Perception, České Budějovice

The project is a reflection on what we consider to be an important part and dominant feature of public space, and how we perceive some hidden spaces that provide us with social and cultural activities. The Baroque Samson’s Fountain located on the Přemysl Otakar II Square in České Budějovice represents a significant monument and symbol of the city. Its artistic quality is indisputable and at present none of us can imagine the square without this dominant feature. There, however, may be a question of whether today we simply do not perceive such dominant features anymore. We walk around them every day, and because their value is historically and spatially confirmed, we do not even think about the nature of this monument, nor about the relationship to the space of the large square. Samson’s Fountain found itself in a circular space for approximately three weeks, when it was separated from the square itself, and at the same time created for it a calm background and intimacy, which this dominant feature had never had. The fountain thus found itself a gem in a gallery. The circular space was directly connected by a path with stairs with the space of the first floor of the House of Art. The intentional alienation of the fountain and highlighting of the entry into the House of Art through the window is the overall purpose of the project. It thus brings things that are seemingly not connected to one another into an interesting confrontation. The installation was visited by more than 36,000 visitors in the three weeks of its duration.