PRESS RELEASE
26 February 2015
Unique Cybernetoscope Trnka's Garden 2 – a transcendent installation at the
intersection of theatre, exhibition and animated film will come to life in Pilsen
This February marks exactly 103 years since Jiří Trnka was born in Pilsen. His son Jan and nephew
Matyáš have organised a unique exhibition to celebrate the anniversary, which will revive and set
in motion the story of one of Trnka's so far most popular books – a children's classic The Garden.
"Unique Cybernetoscope", as the authors call the exhibition, will be set in motion on 26 February
in the West Bohemia Museum, within the programme of the European Capital of Culture Pilsen
2015, and will last until 24 May.
How did the Cybernetoscope come into existence?
It has three authors – Jiří Trnka and his son Jan and nephew Matyáš."Initially, we planned to have the
exhibition opened in 2012, to mark the hundredth anniversary of our grandpa's birthday. It turned out
it wasn't going to be that easy, though. We wanted the exhibition to pay a true homage to the
original work and also resurrect and revive that work in a certain way. With this in mind, we spent a
long time devising both the concept and the form that would accomplish this principal ambition one
hundred percent. And so it happened that the preparations took eventually three full years", explains
Trnka's nephew and animator Matyáš Trnka. "All the time, I wondered myself what the Unique
Cybernetoscope might be and I am happy we are finally able to present that mysterious thing to the
public," Matyáš adds.
"Jiří Trnka and his works inspire by their perfect craftsmanship and artistic excellence; however, as the
playful Garden 2 illustrates, they also bring together tradition and the craft of animation and digital
rendering. The tribute we pay within the European Capital of Culture thus goes not just to Trnka, as
the most famous Pilsen artist, but also to the creations of contemporary artists and animators who
follow up to his work in their revealing thinking and in the field of digital arts," says the Programme
Director of the Pilsen 2015 project Jiří Sulženko.
"The Garden" was first published in 1962 and has ranked among the treasures of Czech children's
literature for several generations. Jiří Trnka both wrote an illustrated the book. The dedication on the
first edition in the family library of the Trnkas suggests it was probably written specifically for little
Jan – the currently fifty-nine-year old academic painter Jan Trnka is one of the authors of the
exhibition.
About the project
The very exhibition comprises 6 scenes based on the original book. They are built around animations
setting into motion the original pictures from the work by Jiří Trnka. "We worked on the concept with
a creative team; we've got a sound designer, animators, technicians and programmers who helped us
develop the individual installations into really interactive sets. For example, we've devised sensors
which respond to a specific activity of the viewer. Our aim is to place every visitor of the exhibition
literally inside the book and make them experience the story first-hand," Matyáš Trnka explains.
The Cybernetoscope combines the exhibited artefacts with unconventionally styled projections
which span in total almost two hours. The imagery is projected on the walls, the ceiling, the floor, in
the interior of a wardrobe or the inside of dwarf's head. The resulting exhibition takes the visitor
through six attractions inspired by original scenes from the book. The visitor will thus encounter for
example a talking whale which has been dubbed by Jitka Molavcová in the Czech version and by
Tonya Graves in English: "I am pleased to be part of this fantastic installation. It looks even better
than I imagined. And I have a great imagination! I am looking forward very much to bringing my
children here. To them, it's going to be a smash," the singer said.
Both little visitors and grown-ups will examine the inner space of a big dwarf through a
"Dwarfescope" or find out what a "Barkphone" is – which has taken the shape of an original antique
wardrobe that appeared at the beginning of Trnka's film The Devil's Mill in 1949. In addition to the
dwarf and the whale, the museum will also show elephants riding skateboards who can dance
rock'n'roll and walk a tightrope. The wiseacre whale, in the voice of Jitka Molavcová, will explain
visitors why whales are not fish, brush up their knowledge of some of Darwin's theories and help
them peek into the life on the ocean floor. The exhibition is intended for children as well as the
adults who accompany them. And especially the former sort of visitors will definitely appreciate a
tricycle chase that awaits them here – because when will you have an opportunity to ride around a
museum on a tricycle again?
Trnka's Garden 2 in numbers
400 m2 – the exhibition area
3 years – the time it took to organise it
6 attractions
120 minutes – recorded / animated audiovisual material
1,500 kg – the weight of the exhibition properties
Trnka's Garden 2 for Pilsen – the European Capital of Culture 2015
The exhibition inspired by the work of Jiří Trnka falls into one of the eight main themes of the
European Capital of Culture programme. "The Flagship Project Jiří Trnka and the World of Animation
presents the art and craft of puppetry and film animation from their origins to the most modern
forms. Garden 2 illustrates how Trnka's legacy inspires contemporary creators to use advanced
technologies, for example. This has been another of our intentions: to view the famous Pilsen
personalities through the prism of future, in the context of not just art itself but also the creative
industries," says the Programme Director of Pilsen 2015 Jiří Sulženko.
Pilsen pays tribute to the work of the famous local native also through the already launched
exhibition "Jiří Trnka’s Studio" created by Jan Trnka in collaboration with e.g. Noro Držiak, the holder
of the Czech Lion Award for the movie Alois Nebel, or architect Miroslav Vavřina. Part of the "Jiří
Trnka and Animation" flagship project is also a cinematic re-release of one of his film works after
many years: With a substantial support of the Ministry of Culture, the National Film Archive has
restored and converted into a digital copy Trnka's feature film Old Czech Legends. The renewed
premiere of the film will be presented in April at the Finale Pilsen 2015 film festival.
In addition to the exhibition, kids have the opportunity to attend a programme of side events called
The Garden Gone Wild, in the basement Studio of the West Bohemia Museum, where they will
encounter Trnka's illustrations in full size and also the very book The Garden. The aim of the
programme is to let the impression of the exhibition linger in the children's minds for a bit longer; let
them experience The Garden again, hands-on, in their own way. For school and group bookings,
please send an e-mail to zahrada2@plzen2015.cz. The exhibition has limited capacity of about
25 persons at a time. Schools and groups therefore need to book their dates and times in advance,
both for the exhibition and the side event.
Admission
 Regular CZK 100.00 (a 20% discount for Pilsen Card holders)
 Discounted CZK 50.00 (children from 3 to 15 years, students, seniors, holders of ZTP passes
for the seriously disabled)
 School groups CZK 50.00 per child (admission is free for escorts – max. two adults per class)
 Free programme of side events through the West Bohemia Museum (for schools TUE–FRI)
 Admission to Animánie workshops: CZK 50.00
A discount is offered if you purchase tickets for both exhibitions of Trnka – "Jiří Trnka’s Studio" at the
Gallery of the City of Pilsen and "Trnka's Garden 2" – 50% off one ticket. Adults will thus pay
CZK 150.00 and children, students, seniors and ZTP pass holders CZK 75.00. Tickets can be purchased
in the main building of the West Bohemia Museum, at the Gallery of the City of Pilsen and online.
Cannot be used in combination with the 20% discount for Pilsen Card holders.
Animánie programme of side events
Do you want to become a filmmaker for a short while? Get involved in the creation of the
very movie and let The Garden and its inhabitants come to life under your own hands?
We invite you to take part in the Animánie programme of side events:
1) A limited-capacity gallery programme The Secret of The Garden every third Sunday
of the month: 15 March, 19 April, and 17 May 2015 between 2:00pm–4:00pm.
2) An open walk-through workshop How The Garden Comes to Life every second
Sunday of the month: 8 March, 12 April, and 10 May 2015 between 2:00pm–5:00pm.
Book your place at nadenickova@animanie.cz, no later than one week before each date.
Where to find out more:
http://www.zahrada2.cz/
http://plzen2015.cz/
https://www.facebook.com/zahrada2
View the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/117179185
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
JAN TRNKA
Jan Trnka (1956) graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in
Prague in the field of Applied Painting. A freelance artist and painter. Lives and
works in Prague.
MATYÁŠ TRNKA
Matyáš Trnka (1981) graduated from Vaclav Hollar College of Fine Arts and is in
the 3rd year of Animation studies at the Film and TV School of the Academy of
Performing Arts in Prague. He works as an animator, artist, director and graphic
artist and has authored several short movies and specifically also the theme
tune for the 11th International Festival of Animated Films AniFest which was
meant as a tribute to Jiří Trnka. He made his mark also with the first Czech
interactive comics Malý Alenáš (Little Butours).
http://www.matyastrnka.cz/http://www.malyalenas.cz/
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
WHEN: 26 February – 24 May 2015
WHERE: The West Bohemia Museum in Pilsen, Kopeckého sady 2, Pilsen
ADMISSION:CZK 100.00 / CZK 50.00 (children, adults, seniors, ZTP pass holders [for seriously
disabled]) / CZK 50.00 (school groups CZK 50.00 per child, admission is free for escorts –
max. two adults per class) CZK 25.00 (ZTP/P pass holders [for seriously disabled with the
need of an escort] + their escort)
ADVANCE TICKETS: www.zcm.cz/ (on the spot) / www.eventim.cz (electronic ticket)
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you be interested in an interview with Jan and Matyáš
Trnka or wish to find out some additional information.
Šárka Petruželová, collaborating PR agency – Garden 2 exhibition
777 122 621
sarka.petruzelova@gmail.com
Marie Heřmanová, collaborating PR agency – Garden 2 exhibition
603 206 655
marie.hermanova@gmail.com
Mirka Reifová, Pilsen 2015 PR Manager
+420 606 090 801
reifova@plzen2015.cz
Jiří Sedlák - ArtsMarketing.CZ, collaborating PR agency
+420 604 868 914
jiri.sedlak@artsmarketing.cz