Designed by Mjölk Architekti, a high seat was installed on the main square in České Budějovice where it stayed for a month. It is situated high up so that it does not interfere with everyday life on the ground and offers sufficient privacy to its occupants. Over the month of the exhibition, this space with a floor area of 6.25 m2 hosted several inspiring personalities, the so-called “urban hunters”. They are the masters of their time and space. All the necessities needed for comfortable living are provided. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The urban high seat is a continuation of our existing architectural style, starting with small-scale projects and aimed at using living space with maximum efficiency. Efficiency is not only expressed in data relating to the size of the built-up area, but also as the added value of the atmosphere present in the house and the experience had by its occupants. This project does not serve as an experiment devised to discover new scientific facts. The aim is to provide the inhabitants with a new experience of occupying minimal space, a new urban experience. The place opens up new dimensions and perceptions for both its occupants and passers-by. It is designed to provide its residents maximum comfort within the limits of minimum dimensions.
Through the sterility of space, the house occupants are yanked out of ‘everydayness’ by the arrangement of space and objects. It simplifies the transition from the current semi-conscious perception of the world to full consciousness, and enhances self-awareness in relation to the surrounding space and objects within. When closed in a small but thoughtfully designed area, one can enjoy great freedom. Solitude allows concentration and pushes the limits of thinking beyond everyday experience. The object takes the virginity from the space preserved on the square for centuries and controlling the thinking of the town’s inhabitants. It represents a high seat in a forest made of people, a hut on the rock formed by a paved square.
The urban high seat is an accompanying project to the author’s exhibition of the architectural studio Mjölk Architects. In addition to several projects, the gallery, situated on the same square not far from the high seat, offers a tour of the architects’ studio. For the duration of the exhibition, they moved their office and all its furnishings to the gallery all the way from Liberec, a town situated 250 kilometres from České Budějovice. Visitors can thus take an inside look at the work of the Mjölk architectural studio. The architects will offer a cup of coffee, a small chat, or their services.
Architects: Mjölk Architekti Location: České Budějovice, Czech Republic House of Art Curator: Michal Škoda Date of Exhibition: September 6 – October 7
