Magistrale = New Prague Avenue

The project Magistrála – New Prague Avenue has been actively pursued by CCEA since 2010. This year, the organizers decided to discuss the project with the public through the Open Stage at the busiest spot on the north-south connection I.P. Pavlova. “We are testing its new form!” says architect Igor Kovačević, one of the organizers of the project. “We have long been striving to transform the avenue into an environment where cars, pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and trams mix, where there are crossings across the road, where trees are planted, benches installed, and spaces filled with bars, restaurants, shops, galleries, and new urban public buildings,” explains the architect. The Open Stage will kick off with a visual performance by Patrik Hábl, who will create a new environment through large-scale painting – an environment for spontaneous activities. The painting will remain in place after the event as a trace of the “new avenue.”



In 2011, the organizers opened discussions on the transformation of the Prague avenue at the city hall. Gradually, the discussions moved to individual city districts. From these discussions, in 2012, the Initiative for the Humanization of the Avenue arose among Prague 2, Prague 4, and Prague 7. “This year we decided to discuss the project with the public through the Open Stage at the busiest spot on the north-south connection I.P. Pavlova,” explains co-organizer Yvette Vašourková from CCEA.

The main idea of the event is to present a new interpretation of the Prague avenue through performances, artistic interventions, exhibitions, and happenings of Prague's cultural initiatives and citizens. The Open Stage – a public happening will take place at the turn of July and August around I.P. Pavlova square. The happening will occur as a one-time event lasting two weeks, featuring temporary installations, sales stalls, a bike rental, and services. During the event, there will be concerts, workshops for children and adults, readings, markets, and dance performances. The space will also be enlivened by urban greenery. An equally important goal is to discover a new format and outputs for the artists involved and the ability of today’s art to become part of an open process. The public will be invited to participate in the Open Stage, with a program reserved primarily for spontaneous performances from 10 AM to 7 PM. “We want to give space for spontaneity; the street can live its own life even without organized interventions. It just needs the right conditions,” says Yvette Vašourková from CCEA about the program,“therefore we invite the general public to sign up and support our efforts, perhaps through their own artistic performance.”



Activities within the Open Stage I.P. Pavlova:
Photography workshop on the theme of the city
Workshops with children
Concerts
Discussion tables
Evening of literature
Fashion show
Yoga class
Dance performance
Markets
Bike rentals
Café
Chess tournament
Table football tournament

New forms of the avenue are supported by participants such as DJ Lumiere, who will play on July 29 at 7 PM. On Sunday, August 4, at 8 PM, you can look forward to a dance performance by Sfida Furioso from the PRO ART group.
In addition to music and dance performances, a chess tournament and a table football tournament will take place as part of the Open Stage on Thursday, August 1, 2013. During the afternoon workshops, you can practice photographing the city, led by photographer Lukáš Cetera (July 30 at 4 PM). Besides workshops for adults, there are several events for children, spatial games with the artistic group Strašné ditě (July 29) or art workshops with Marie Vymazalová (August 5-6). The area around the stage will host markets; on July 31, there will be a flea market Super Sekáč on the Avenue, and on August 3, Dyzajn na Ípáku.

All performances are free of charge to the public.

The project is being created with the support of the City of Prague,
The project is under the patronage of Ing. arch. Václav Vondrášek, deputy mayor of Prague 2
Project sponsors: ALZA, KOMWAG, AAA BARVY, Zahradní architektura Kurz, COPY GENERAL
Media partners: A2, archiweb.cz, Artmap, Era 21, Radio 1, Earch
Thanks go to all participants of the Open Stage, all perform without fees in support of the project Magistrála=New Prague Avenue.

July 26 – August 10, 2013
Open Stage / I.P. Pavlova
A space for spontaneous activities

Organizer: CCEA – Centre for Central European Architecture, o.s.
CCEA, U Půjčovny 4, Prague 1, 110 00, www.ccea.cz
blog: novamagistrala.wordpress.com
facebook: Open Stage I.P. Pavlova