Prague International Design Festival

The High Craft exhibition held at the Prague Castle Riding School brings the best of Czech design, fashion and craft to the 26th Designblok

26. 9. 2024

The Designblok Prague International Design Festival has returned to the prestigious exhibition spaces of the largest castle complex in the world. The grand halls of the Prague Castle Riding School will come alive with the special High Craft exhibition, made possible with the support of the First Lady of the Czech Republic, Mrs. Eva Pavlová. Curated by festival director Jana Zielinski and art director Jiří Macek and produced in collaboration with the Prague Castle Administration and Vogue CS, the exhibition features over thirty Czech designers and brands which deftly combine traditional craft and innovative, environmentally friendly production processes with the highest aesthetic standards. The Riding School’s raised mezzanine will feature the High Craft Books thematic exhibition which will engage the audience with exceptional books and publications. The 26th Designblok will take place 2–6 October in the spaces of Prague Castle, the Museum of Prague and Bastion Florenc, the Museum of Decorative Arts and other places around Prague.

As part of the 26th Designblok, the High Craft exhibition will present traditional brands alongside the up-and-comers of Czech design, both new partnerships and long-term collaborations, as well as a diverse range of products – from delicate jewelry to vases, from fashion and glassware to entire furniture collections. “Designblok achieved its international reputation mostly through the exceptional talent of Czech designers and their perfect skill in rendering traditional materials such as glass, porcelain and wood. Here, we present our selection of the very best works, connecting unique craftsmanship and contemporary design under a single title – High Craft. It was also important for our curatorial conception that the pieces be produced within the territory of Czechia. You can find the works of Janja Prokić, DECHEM, Lukáš Novák with KodlContemporary, MOSER and Jan Plecháč, BROKIS and Lucie Koldová, the traditional HARRACHOV glass factory under the new artistic directorship of LLEV Studio (Marcel and Eva Mochal), and much more. The exhibition was furthermore conceived with the support of the First Lady of the Czech Republic, Mrs. Eva Pavlová,” says High Craft co-curator and Designblok director Jana Zielinski.

High Craft visitors at the Prague Castle Riding School can look forward to seeing the works of over 30 designers and brands. The acclaimed Lexová & Smetana duo was approached by the family-owned company of Hrdina & České pískovce with a project for designing a collection of sandstone tables inspired by the Prague Castle and the works of architect Jože Plečnik. Designer Jiří Krejčiřík joined forces with the BUDU brand and together they made a new collection of folding furniture. In the interactive installation by designer Martina Špetlová, a London-based alumni of the prestigious Central Saint Martins University, the festival visitors will get to experience her bold, handmade leather textiles made with the help of digital technologies. The exhibition will also feature the unusual brocade fabrics of Veronika Velčovská Jiroušková or the works of MAY studio by Štěpánka Pivcová who dresses the First Lady of the Czech Republic. Leading jewelers Janja Prokić and Dick Wolf have also prepared some new collections. And the centuries-old tradition of Czech glass will be reflected through contemporary design – František Jungvirt will present his newest works, as will the favorite DECHEM studio and the eminent MOSER and BROKIS Czech glassworks. The exhibition will also feature the works of some of the oldest glass producers in all of Central Europe – the HARRACHOV glass factory and the revived Květná 1794 glassworks. Please find the entire list of featured projects in the online catalog at designblok.cz.

The High Craft exhibition has been co-produced with the Prague Castle Administration and the Vogue CS magazine. “We are very happy to continue our last year’s great collaboration, when Designblok returned to Prague Castle after a few years of absence. Where last year, Designblok was held at the Ball Games Hall of Prague Castle, this year it will take place in the loftier Prague Castle Riding School where visitors can view the best of contemporary Czech design in a space spanning 2000 m2. The exhibition will show the best works of traditional studios as well as young talent, so there is much to look forward to,” says Veronika Wolf, Director of Cultural Programmes at Prague Castle. The long-term goals of Vogue CS include raising awareness and supporting exceptional talent in the fashion industry. Vogue CS CEO Michaela Seewald and editor-in-chief Danica Kovářová will together award the Vogue Nominee award for young fashion designers, and the Vogue CS installation will also present the finalist works. “The High Craft exhibition will engage the visitors with the contemporary world of fashion and design, emphasizing sustainability, tradition and creativity, which are at the core of our philosophy. This was a unique opportunity for Vogue CS. Our presence in such a prestigious and historical space as the Prague Castle Riding School symbolizes not only the marrying of tradition and modern design, but also reflects our commitment to present innovative and inspirational projects. I personally consider it as validation of the direction and vision Vogue CS has been trailblazing over the past few years,” says Vogue CS Founder and CEO Michaela Seewald about the High Craft exhibition.

The raised mezzanine of the Prague Castle Riding School will present the High Craft Books exhibition, familiarizing visitors with the works of leading Czech publishers focusing on high-quality graphic renditions of book projects and publications. The exhibition will feature wo-men, Verzone, Poketo, nastole and Meander, as well as Beyond Paper Plane – a project produced by the Czech Centers. The lower floor of the Prague Castle Riding School will furthermore present an aesthetic and gastronomical experience, as visitors will get a chance to try the pop-up café produced in collaboration with White Circus catering, while the balcony space will host a VIP Lounge designed by acclaimed scenographer Marek Cpin. And on 30 September 2024, the terrace of the Prague Castle Riding School will come alive with a special pre-premiere, and on the same day, the world-renowned architect and founder of the MVRDV studio Winy Maas will present his research project – The Green Dip by The Why Factory – which presents a visual manifesto for accommodating green vegetation into our cities.

Part of this year’s Designblok program will take place in another part of Prague Castle – the Lobkowicz Palace. On Thursday, 3 October, the independent international jury presided by Ben Hobson, journalist and co-CEO of the prestigious Dezeen online magazine, will award the 2024 Designblok Awards – the most prestigious awards of the festival, given out to the most exceptional works and projects. On Saturday, the Lobkowicz Palace will host public fashion shows presenting the final diploma works designed by finalists of the European Designblok Diploma Selection competition. The festival will also provide visitors with discounted entry to the ongoing exhibition The Art of Books, which is on view at Queen Anne’s Summer Palace, organized by the Prague Castle Administration in collaboration with Identita – The Story of Czech Graphic Design and the Museum of Literature. The exhibition approaches books not so much through their content but their form. It presents them as aesthetic and artisanal objects, exhibiting works which are notable for their typography, handwriting, graphic rendition as well as unique illustrations. Working in collaboration with the Identita project, Designblok will also feature the film premiere of Identity: A Film about Czech Graphic Design which maps out more than a century of Czech visual culture.

The 26th Designblok will take place 2–6 October 2024 at Prague Castle, the Museum of Prague, Bastion Florenc, the Museum of Decorative Arts and other locations around Prague. The exhibition Bóda Horák: Biosphere will be open to the public until 28 October 2024. The complete program and tickets for discount price will be available at designblok.cz.