are part of the island.
Respect for nature far beyond today’s standards gave meaning to the island's thoughts. The environment and the contemporary world, which create nature for people, are highly respected by all and form an unexpressed unity between work and ideas about life among all participants. Island nature is not another park for people but a homeland for animals and plants that one can encounter here. The expansion of the park to the rocket station is viewed from the same perspective. Not a private garden, but nature for all plants, animals, and people, who are defended here and can be seen. The apparent chaos and proliferation among the plants is a process that is not suppressed in any way, and man provides it with as much freedom as possible.
How should one name all this: "Metaphorically 'island', historically 'Hombroich' or as a starting point for future development?" "Does nature or the exhibited works that will soon define the rocket base and the surrounding landscape stand in the foreground of Museumsinsel?" The more that arises in the area, the more Hombroich fulfills its name. The name shapes itself.
Individual cultural fields and the corresponding buildings must continue to be built. This will only be possible if there are people who work with spirit, initially supported by an open-hearted investor and their own love of music, religion, science, or visual arts. Construction must not be a financial expense for the investor, but should be treated with the proper community for a specific cause. Understanding the whole allows for dedication to the singular. Those who feel they are merely an appendage do not provide enough. Everyone must be firmly convinced of their position and significance in the whole. Thanks go to all who participated in building and sustaining Hombroich for their patience, courage, and maintenance of the essence of their island: for the common work that we all love.

The island tolerates and welcomes new people, both women and men.
It attracts, guides, and takes, but forces obedience.
It values boldness.
It believes in those who are genuine.
It is a path where one collects shared experiences and conclusions through various experiments in various fields.
On the island, there is hardly any room for masculinity.