Although ordinary mortals won‘t be able to use line D in the foreseeable future, many of us are looking forward to it, because it will make our lives easier. And more interesting. Gone are the days when the metro looked like a socialist rattrap. Leading Czech artists Jiří Černický, Stanislav Kolíbal and Vladimír Kopecký have been chosen to design the artistic rendering of the metro D stations Krč Hospital, Krč Railway Station and Nové Dvory. Take a look at the myriad of geometric shapes in our gallery.
In his artistic rendering of the Nové Dvory station, Stanislav Kolíbal works with geometry, because it fits the building very well and helps to create harmony and spatial order. At the Krč Railway Station, Vladimír Kopecký creates a spectacle for passengers with his artistic concept. The artist also works with the fact that this particular platform is not located underground. It brings new possibilities of perception, as well as a gradual change of space during the day. In his artistic design for the Krč Hospital station, Jiří Černický thematically takes the nature of the station into account and divides his artistic concept into two areas - medicine and natural sciences.
Movement of the subway and passengers
"In the designs of both Pavel and Stanislav Kolíbal and Vladimír Kopecký, their artistic choices represent a kind of connection between the historical and the contemporary and the design, especially in connection with the architecture, doesn‘t appear to be tied to any particular time period. The sovereign realization within the planned Nové Dvory station also represents a certain historical satisfaction. Another thing I consider positive is that each of the authors enters the architecture in a different material way, and with a different reaction to the movement of the subway and passengers. In this respect, it is also necessary to emphasize the playfulness of Jiří Černický's design spread throughout the station. At the same time, I am glad that the trio of contemporary authors nicely complements the previous winners Vladimír Kokolia and Jakub Nepraš, creating a colorful mosaic of generations and approaches,"
said Michal Novotný, a member of the jury and director of the Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art of the National Gallery in Prague.
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The selection was sponsored by the National Gallery in Prague. It was Prague‘s intention to prioritize evaluators with artistic overlap in the jury, represented by Michal Novotný, David Vávra, Milena Dopitová and Kurt Gebauer. Art competitions will be held for all other metro D stations as well.
Signature of an architect
"In the past, metro stations used to be built as the city‘s showroom, you can feel the signature of the architect from the stations. We approach all metro D stations with equal care. We could no longer intervene in the architectural form of the stations without delaying the whole construction, but thanks to the great efforts of many people, the stations will receive a new artistic rendering designed by top Czech artists,"
described Adam Scheinherr, Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Transport.
Open in gallery (3)
Pohled ke schodišti od Vladimíra Kopeckého. Source: archiv DPP
Architect and artist David Vávra was tasked with cooperating with the architects of the stations on finding as many elements that could be given a new artistic form as possible, and with coordinating the selection process. He also makes sure that the unified identity of the line is maintained, so that after arriving at each individual station, the passenger would immediately recognize which line they‘re on. The first sections of lines A, B and C in the center of Prague were created in the same way. David Vávra is a great supporter of the idea that contemporary art can enter public space, helping Prague take a step towards a free society.
The architects speak about their work
Jiří Černický stated about his design of the Krč Hospital station that he tried to take into account the theme of the hospital's presence.
"The most important inspiration in this context is medical research. I have proposed several strategies to work with, two of which have come to fruition so far. The first is an interactive "multi-graph" in the form of an ornament expressing human vital functions. It should be applied to the dominant wall along the track. The second is improvisation with stained glass wheels, the shape of which is based on observation platforms, on which microbiological observations and chemical laboratory research are carried out, for example by looking into a microscope or a petri dish,"
he says about the design of the Krč Hospital station.
Open in gallery (3)
Zastávka Nemocnice Krč od JIřího Čeernického. Source: archiv DPP
"The Krč Railways Station differs from most other stations in that its platform is not located underground. This brings the artistic solution new possibilities of perception, but also problems with the transformation of the space at different times of the day and the perception of the work of art when looking at the object from the outside and from the inside to the surroundings. But it‘s very exciting and refreshing,"
said Vladimír Kopecký about his winning design of the Krč Railway Station.
"The artistic solution of the Nové Dvory station consists of two nine-meter-long reliefs above the entrance to the escalators. So as to make them different from each other, the main motif is a circle in one case and a square in the other. The walls of the tunnel themselves form a system of sharply colored parallel lines, whose irregularity and dynamics are in contrast with the system of cladding boards. In order to be connected with them as much as possible, though, they often lead from their circumferences and intersections,”
said Stanislav Kolíbal about his winning design of the Nové Dvory station.
Open in gallery (3)
Zastávka od Stanislava Kolíbala Nové Dvory.Source: archiv DPP
The route of the future metro line D should lead from the Náměstí Míru station to the Písnice Depot, it will have 10 stations and should be about 10 kilometers long. The subway should be automated and unattended, thus no driver will be needed. This will put Prague on par with the most advanced metropolises in the world. The costs are estimated at around 72 billion crowns. According to current plans, the passengers could start using line D at the end of 2027.
