Memory of the Nation at Stalin

Letná. The former monument of J.V.Stalin. We are cramped in a dark narrow corridor. The walls feel damp. The musty earthy smell stings in our noses. Suddenly a voice emerges from the dark. There is light. Soon the space is resonating with sounds of a Hitler salute and Spitfire aircrafts moving sharply around. The Battle of Britain is replaced by a death transport then the intensity of a secret police interrogations is lifted up by the demonstrations in November 1989.

We leave the spatial installation and enter the next room. We get drawn into a pantheon filled with testimonies. The stories are divided up into nine periods, there is a short video devoted to each one of them. We go up towards the Metronome to get some fresh air and enjoy the view of Prague in summer. What a nasty surprise! Our view is brutally blocked off by a black wall. There is something wrong with the Metronome too. It seems to have been frozen in one position.

The right part of the multimedia installation presenting powerful moments of 20th century.

Witness the dogfights of the Battle of Britain or find yourself caught up in a death transport, a StB interrogation, or a demonstration of November 1989.

We appear in some kind of weird timelessness. Is this totalitarian vibe going to last forever? The exhibition focuses on some the dark episodes of the 20th century and to some of the different ways freedom has been restricted. We explore feelings of discomfort. These feelings are evoked by exploring the space of concentration camps and prison cells.

In addition to visiting the exhibition under the present-day Metronome, you will also be able to immerse yourself in the Paměti národa (Memory of the Nation) stories which are displayed on the various panels in front of the entrance to the exhibition, as well as around Letná Park. And you will definitely not be able to miss another part of the exhibition – a monument at the original site of the Stalin statue. A symbol of censorship, un-freedom, and the violent division of the world.

The left part of the column-hall hosting unique stories from the Memory of the Nation collection.

These narratives are separated into nine different periods.

Each of those periods is dedicated a roughly five minute video.

Through candle light representing the velvet revolution the visitor walks into the present and the threats of authoritarian regimes faced today. The question is what do we need to do to keep our freedom.

Art Director

Martin Hejl

Exhibition Concept

Martin Hejl, Karel Poupě, Long Phi Trieu, Mikuláš Kroupa, Jan Polouček

Script

Martin Hejl, Karel Poupě, Kateřina Šípková, Mikuláš Kroupa

Director

Martin Hejl, Viktor Portel, Karel Poupě

Architecture

Lenka Hejlová, Martin Hejl, Pavel Uličný, Petr Láska

Animation and Illustration

Long Phi Trieu, Petr Janák, Vojtěch Šálek, Vojtěch Pecka, Jan Nálepa, Michal Lažanský

Sound and Music

Pavel Jan

Light Design and Programming

Jan Nálepa

Producer

Jan Polouček

AV producer

Alžběta Karásková, Karel Poupě

AV Installation, Mapping

Jakub Pešek, David Fernandez, Michal Průcha, Lukáš Dřevjaný & crew

Editing

Tomáš Elšík, Viktor Portel, Matěj Pospíšil, Michal Špirko, Adam Martinec

Postproduction

Petr Janák, Tomáš Elšík, Zdeněk Durdil

Voice Recording

Matouš Godík, Lukáš Turza

Used Photos and Videos

Archiv Paměť národa, ČTK, Lukáš Žentel

Collaboration

by Pink, superlative.works, Post Bellum, ARA továrna na nábytek, Lunchmeat and others

Photography

BoysPlayNice, Salim Issa

Memory of the Nation at Stalin

Other projects