Brno wants plants instead of art on the flood protection wall, but will appreciate the artists

Brno - The city has abandoned plans to artistically enhance the new flood protection wall on Bakala's embankment in Brno. Although the competition sought and awarded artists, the council ultimately wants plants to grow along the wall instead. They believe that greenery fits better into the overall concept of Brno's riverside as a blue-green recreational and relaxation zone. At the same time, concerns about massive vandalism, which the paintings were supposed to prevent, were not confirmed. Roman Burián, the head of the press center of the city hall, stated this to ČTK.

The competition for the artwork was approved by the council in March. Artists submitted 27 proposals, which were evaluated by a jury in September. "The council announced the ranking of the proposals according to the jury's opinion and, in accordance with the competition conditions, approved the awarding of prizes to the authors in the top seven places. At the same time, they recommended the Brno-střed borough, as the second contracting authority, not to select any of the submitted offers for implementation and instead to ensure, in collaboration with the City Architect's Office of Brno, the greening of the flood protection wall," Burián stated. The recommendations of the city will be addressed by the council of the borough.

The artworks were originally supposed to contribute to the creativity of the urban space, make it more attractive, and deter vandalism. Although graffiti has already appeared on the walls, the city does not consider the problem to be massive. "It is clear from the logic of the situation that this specific experience could not have been anticipated. Greening the wall fits better into the overall concept, and moreover, it will help reduce its heating and will be an additional benefit to the microclimate in the area," the official added.

The artworks were also supposed to enhance the section visible from the Kamenný most and Táborské embankment. It runs upstream from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Technology to Bauer's Street along Poříčí. This section is the responsibility of Brno-střed. Whether art or something else will be created there is still uncertain. "We have commissioned the Faculty of Architecture to develop a design for the flood protection wall. We expect to receive the final proposal by the end of October," stated city hall spokesman Michal Šťastný.