SEVEN Slovak artists participated in the Regular Link project that presented contemporary Slovak art, represented by painting, music, dance and design, in Santa Cruz, California. The project was initiated by Platform 1-12, a Slovak organisation for contemporary art and culture from Topoľčany, and the Santa Cruz art community.
“We have been working on the project for nearly nine months,” said Zuzana Godalová, a co-author of the project, as quoted by the TASR newswire. “We knew since the very beginning that we want to present contemporary Slovak art in its various forms to a US audience. We prepared a complex and representative selection of the best that can be found on current Slovak scene.”
Between July 3 and 20, artists Erik Šille, Veronika Šramátyová and Lucia Tallová, graphic designer Matej Lacko, clothing designer Lenka Sršňová, dancer and visual artist Zuzana Žabková, and composer and musician Fero Király presented their works.
Július Krištof from Platform 1-12 said that the various arts had to be presented in various forms.
“We had to find ways to present the work of particular authors in the most acceptable and most understandable form,” Krištof said, as quoted by TASR, adding that they picked a combination of exhibition, fashion happenings in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, as well as workshops and music and dance performances.
The organisers also published their first electronic book titled Pianora, authored by Király. It is a book of games and music compositions for children and music teachers. The translations were made by Kristína Karabová and Peter Zagar, with illustrations by Zbyněk Prokop and the graphic design by Martin Derner, TASR wrote.
Moreover, Király who presented the book demonstrated a special electronic musical instrument called Zvukodrom in Slovak. It was designed by the musician, in cooperation with designer Martin Piaček. Together 20 children can play it at one time while by touching various objects they learn to listen to sounds and music, and learn basics of composition, Király explained.
“I have been presenting Zvukodrom at Slovak schools for some time and it was very popular,” he told TASR. “I was a bit afraid how US children will accept it, but it showed that children are the same everywhere.”
Slovak artists presented their work also at the Santa Cruz Fringe Festival, and opened an exhibition called “I came, I saw, ...” that exhibits works of five visual artists in Apricity Gallery in Tannery Arts Center through August 3. All exhibited pieces were created in the US and were inspired by the experience of their authors during their stay in the US, Krištof said.
