FLOWER UNION 12/7-31/12 2022, Council of European Union, Brussels

As a part of this year’s Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, nine young Czech artists and designers created decorations for two buildings in Brussels. These artists decided to use their work to express the values that the European Union embodies for them and which they believe it should continue to embody in the future. They also tried to highlight the idea of Europeanism rather than to simply present the Czech Republic as one of the member states. Their collective project, as well as their individual endeavours, are linked by the concept of a community of plants sharing a single piece of soil, thus also stressing the environmental agenda, which will reverberate strongly during the Czech Presidency. 

Informality in the world of flowers
On behalf of the slow fashion brand Overall Office, Karolína Juříková and Kristýna Nováková permeate several parts of the project in the form of garments and textiles inspired by the diverse realm of flowers in color and shape.

In Jakub Jansa's video, the statesmanlike wardrobe intertwines with the physiognomy of flowers, taking their most essential features from both worlds. The political formality is combined with the natural exuberance, but also with the simple naive parroting of children's TV shows. On the personified figures of flowers, dresses bud, bloom and fade. The Celerist, styled as a stand-up comedian in a tailcoat, and his mother, the more mystical Celerian Fortune Teller, in a flowered pale robe complemented by a similarly copper-effect peach dress.

Overall Office's second clothing entry heads into Valentina Janů's video to link the clothing and the world of flowers as a leitmotif for all three parts of the film, as well as the costume with the set of the scene. The rose-blossom coat merges with the rose garden of Petřín, while the red jacket of the presenter is a paraphrase of the formal presenter's attire. It is made of the author's fabric using a unique Czechoslovak technique of art protis, usually used for creating non-woven wall carpets. The technique is also reflected in the furniture and objects by the duo Pošová & Fastrová.

The artist's fast-paced method of fabrication absorbed the monotonous garments worn in the European Parliament, such as shirts, jackets and ties, and transformed them into the form of wilful flowers. They thus send a positive message in the form of a hidden hope for the environment, which is daily affected by the production of new clothes in a fast-fashion environment.

FLOWER UNION WEBSITE

 

 

THINK MORE BASIC, City Surfer Gallery, 2.8.2019 Prague

Think More Basic is the 2nd gallery presentation by Overall Office. Try to imagine what do your clothes do when you are not at home. Maybe your black pants are dating your pink pants, or shoes are in a war with hats. I don’t know. Do you know? Do they know where do they come from? Are they privileged pantriarchy members? Or exploited outsleevers? Identity politics wars in your wardrobe. Off whites vs. supremes Esprits vs. Dickies. Wish them good luck to find a New Balance. 

illustrated by MARTIN GROCH , photo by JAN KOLSKY