Like other countries located on the wrong side of the former Iron Curtain, untarnished by globalisation until recently, Slovakia has now been invaded by the unifi ed worldwide aesthetics of multinational monopolies. Information technologies have enabled aesthetic trends to spread faster than infections. Only the power of local culture can guarantee that the good things will be absorbed and that it will not allow itself to be diluted, or washed away, by worthless ballast, another by-product of globalisation. The question is not whether to replace domestic ballast with its foreign equivalent. The question is how to avoid it completely, while maintaining – or, in Slovakia’s case, building – one’s own identity. What does the word “Slovak” mean today? Is it a reference to the rural past, to the romantics of folklore, or pride in the country as such?
What is certain is that the entire body of design produced on Slovak territory can be labelled “Slovak”. This prerequisite is not, however, as clear as it seems, for it only meets geographical demands as to origin, while design itself does not necessarily reflect the cultural and social environment in which it originated. Can the term “national design” then be applied in a Slovak context?
A long-term tendency to present Slovakia, first and foremost, through its folklore inclines towards a definition of “national design” as design with a pronounced element of “Slovakness”. And provided there exists such a thing as “Slovakness” in design, how is it reflected in its concept and form?
The main purpose of this project is not to find clear answers to the questions above but to describe the current state of Slovak identity in visual communication. It is an experiment, the goal of which is to show specifi cally where several generations of graphic designers stand on the issue, and fi nd out how their work resonates with the cultural envi-ronment in which it was created. The results might be as surprising as those of Slovak ice hockey.
The project was initiated and exhibited in collaboration with the Bienniale Brno 2008.
Exhibiting authors: Juraj Balogh, Palo Bálik, Johana Balušíková, Marcel Benčík, Juraj Blaško, Katka Czikorová, Lukáš Čeman, Andrej Dieneš, Mikina Dimunova, Palo Ďurák, Natália Ferienčíková, Ján Filípek, Jakub Frölich, Peter Gála, Diana Garafová, Ondrej Gavalda, Alex Gutrai, Alica Horváthová, Juraj Chaláni, Miša Chmeličková, Marek Chmiel, Ondrej Jób, Tomáš Klepoch, Kateřina Kubánková, Nikola Latković, Roman Mackovič, Adam Marko, Branislav Matis, Veronika Melicherová, Boris Meluš, Svätopluk Mikyta, Pavlína Morháčová, Jana Némethová, Veronika Obertová, Róbert Paršo, Karol Prudil, Ľubica Segečová, Kristína Slivková, Lenka Stodůlková, Zuzana Šestáková, Lucia Šimková, Martin Šútovec, Peter Vido, Oľga Zemanovičová
The text was published in the exhibition catalogue.
Roman Mackovič, Untitled, poster, 2008
author: Roman Mackovič
Svätopluk Mikyta, The Proper Strain, drawing, 2008
author: Svätopluk Mikyta
Pavlína Morháčová, Slovak Poetry, receipts, 2005
author: Pavlína Morháčová
Zuzana Šestáková, Embroidered Flags, textile, 2008
author: Zuzana Šestáková
Palo Bálik, Boris Meluš, Svätopluk Mikyta; Goose for a Ham, design of the exhibition, 2007
author: Palo Bálik, Boris Meluš, Svätopluk Mikyta
Marcel Benčík, Juraj Blaško, Alica Horváthová, Ľubica Segečová; Creater/Slovak Creative Impact, catalogue, 2007
author: Marcel Benčík, Juraj Blaško, Alica Horváthová, Ľubica Segečová
Ondrej Jób, Slovak/Danish – compares Slovakia and Denmark through photographs and short conversations made with instant messengers, book, 2007
author: Ondrej Jób
Katarína Czikorová, Lightning Flashes Over Tatra, T-shirt, 2008
author: Katarína Czikorová
Marek Chmiel, Pavlína Morháčová, Illah van Oijen; Urban Landscapes of Bratislava, book, 2007
author: Marek Chmiel, Pavlína Morháčová, Illah van Oijen
Slávka Pauliková, Slovak Handwritting Study, 2008
author: Slávka Pauliková
Peter Vido, “Tatras, Our Pride”, poster, 2008
author: Peter Vido
Lukáš Čeman, Dishes, 2008
author: Lukáš Čeman
Peter Gála, Diversed Valley – Single Country, folkloric map, 2008
author: Peter Gála
Ľubica Segečová, Czech-o-Slovakia, belt design, 2008
author: Katarína Bellová
Roman Mackovič, Let the Lambs Come to Me, installation, 2008
author: Roman Mackovič
Juraj Blaško, Ice Hockey Allegory, installation, 2008
author: Juraj Blaško
Palo Bálik, Flag, 2008
author: Palo Bálik
Palo Bálik, 6 ks SK, T-shirt collection, 2005 (photo: Paf vs. Tescomatic)
author: Palo Bálik
Mikina Dimunová, IDentity, poster, 2008
author: Mikina Dimunová
Jana Némethová, Folk Couture, fashion catalogue, 2006
author: Jana Némethová
Marek Chmiel, Veselica, typeface inspired by work of national artist Martin Benka, 2007
author: Marek Chmiel
Alex Gutrai, Slovak Titans, local origami, 2007
author: Alex Gutrai
Jakub Fröhlich, EU Recommends, stencil, 2004
author: Jakub Fröhlich
Lucia Šimková, poster from the workshop “Home” (visiting lector Yasha Rozov), 2007
author: Lucia Šimková
Marcel Benčík, Slovak new banknotes design, 2004
author: Marcel Benčík
Nikola Latkovič, Slovak folk song (in bossa nova style), video clip, 2005
author: Nikola Latkovič
Michaela Chmelíčková, Ján Filípek, Ondrej Gavalda; Beet/Rap Campaign, video, workshop in Kremnica, 2005
author: Michaela Chmelíčková, Ján Filípek, Ondrej Gavalda
Martin Šútovec, “Slovakia doesn’t need design”, poster, 2005
author: Martin Šútovec
Tomáš Klepoch, Skrep, suitcase, 2008
author: Tomáš Klepoch
Karol Prudil, Uniformity, poster, 2008
author: Karol Prudil
Juraj Balogh, Automother, poster, 2008, (Slovakia produce more cars per head than any other country in the world)
author: Juraj Balogh
Karol Prudil, Klin, typeface, 2008
author: Karol Prudil
Johana Balušíková, Jigsaw Herbal/Type specimen, type specimen, 2003
author: Johana Balušíková
Michaela Chmelíčková, Slovak Statistics, textile print, 2008
author: Mgr. Ivan Kříž
Palo Ďurák, Juraj Chaláni, Veronika Melicherová, Andrej Dieneš, Kateřina Kubánková; Redesign, 2008
author: Palo Ďurák, Juraj Chaláni, Veronika Melicherová, Andrej Dieneš, Kateřina Kubánková
Veronika Obertová, Kristína Slivková, Diana Garafová, Natália Ferienčíková; Redesign, 2008
author: Veronika Obertová, Kristína Slivková, Diana Garafová, Natália Ferienčíková
Ján Filípek, Poleno, typeface, 2006
author: Ján Filípek
Johana Balušíková, Probably worlds’ most tongue-twister, meaning “Stick your fi nger down your throat” in Slovak and illustrating the shortage of vowels in Slavic anguages, T-shirt, 2004
author: Johana Balušíková
Ondrej Gavalda, Constitution, doormat, 2008
author: Ondrej Gavalda
Jana Némethová, Slovak Gastronomy, stamps, 2004
author: Jana Némethová
Branislav Matis, BA!, magazine, 2008
author: Branislav Matis
Róbert Paršo, Slovak Myth, design of the exhibition, 2005
author: Róbert Paršo
Martin Šútovec, Slovak Pantheon – Thief, Fool, Sluggard, painting, 2002
author: Martin Šútovec
Alica Horváthová, For Dirty Work, For Dirty Money, soap & sponge, 2008
author: Alica Horváthová
Alica Horváthová, For Dirty Work, For Dirty Money, soap & sponge, 2008
author: Alica Horváthová
Adam Marko, Kaleidoscope, video installation, 2008
author: Adam Marko
Adam Marko, Kaleidoscope, video installation, 2008
author: Adam Marko
Kateřina Kubánková, Slovak Hobby Day, poster, 2008
author: Kateřina Kubánková
Lenka Stodůlková, Bla Bla Blava, folding picture-book, 2008
author: Lenka Stodůlková
Ondrej Gavalda, Temples of Consumerism, poster, 2006
author: Ondrej Gavalda
Ondrej Gavalda, Temples of Consumerism, poster, 2006
author: Ondrej Gavalda
Slovak rep., exhibition catalogue, 2008
author: Pavol Bálik, Juraj Blaško