Mind the Passage
at Kumst Brno
Mind the Passage was a collective site-specific installation for the hallway of the creative hub KUMST in Brno. It was meant as an intervention, completely transforming the regular gallery space of the building into an immersive audiovisual experience for passers-by. Promoting mindfulness and well-being with carefully selected audio segments, it invited viewers to engage with their thoughts and sensations. A looping projection consisted of five artworks real-time generated in TouchDesigner, created by the collective of a new experiemental course group of PV257.
Artists: Martin Bertko, Marek Dohnal, Vojtěch Minařík, Martin Nastoupil, Šárka Portešová
Production: Mgr. Marko Řeháček (@zkrat.kolektiv), Mgr. Magdaléna Kejstová
Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Mgr.art. Helena Lukášová, ArtD.
Special thanks to KUMST Brno and their curator Tamara Pavlechová @ta.ma.pa for collaboration!
Statement
Monday. The walls feel about to collapse. A desperate struggle for breath. Do not think about this and that. What else can go wrong? This feels like being stuck in a meat-grinder. I hope I can get my work done today. Thoughts collide, a chaotic ballet. Who’s saying that? I’ll… slow down.
Lack of time, lack of focus. Being overwhelmed. Restless. Always occupied, in constant worry. Nothing works. Nothing is right. Frustration and judgment. Disconnected from others and oneself. Impatience. Fear of being alone with one's thoughts. Gut problems, insomnia. These are all characteristics of a mind burdened by today's fast-paced world. For all distressed minds, we have made an installation that encourages us to slow down and become present in the moment. Each segment features a speech by Alan Watts, a prominent figure in introducing mindfulness practices in Eastern philosophy to the West.
Exhibition opening at Kumst
Presented artworks
Nocturnal Lumina—Martin Bertko
Remember those moments as a child, intently watching raindrops trickle down the car window. How you eagerly followed their races. How the city lights refracted on them. How you poured your thoughts and dreams into them.
Intestines—Marek Dohnal
The peristalsis of the bowel produced a painful contraction. A perception as if from the inside of the body, workings of a microbial, alien system, which at this moment captured your entire focus. Ceaseless flow, upward to a weightless state, or downward to the sea floor. In any case, an entire space-ride you can’t exit. How did you get here, was it sudden dizzying anxiety of some kind, or just something you ate?
Ignition—Vojtěch Minařík
A visual symphony of flames and circles that represent not only desire and passion, but also the inner fire that drives each person to creative expression. It immortalizes the moments of intensity and inspiration that divide and unite human souls in their deepest emotions and imaginations.
Current Concentration—Martin Nastoupil
This piece takes us into the dynamic world of thought creation, from a spark towards a final idea. The electrifying visuals ignite and pulsate with ideas, but also the focused energy transforms the ideas into something tangible. It invites us to tap into our own creative potential.
The Rorschach Plant—Šárka Portešová
Every plant is not just an object of natural beauty, but also represents a mirror of human emotions. The number of flowers we give, their color, and type allow us to express the emotions we feel towards another person. Through the connection of plants with the principle of symmetry, the work becomes a kind of living Rorschach test, revealing our hidden perception of emotions and inviting a deeper understanding of ourselves through dialogue with nature.
