Design competition for UPM

UPM, with the help of CZECHDESIGN, is creating a permanent exhibition of design. We are looking for architects and graphic designers for the competition

The permanent exhibition focused on Czech artistic craftsmanship, applied arts, and design from the Middle Ages to the present will find its place in the historic building of the museum, which underwent a reconstruction from 2014 to 2017. The form of the exhibition will be defined by an architectural and design competition managed by CZECHDESIGN. Teams of architects and graphic designers can register with their portfolios for the first round until May 13.

The historic building designed by architect Josef Schulz from 1897 to 1899 is located on 17. listopadu Street and has recently undergone a three-year reconstruction, which fully opened it to visitors and also enlarged the exhibition space for the upcoming permanent exhibition.

The institution holds not only iconic pieces of Czech design and applied arts but also artistic craftsmanship, all currently stored in the new Central Depository in Prague-Stodůlky (2014–2016). These will form the basis for the exhibition, which will be fundamentally different from previous ones.

“The previous exhibitions from the last century either focused solely on stylistic development or material aspects. The new exhibition will be organized around approximately ten key themes and significant areas,” comments PhDr. Radim Vondráček, director of collections and research at the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague.

“We named the exhibition ART - LIFE - MOVEMENT, From the Middle Ages to Contemporary Design. We will show a wide spectrum of collections over a larger time span, connecting the past and present. This will be one of the attractive features of the exhibition, as well as its modern and appealing design,” explains PhDr. Helena Koenigsmarková, director of the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague.

The museum has decided to announce a competition for the exhibition solution. “We have very openly decided to approach the creative solution of the permanent exhibition and invite architects and graphic designers through an open competition in collaboration with the organization CZECHDESIGN, which has recently gathered rich experience with similar projects. We believe that in the winning creative team that will participate in the preparation of the permanent exhibition, we will gain a partner for long-term and mutually inspiring collaboration,” adds Koenigsmarková regarding the competition.

The first part of the permanent exhibition is being prepared to open at the beginning of next year and, according to Vondráček, has great ambitions. “We are convinced that by making the permanent exhibition accessible, it will strengthen the prestige of UPM among the world's museums of applied arts and design, and the ranks of domestic and foreign visitors will expand, especially those who enjoy returning to our museum,” he adds.

The two-round competition will involve teams consisting of an architect and a graphic designer, who will jointly create a proposal for a creative solution to the permanent exhibition. The first part will be open and based on the presentation of portfolios, while in the second round, the jury will select a maximum of 5 teams that will present a proposal for the creative solution of the exhibition (architectural and graphic solution).

DEADLINE for submitting portfolios and information about the team composition (so-called application for participation in the competition) is until May 13, 2019, at 3:00 PM

DETAILED ASSIGNMENT AND COMPETITION RULES:
http://www.czechdesign.cz/souteze/soutez-pro-architekty-a-grafiky-stala-expozice-upm

REWARDS
1st place: 100,000 CZK excluding VAT
2nd place: 70,000 CZK excluding VAT
3rd place: 50,000 CZK excluding VAT
4th place: 45,000 CZK excluding VAT
5th place: 40,000 CZK excluding VAT

JURY
Independent part of the jury with voting rights:
Lada Hubatová Vacková, curator and design theorist, UMPRUM
Zuzana Lednická, graphic designer, Studio Najbrt
Jan Němeček, designer, studio Olgoj Chorchoj
Adam Štěch, curator and theorist of design and architecture, studio OKOLO
Petr Uhlík, Uhlík architects
Dependent part of the jury with voting rights:
Helena Koenigsmarková, director of UPM
Radim Vondráček, director of collections and research at UPM
Iva Knobloch, curator of the collection of applied graphics at UPM
Dušan Seidl, head of the department of collection presentation at UPM
Members of the jury with advisory voice:
Lenka Míková, Lenka Míková architects
Jan Skřivánek, art theorist, editor-in-chief of Art+Antiques
Vladimíra Sehnalíková, curator of educational activities at UPM
Michaela Kindlová, head of the marketing and PR department at UPM
Sylvie Novotná, exhibition production at UPM
Curators of UPM: Konstantina Hlaváčková, Lucie Vlčková, Jan Mergl, Petra Matějovičová, Jiří Fronek, Mariana Kubištová

MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS IN PRAGUE
Founded in 1885. Its main focus is to conduct basic and applied research in the field of the history of Czech and foreign applied arts, design, book culture, photography, and fashion creation. It also engages in publishing, presentation, and exhibition activities. The library of the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague is the largest Czech public specialized library focused on fine and applied arts, architecture, and design. In addition to the main building, the museum also includes several branches outside Prague.
http://www.upm.cz

CZECHDESIGN
CZECHDESIGN is a professional umbrella organization that takes care of the development of design in the Czech Republic. It has long advocated the application of design in practice and fair conditions in design competitions. It operates the most-read web portal about Czech design www.czechdesign.cz, supports and promotes Czech designers, advises companies and institutions on how to collaborate with designers, and is a leading organizer of design competitions.
http://www.czechdesign.cz/

CONTACT
Jarmila Řehořková, PR & Digital CZECHDESIGN
e-mail: Jarmila.rehorkova@czechdesign.cz, tel. no.: +420 724 021 575