The Memory Person's journey continues in October 2024 with an artist residency at the House of Arts in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic. The residency concludes with a workshop, a public performance, and the IDENT exhibition (4 December 2024 - 8 March 2025)

The city walk, hosted by the Memory Person performers Polina Kathsenka, Jegor Kondratyuk, and Franziska Windolf, begins at the central station and rounds off at the House of Arts. The walk features a modified lightbox suitcase, which serves as a central element of the performance.

Polina Kathsenka explores themes of migration, transportation, and change through five sound compositions. These compositions utilize samples from shellac records dating back to the early 20th century, providing a unique and intimate connection to the soundscapes of a bygone era. These recordings were made possible thanks to the generous assistance of Dr. Kaiser and Petr Karliček, who provided access to the Ústí nad Labem city archive.

Jegor Kondratyuk presents a collection of mementos housed within the suitcase. These objects, created both in Munich and Ústí nad Labem, offer a glimpse into the diverse histories and experiences in the context of exile and migration of the city's inhabitants.

Franziska Windolf, drawing upon her research engaged in during the residency period, introduces the historical significance of various sites along the walk.

The first stop is the railway station, built in 1850. This station played a pivotal role in the development of the region, connecting people and goods across the Ore Mountains. It helped fuel the growth of the coal mining industry in the nearby North Bohemian lignite region. The ÚTD company constructed sidings to connect the railway to mines and factories, making transportation more efficient.

The history of the Schicht (Setuza) factory reflects Ústí nad Labem's diverse workforce. This included groups like Sinti:zze and Roma:nja, and Polish workers, particularly prevalent during the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the interwar period. Later, in the communist era, the factory also employed Vietnamese workers and trainees from countries such as Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Cuba.

Leading up to World War II, in October 1938, Hitler annexed the Sudetenland, and many Germans living there welcomed this move. In the Sudetenland, the area directly bordering Germany, the German population share was about 30-35% of the total population of Bohemia and Moravia, being significantly higher in specific border regions. The Munich Agreement of 1938 allowed for the surrender of the Sudetenland to Germany, and the German Wehrmacht marched in on October 1, 1938.

The end of World War II brought significant changes to the city. The Ústí nad Labem depot, once one of the largest in the country, was heavily damaged. A tragic event occurred on July 31, 1945, at the Beneš Bridge, within sight of the railway station, where German citizens were massacred and thrown into the river Elbe. This event followed President Edvard Beneš's announcement of the expulsion of approximately three million Sudeten Germans from their homeland.

In May 1952, the Beneš Bridge was renamed the Nikos Belogiannis Bridge in honor of the communist resistance fighter. During the Greek Civil War (1946-1949), Eastern Bloc countries, including Czechoslovakia, provided refuge to approximately 50,000 to 80,000 Greek refugees, including an estimated 25,000 children. Czechoslovakia accepted around 11,000 adults and 3,000 children through the "Aid for Greek Children" program. In Ústí nad Labem, facilities such as a home in Velké Březno and an educational center in Trmice were established to support these children. While many refugees initially hoped to return to Greece, the 1967 coup led many to believe that it was no longer safe to do so.

Sonic composition: old shellac recording of the gypsy band Cigánska kapela Dežo Cibulka - Čardáš mix. The original composition is accompanied by its alternated version, subtly dissolving into the environment afterward.

The second stop is Mírové náměstí, the central square of Ústí nad Labem. This square has a rich history, reflected in its changing names. From 1850 to 1938, it was known as Tržní náměstí, or Market Square. Following the 1938 annexation, it was renamed Platz der SA, and after World War II, it became Náměstí President Beneš. Finally, in 1952, it was given its current name, Mírové náměstí, meaning Peace Square.

The square underwent a major renovation between 2005 and 2006, modernizing the area and its features. However, this transformation followed decades of urban renewal that unfortunately led to the loss of many historic buildings. The old courthouse, the Sokol café, and the Zdar restaurant, among others, were demolished in the 1970s to expand the square, a process that involved the extensive use of explosives.

Sonic composition by Mongolian composer Damdin Suren - Four Seasons, again, accompanied by a digitally modified version of it.

After 1989, residents of Ústí nad Labem began to reject propagandistic monuments. For example, in December 1989, students painted the statue of Klement Gottwald in the park named after him. This statue was torn down in January 1990. This led to questions regarding the fate of the monumental mosaic, titled “In Honour of the North Bohemian Workers,” created by artist Miroslav Houra in 1985. Covering an area of 450 m², the mosaic represents the places of remembrance cultivated in socialist Czechoslovakia. The central monument was primarily designed to provide reassurance and orientation within a history defined as both Czech and socialist.

The mosaic remained intact after the Velvet Revolution. Ladislav Cihlar, the first chairman of the district office (Okresní úřad) after 1989, considered the mosaic an inexcusable issue; however, he believed it should still be preserved as a work of art. This assessment was partly influenced by a change made to the mosaic in 1997 under his direction, in which an inscription quoting the socialist constitution—“All power in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic belongs in the hands of the working people”—was removed. It was replaced with an image of a house, purportedly Houra's residence. However, residents mocked this modification, claiming it depicted a building from the now-dissolved village of Libkovice, which had been sacrificed for coal mining in 1993.

Sonic composition: speech by Betty Karpiskova, a Czechoslovak politician, feminist, emancipatory activist, and member of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party, on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.

The demolition of a significant portion of Masarykova Street (formerly Fučíkova Street) made way for a shopping and residential center, creating a sharp corner plot at the intersection of several streets. In November 1986, Hotel Vladimir, named after a Russian twin town, was completed based on a design by architects Rudolf Berg and Zdeněk Havlík. The hotel's interiors displayed artworks from various artists, including A. Procházka, J. Novosad, M. Žofka, M. Bílek, and the carver Čumpelík from Ústí. In front of the hotel stands a 3.6-meter-high bronze statue of a woman welcoming the first Soviet tanks, described as a "symbol of cooperation." This statue, designed by sculptor Václav Kyselka from Teplice, was initially intended to depict a naked figure; however, following guidance from party authorities, the sculptor dressed the figure in a tracksuit.

Today, the hotel is a shelter for Ukrainian refugees.

During a stop at Hotel Vladimir, a recording of the Dekanat Kirche Aussig choir plays—this local choir once performed in the area and was captured on a shellac record. The recording is accompanied by two altered versions: one perfectly fits the length of the piece, while the other is twice as long, creating a harmonic and subtle sound field.

The group is approaching the last stop with a grotesque and celebration-like atmosphere made by a recording of Balalaika orchestra under Jean Davidoff - Bubličky song, where the artifacts of the shellac record are contrary to the previous recordings being amplified to the extent that it resembles a moving train or fireworks.

Public space, Sudetendeutscher Stammtisch, Památník sovětským hrdinům/ Mêstské sady, bar "The Nationalist", Hotel Vladimir

Survey:

Ahoj!

Tento objekt/sbírka předmětů se nazývá „Pamětník" (Memory Person) a je živým památníkem věnovaným lidem, kteří museli opustit své domovy. Prostřednictvím uměleckých děl a příběhů „Pamětník" sdílí jejich zkušenosti. Cestuje na různá místa a přijímá nové podoby, aby mohl být sdílen a dále se rozvíjel.

Chcete přispět? Máte nějaký předmět, příběh nebo úvahu spojené se vzpomínkou a místem v Ústí nad Labem? Prostřednictvím jejich sdílení s „Pamětníkem" se stanou součástí tohoto mezinárodního mobilního pomníku, a zachováte je tak pro budoucí generace.

O projektu si můžete přečíst na těchto webových stránkách: https://www.memoryperson.com/de

V českém jazyce nás můžete kontaktovat zde: erinnerungsmensch@gmail.com.

Anketa: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSLl1H60QKMrVLRsRrMbZv_KDchPwfAHiYVgbUwhwyQPZg4A/viewformAhoj!
Tento objekt/sbírka předmětů se nazývá „Pamětník" (Memory Person) a je živým památníkem věnovaným lidem, kteří museli opustit své domovy. Prostřednictvím uměleckých děl a příběhů „Pamětník" sdílí jejich zkušenosti. Cestuje na různá místa a přijímá nové podoby, aby mohl být sdílen a dále se rozvíjel.
Chcete přispět? Máte nějaký předmět, příběh nebo úvahu spojené se vzpomínkou a místem v Ústí nad Labem? Prostřednictvím jejich sdílení s „Pamětníkem" se stanou součástí tohoto mezinárodního mobilního pomníku, a zachováte je tak pro budoucí generace.
O projektu si můžete přečíst na těchto webových stránkách: https://www.memoryperson.com/de
V českém jazyce nás můžete kontaktovat zde: erinnerungsmensch@gmail.com.
Anketa: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSLl1H60QKMrVLRsRrMbZv_KDchPwfAHiYVgbUwhwyQPZg4A/viewform