29.01.2019
I had a short trip to Prague, Czech Republic, this week and whilst I was there I noticed that in contrast to all their traditional Gothic and Renaissance style buildings, it was quite an urban and contemporary city. A few shop window displays seemed to blur the line between an art installation and  a decorated window. Using technology and screens as an aid to catch passer by's attention, one shop really struck me as innovative and creative with the props and items used to accessorise their shop display.
In one of the city centre's streets I also came across an art installation of a fishing net holding an assortment of plastic bottles and litter, lit with some colour correlating lights. As the piece was high up it was easily missable, which I think coincides with the possible message. As a culture we seem to know about the damage plastics are causing our environment and wildlife (especially in the more recent years) but seem to do nothing about it. Research and activists are providing us access to crucial information that we should be pursuing, but as this causes extra effort in our daily routines, we choose wilful ignorance over action. By having this statement piece there but easily missable or easily ignored it provides us a window to see how we know about the problem but choose to ignore it. Seeing activist art pieces tackling the same themes in a different country reinforces that this is a worldwide problem that needs action, but also excites me and gives me faith that little by little we can make a difference and encourage change.
During my stay we also visited the Prague Castle where they had staged scenes of what life for the workers in the Castle would have been like in the early 1900's. This was also helpful for me to see how they filled the space with different objects and props to make the area look lived in and natural. This is the effect I want to create and it was helpful to see different types of spaces who have similar intentions, and get a grasp of techniques I can implement myself.