A creative experiment on display

International art and design students from Prague College have presented the oeuvres they've been toiling on this semester in two graduation exhibitions showcasing both the experimental and applied sides of art.

Nine Trajectories, the exhibition for the nine students in the B.A. (honors) Fine Art Experimental Media program, ran May 18-22 at Trafačka Hall in Prague 9. FS14, the final show for the 14 graduates of the B.A. (honors) Graphic Design program, opened May 19 and will close May 26 in the BF AKK Gallery, also in Prague 9.

Nine Trajectories featured final projects from the experimental art students, who tinkered with a wide range of forms and media - from painting to performance and Plexiglas to pixels - as they re-imagined the past and explored the future of artistic expression.

The three-year program was itself an experiment, as this was the first graduating class.

"We are the laboratory mice," said student Peter Marenčík.

Marenčík does video mapping in the emerging field of generative art. For his project, he created an algorithmic system that produces ever-changing, never-repeating sounds and images, which are projected onto an installation of geometric objects.

It's cutting-edge stuff, but he says the concept of generative art has been around for centuries.

"Even Mozart used some kind of randomized system," he said.

Marenčík sees his work as a form of storytelling. Within the images lie "illusions, imaginary worlds, stories which are there but you don't really see them," he said.

Fellow student Jamba Mulimbwe from Angola is also a storyteller, but in a more traditional sense. He grew up amid a rich heritage of ancient African myths and folktales, and he uses visual art to bring these stories to life.

"My goal is to reconstruct part of my past which is not present," he said.

In his final project, Mulimbwe used both acrylic paint on canvas and pyrography (wood burning, literally "writing with fire") to create sets of symbols that tell a traditional story.

The images appear to be abstract representations, but they're actually a system of hieroglyphs.

Mulimbwe's work is a revival of Sona drawing, an African tradition in which storytellers would trace geometric symbols into the sand to illustrate their tales.

"I'm always asking myself who I am, and to answer this is to know who we were - to better know my past," he said.

A former cybernetics student at the Czech Technical University in Prague, Mulimbwe is also familiar with advanced technologies. He hopes to begin using videography and 3-D animation to tell these old African stories.

"I want to merge the past with the future," he said.

For Mulimbwe, the exhibition was a trial run from which he could gauge public reaction to his work.

Other students saw it as an opportunity to make professional contacts.

A degree in experimental art may sound impractical, but Prague College tailors its art and design programs to focus on "professional career preparation," said spokeswoman Radka Spiesová.

Marenčík, who studied economics at a state university before enrolling at Prague College, said the program was "more practical than in the state schools."

The same practical focus informs the graphic design program as well. At the FS14 exhibition, students have been displaying their final projects: complete real-world design campaigns.

Jamie Foulston, a student from England who also works for a local design company, created an advertising campaign for the launch of an imagined sushi bar called "Sooshee."

Drawing from the Japanese visual style of "kawaii," which has been promulgated worldwide via Hello Kitty, he developed an artistic concept and then designed posters, a website, an iPhone app, T-shirts and even a promotional white Smart Car resembling a piece of nigiri sushi.  

"After researching existing sushi bars in Europe, I discovered that no other venue has a style like this," Foulston said.

After graduating, Foulston will move to London to pursue his design career. Though potential clients and collaborators attending the exhibition would be from the local community, he was still excited to present his work.

"It's the first exhibition of my work ever. It's great; I'm really happy to be able to show it to people," he said.

Prague College operates in collaboration with Teesside University in England and awards students certified UK degrees.

More photos of the exhibition are available at Flickr.com/Praguecollege

Gordon LaForge can be reached at
features@praguepost.com