An installation that evolves into a stage through interdisciplinary collaboration to further enrich the Field of Sparks site in the countryside of Ipolytarnóc. The initiative provides space for creation not only for architect studios but also for university projects and students. In the latest part of our mini-series, we focus on the philosophy of Studio VVV, a studio of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (VŠVU), and their installation made for the art week.
Studio VVV is a studio of the Intermedia Department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, led by artist and sculptor Martin Piaček and artist, graphic designer Dávid Koronczi. As a trained sculptor, Martin works with a wide range of materials and techniques, with interests in individual and collective memory and memorials. Still, his practice also includes public spaces, landscape architecture, and environmentalism in a broader sense.
The studio’s name can be interpreted as a kind of poetic abbreviation, a symbol that sums up the focus of this creative environment. The three v’s stand for the Slovak words vizuálne, verbálne, verejné, which mean visual, verbal, and public. Studio VVV is a big fan of interdisciplinarity—their projects represent a broad spectrum of artistic and creative fields, including performance, dance, music, film, and literature. They collaborate with various professionals from sociologists to rappers, from science to performing arts, everything is of great interest to them. “The studio aims to create a strong institutional and theoretical background as well as to provide support. We believe that such an environment contributes to personal development and prepares students for the economic and professional conditions and challenges of the future,” said Martin.
One of their favorite projects was a collaboration with the Studio of Photography at the University of Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, on the phenomenon surrounding food. “We looked at the subject from many angles: political, economic, and production. Food as a necessity, a pleasure, and a cultural phenomenon has been at the center,” he noted.
The interdisciplinarity and intermingling of media represented by Studio VVV are also highlighted in their installation for the Field of Sparks week. “We don’t want to be present simply as architects; our ambition is beyond that—we want to experience the space and bring it to life, even if only temporarily,” Martin emphasized.
Their concept is inspired by the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale by the Grimm brothers—the project creates a common ground for mutual understanding, possible participation, and interpretation between the locals and the creators of the studio, despite the language barriers. Besides the linguistic reference, Sleeping Beauty also symbolizes the potential that lies dormant in Ipolytarnóc, the location of the art week. “There will be a language barrier between the locals and the Studio VVV team: we want to simplify this idea, this message, but also to capture it emotionally. With a formally simple installation, we refer to the story of Sleeping Beauty, an internationally well-known tale. We believe that this concept also refers allegorically to the place where the installation is located: Ipolytarnóc is a ‘sleeping’ region struggling to find a new perspective.”
The installation consists of a wooden deck with a stylized castle—this platform can be temporarily changed, modified, and brought to life with the help of other participants. The studio intends to present the installation as a complex, performative stage in a special event at the Field of Sparks.
Although not as broad as Studio VVV’s philosophy, specific art forms, such as graphics, have played an important role in the Field of Sparks initiative in the past. Zsófia Majorosi, the Graphic Design Coordinator of the event, added:
“I consider it essential that students from the fine arts and other fields also participate in the project, mainly because this is how I joined the project three years ago: through the cooperation between the Field of Sparks and the Department of Media and Design at Eszterházy Károly University. As an art student myself, I have experienced the difficulty of finding inspiration for creative work in a familiar university environment. This is the time when a new perspective comes in handy. Working alongside each other, everyone can experience that what we are doing together makes sense. There will be a shared effort and a network of relationships that develops as we work. We want the students at the University of Bratislava to benefit from the same kind of experience.”
Studio VVV members will be participating in the Field of Sparks art week, but not exhaustive:
Dodo Kršek artist, beekeeper and yoga practitioner; Paula Malinowska visual artist; Lýdia Ondrušová actor (theatre NUDE); Jozef Pilát visual artist; Tomáš Prištiak musician (founder of Weltschmertzen); Eva Takácsová visual artist and gardener.
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“Freedom, art, architecture, nature and rock’n’roll”—Ipolytarnóc will be transformed and drop off its everyday routine between August 21-28. In our latest mini-series, week by week, you can get to know the Field of Sparks’ flagship partners and the artworks they have designed for the event venue.
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