International Festival of Contemporary Art 4+4 Days in Motion

The abandoned building of the former Casino and the International Union of Students at Paris Street 25 will become the main refuge for the international festival of contemporary art 4+4 Days in Motion from October 26 to November 3 for nine days. “In the three floors of this brutalist building on the most luxurious street in Prague, a rich program will take place as part of the project we call Crime Scenes. Its aim has been, since the festival's inception, to revitalize unused and neglected spaces primarily in the center of Prague and to draw attention to their existence. An important inspiration for the program's preparation is the theme of the festival. This year, it is the question Would you like to play another game? In the program, you will find lectures, discussions, and screenings concerning the current situation we live in. This part of the program seeks to pay attention to important signals in society that tell us it is time to not continue like this," says the dramaturge of the Crime Scenes project, Denisa Václavová.
Similar to last year in the building of the former ÚLUV on National Avenue, visitors will see an exhibition Would you like to play another game? curated by Krištof Kintera and Denisa Václavová, theatrical performances (this year, for example, the project Enormous Little Things directed by Karel Král with many ensembles and artists, further ensembles Farma v jeskyni, VOSTO5 or the Czech premiere of Jiří Adámek situated in an old Jewish apartment near the Casino), actions in the public space around the building (street art musical project by Hungarian stars HOPPArt, photographic exhibition Lightboxes or street actions The Diggers and Seekers), projections of video art (this year also from Slovakia), lectures on architecture (e.g., architect Stanislav Hubička or on the topic How do artists play with architecture?, evenings The Best of TEDTalks on the topic of public space in the city and neighborhood relations), guided walks (e.g., Jiří Sádlo, On Czech Brutalism), street games (Welcome to Belarus!), symposia (Art(Money)Talk or extensive symposium on Czech and Slovak site-specific Negalleries), film screenings (films Fishhead-Ryba smrdí od hlavy or Ján Mančuška: Game Backwards), concerts (The Tchendos, Charlie One, Paapaa, Kyklos Galaktikos) and visitors will also be able to use the artistic Game over bar. A special music project for this space is being prepared by WWW and SPAM (Vladimir 518, David Vrbík) with choreographer Petra Hauerová. A surprise will certainly be a large installation - environment, prepared by students from the Prague Academy of Fine Arts inspired by the communist and recent history of the Union and the Casino building.

The building at Paris Street 25 has a very interesting history. It was built according to the project of architect Stanislav Hubička (co-author of the Nusle Bridge and four metro stations, among others) in the style of brutalism along with the InterContinental hotel opposite at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. In 2011, Stanislav Hubička (born 1930) received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grand Prix of Architects.
The building became the seat of the International Union of Students, once considered a KGB residency. In 2000, a casino called Happy Day was opened here, which abruptly disappeared from these premises seven years later.



Stanislav Hubička: Meeting with the author of the former International Union of Students building and co-author of the Nusle Bridge
Saturday, October 27 / 16:00, Casino

TEDTalks I.
Saturday, October 27 / 17:30, Casino
Videos with moderators Petr Koubský and Šárka Havlíčková on the topic: public space, city life, shared future, neighborhood relations, artistic interventions in the city, living on this planet, happiness, personal development, etc. Come to discuss, get inspired. These are ideas worth spreading! TEDTalks are screened in their original language with Czech subtitles. Screenings of talks from TED conferences – so-called TEDTalks selected on the topic Would you like to play another game? for the 4+4 Days in Motion festival.

Jakub Potůček: On Czech Brutalism, its creators and realizations – a guided walk around the hotels Intercontinental and President
Sunday, October 28 / 15:00, Casino

Between the Houses or How do Artists Play with Architecture?
Thursday, November 1 / 19:30, Casino
Reinterpretation, transformation, parallels, and coincidence. Public space and city planning from the perspective of visual artists Tomáš Džadoň, Jakub Geltner, Katarína Hládeková, Lukáš Machalický, and others.

Jiří Sádlo: Walk Around, Playing Prague from the Inside: Another Prague
Saturday, November 3 / 15:30, Casino
A walk with Jiří Sádlo, a plant sociologist, biologist, and natural scientist, about the cultural reading of the city and post-cultural landscape. What is the catastrophic scenario for the development of Prague without people? Who will be the winner and who the loser in this game?

TEDTalks II.
Saturday, November 3 / 18:00, Casino