Art stuff in Prague and Vienna

[imomus]

Until Friday I'm in Prague and Vienna. The Vienna trip is to talk to local magazine Falter about an event happening on May 24th, when I'll be singing chemical formulae at the Technical University in an installation / performance / collaboration with water bowl musician Tomoko Miyata.



Tonight (Tuesday) in Prague I'll be performing at Tranzit / Display Gallery at 6pm as part of the opening of A Spoken Word exhibition, curated by Mathieu Copeland. This is the same show Mathieu held at Blow de la Barra gallery in London and The Swiss Institute in New York. At the performance tonight I'll read two chapters from The Book of Jokes -- or rather (in the style of the Book of Jokes videos I've been posting) I'll mime reading them along to a computer voice, my own recorded voice, and the voices of Peking Opera actors. The performance will be winking in the direction of Robert Morris's 1964 piece "21.3", where he lip-synched along to a reading of an essay by Erwin Panofsky.

This will be my first trip to the city of Kafka, so I'll spend Wednesday exploring the city. Any recommendations accepted with gratitude!

A Spoken Word Exhibition
featuring works by Vito Acconci, Robert Barry, James Lee Byars, Nick Currie, Douglas Coupland, Karl Holmqvist, Maurizio Nannucci, Yoko Ono, Mai-Thu Perret, Emilio Prini, Tomas Vanek, Lawrence Weiner, Ian Wilson

Tranzit / Display Gallery
Dittrichova 9
120 00 Prague 2
Czech Republic
Map

Opening 6pm, March 18th 2008
Free entry
Take metro C red to Florenc, change to line B and go to Karlovo namesti stop. From there it's about 2 minutes to tranzitdisplay gallery.

Comments

kebab

[(Anonymous)]

thers a cool clothes shop called kebab its in the centre near the roxy venue in the jewish quarter...above the roxy is a cool gallery space ..

Ytterbium!

[thomascott.livejournal.com]

Prague is wonderfully compact so you could fit a lot into a day, it's also a fortuitous time of year to visit because in peak season that compactness concentrates the tourists - or more specifically the stag party contingent.
I enjoyed just walking around the Lesser Quarter, some of the (non-trinket-selling) streets around the Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter.
The New Town (Nove Mesto) didn't really appeal, the commercialist aspect of the city - which threatens to overturn some of the more enjoyable things about Prague - seemed really rapacious there, particularly around Wenceles Square and Na Prikope.

[akabe.livejournal.com]

it's great to see you do all this stuff. want to see you keep doing it decades from now until you yourself look like a lawrence wiener. (you might have to start smoking if you want to go that far though)

[microworlds.livejournal.com]

[(Anonymous)]

Great bar/restaurant called Toscas, at the back of the record shop!

[andaja.livejournal.com]

There could be a quiet old streets on Hradcany (http://maps.google.de/maps?f=q&hl=de&q=Dittrichova+9,+120+00+Prag+2,+Tschechische+Republik&sll=51.124213,10.546875&sspn=12.879115,22.873535&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=0,50.074382,14.416070&ll=50.089874,14.39621&spn=0.003277,0.009956&z=17), right after the Prague Castle.
It is also worth to visit some tea rooms around the city which called čajovna. Although I can't recommend one as my favorite is a bit out of Prague style.
There are also a number of David Cerny (http://www.davidcerny.cz/startEN.html) artworks in different parts of the city.

[(Anonymous)]

After following a link to the book of jokes youtube video i went hunting through the 'related' bit and watched that now year old flasher interview - nice hoody Momus. Brand / Make? thanks

wewillbecome

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Hello from Prague. That hoodie was handmade by a little shop called Granatengarten on Falckenstein Strasse, Berlin Kreuzberg.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks - Much appreciated - turns out it lead me to something else. See the olde we will become blog for details.

wewillbecome.com

HISAO

[count-vronsky.livejournal.com]

[(Anonymous)]

Aren't all your songs about you?

[(Anonymous)]

Looks like really bad intellectual porn -- complexity reduced to affect.

[(Anonymous)]

I think Britain has an aversion to intellectual poseurs; those ingenuine, pretentious people who act like being able to quote obscure books and use esoteric language somehow entitles their ideas to merit. Quoting obscure books and using esoteric language doesn't necessarily make one an intellectual poseur, but it's certainly the only way a mediocre mind can pass itself off as worthy of merit.

[(Anonymous)]

I want to hear some young musician. Because the most interesting pop is always sneaking in ideas from elsewhere - usually from "older" culture.

[(Anonymous)]

He just flatters the audience; claiming that liking the music is actually some sort of ingenious critical discernment by his consumers.

[count-vronsky.livejournal.com]

What are you supposed to be? The devil on momus's shoulder?

Knock it off.


(don't turn into a beetle momu!)

[(Anonymous)]

momus at TU! looking forward to it!!

-therese from vienna

[(Anonymous)]

Can't wait!

[(Anonymous)]

Can't wait!

Marianne

[(Anonymous)]

Stunning....unforgettable....trembling in my socks..

Jason

[(Anonymous)]

Watch out for cyclists!

kafka's domů

[(Anonymous)]

Although it's the most obvious and touristy thing one could do in Prague, I still enjoyed going to see Kafka's house at the castle. And recording the squeaky poster case in their gift shop.

ryan

Praha

[graywyvern.livejournal.com]

haven't been in forever, but i remember:

somewhere there's a statue of a snarling, two-headed angel.

--and the engravings of Prague they sell on the Charles Bridge.

pivo anywhere. even the cheap stuff is good.

wander.

m.

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Oh, I only recognise (besides you) Douglas Coupland on that list. Well, have fun with the rest of the crowd. Will you give us any photos showing the "Kafka-worship" of Prague?

[(Anonymous)]

Oh. Vito Acconci and Yoko Ono? Not to mention Lawrence Weiner and former Poverista (i may have just made that up) Emilio Prini, they're art historical famous figures. Yoko Ono was once married to British musician, a bit like Momus and Hisae! ;)

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I recognise her as a musician, but not an author!

Prague tips

[(Anonymous)]

Hi there, I´m Jiri - friend of Stefan Zachrisson in Stockholm, we met briefly in Hannas in 1990-ies when you palyed here. As my parents are czech and I´m born there I shoud give you at least one tip...
Since you are there only for a day it is not enough time to see much - Prague has too much to offer and centuries of artists, composers and architect left so much to explore. Since there was constant feeling of competition between Prague and Vienna during the Habsburg monarchy (Prague regarded Vienna as not progressive enough) new trends and direction were most welcome there. Partly just to be able to "show off" but sometimes genuinely believing in new modern direction.
Since you have mentioned Kafka - there is small street RETEZOVÁ where Cafe Montmartre is. Montmartre was hangout for "existentionalists" and once there was riot between those and the Futurists who have had their meeting the house next door. Apparently both Marinetti and Kafka were arested. So much for the image of poor sickely poet - he was a tought little bastard! The Montmartre is shit you don´t even need to gou inside - oposite there is another café where artists and writers meet - much better. It is just off the main turist streets - keep away from them!
Another quite unique Prague thing is Cubist architecture - purely unique - inspired by cubist art - it expanded into the architecture and started a trend that lasted 10 or so years. There are many cubist houses and villas, even parks, but I recomend appartment building on NEKLANOVA 30 it is 5 min by tram from Chrales Bridge (tram 17, 3 some more perhaps).
There is a lot of classic Cafés - I recommend Café Imperial on NA PORICI (15 I think) fabulous. Try also Café Slavia, NARODNI TRIDA just by bridge of Legions where absinth and expressionism is carved in the walls. (Egon Shiele, Edward Munch... lots of czech artists writers used to hang there).

You are going to pass Stavovske Theathre on ZELEZNA where Mozart found his refuge and where The Magic Flute had it´s premiere. You might Pass it on your way to Imperial - quite nearby there is Cubist museum (situated in kubist buildig U cerne Matky Bozi) "By the black mother of God". Around the corner there is Municipal House with it´s Café, around the corner Hotel Paris that Alphonse Mucha decorated and shagged Sara Bernhard... Then you have got Faust House and all modernists - Adolf Loos (btw don´t miss American Bar in Vienna designed by Adolf Loos).

Anyway list just go on - just walk around it is maybe the best way to see Prague - but try to take less turisty streets.

Best regards,
Jiri
jiri@theygraphics.com

Just as Edinburgh is not a 'northern' city

[(Anonymous)]

Prague and Vienna.. Prague is Gothic and Vampiric (the locals might take offence but I mean that as a sexy compliment). Vienna is over-posh to the point of opera-going, passion-dampening and cold, like Edinburgh is not really a 'Northern' city - so Vienna is not an 'Eastern' city.

[thomascott.livejournal.com]

Actually the walk/hike from the Lesser Quarter up Nerudova Ulice(Neruda Street) to Hradcany is a worthwhile diversion, some very lovely buildings and building features - I remember being particularly taken with little details, things like door handles and suchlike.
At the entrance to Hradcany there is a fine panorama of the city, St Vitus's is very magnificent - though again little quirky aspects - like the stained glass windows by Alphonse Mucha intrigued me as much as all the gothic grandeur.
There is also a curious and rather charming little toy museum in the grounds at Hradcany.

all the people talking on this shit are wankers

[(Anonymous)]

have a wank you cun ts

Ashahi Beer

[pay-option07.livejournal.com]

Asahi of Japan contracted a British company to brew their beer that was distributed in Canada. It was brewed near Prague till last year. Now it is actually imported. What does that say about business and capitalist Liberals.