The ongoing reconstruction of Tachovské náměstí will be completed with the installation of artwork. Pedestrians and cyclists should be accompanied by light reflection at the entrance to the Žižkov tunnel. The original design with water elements would have been technically unfeasible in the location.
Vít Šimek created the concept closest to implementation from Atelier HRA. The design originated from information in a press release from Prague 3’s open art competition. The original winner gave up on his creation because creating water features on-site would have been technically impossible.
A total of about two hundred proposals were submitted, from which a jury of independent experts and representatives of the municipal district selected the most suitable one. They ultimately chose the authors’ work from Studio Polytonal, called Trubka (Pipe). It was a concept that linked water and light elements. However, the winner had to be reconsidered during subsequent negotiations because it turned out that implementing water features would be technically challenging.
Despite mutual efforts, we and the authors of the winning proposal failed to find an alternative solution that would not involve water features. The winner eventually decided to leave the implementation of the artwork to the author, who finished second in the competition. Therefore, the design ranked second in the competition is closest to realization. It is a design by Vít Šimek from Atelier HRA, which is based on working with light in combination with mirrored walls along the entrance to the Žižkov tunnel. In practice, it will be polished stainless steel.
The artwork will be completed at the turn of this and next year. Pedestrians and cyclists could see the new artwork in the first half 2024.
The municipal district announced an open competition for the shape of a unique work of art at the entrance to the Žižkov tunnel in September of last year. Art was planned at the location from the beginning of the reconstruction preparations. Interested parties confirmed the indispensability of this critical connection between Karlín and Žižkov in January of this year. During the reconstruction, the tunnel was closed for almost 2 weeks.