Prague DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
Mrs Ellie Crawford
to add to the nostalgic atmosphere with the tracks underneath all the different modes of transport. After this we were dropped in the city to the small but stirring Communist museum, showing all the literal depictions of state-sponsored terrorism, told through photos, propaganda and videos, ending with a gallery on the peaceful ‘velvet revolution’ that ended the nightmare. After some free time to explore the city and get lunch, we moved onto a museum of Decorative Arts before heading back to the hotel for dinner. Later that evening, we went out to explore the city at night, and we followed the trail of the Prague Light Festival where we were fortunate to witness the lights, strobes and laser beams illuminate the classical city in a modern way. The event featured more than 30 artists showcasing their installation pieces throughout the city and particular highlights included the giant winking eyeball on the bridge, the giant interactive game of the old Nokia game ‘snake’ being projected on a building, the giant cube playing dubstep that you could dance in, alongside the video mapping technology which allowed buildings to come alive. Each day was packed with a real mix of traditional and modern design and the Monday was no exception. Firstly, we set off to visit the world famous and traditional Bohemia Crystal factory, where we witnessed a production line of various kinds of glass-blowing. This was a real eye opener to the Health and Safety laws of the Czech Republic where workers wear sandals and shorts whilst handling red hot glass. Watching the incredible skill, patience and physical labouring of the workers cutting the glass into the crystal was stunning for us to witness. This was followed by a trip to the state- of-the-art Skoda car plant in Mladá Boleslav, where we saw the company’s most modern plant churning out new cars on a production line following on from a guided tour around the museum of old Skoda cars, showing us all what has changed over the years for what used to be deemed to be a very ‘uncool’ brand. On our last day we went to the National Technical Museum, which houses five impressive floors and was a great way to take stock of the different design trends and manufacturing techniques over the years. Basking in sunshine, we walked along the top part of Prague which led us to the giant metronome
O ver the first four days of the October half term, the Design and Technology department took a group of Year 12 and 13 design pupils to Prague to see a wide range of inspirational places and spaces. Arriving early into the beautiful city on the Saturday morning allowed us the time to explore Prague by foot and, thankfully, in glorious sunshine. We started by walking from our hotel into the city centre and then alongside the beautiful, winding Vltava river, the longest in the Czech Republic. This shortly led us to the famous Charles Bridge, Prague’s most stunning bridge, which spans 16 arches and is lined with 30 Baroque statues of religious figures. We managed to negotiate the hordes of tourists and sellers whilst also seeing some wonderful views of the city and the Castle. Before long, we moved onto the Old Town Square, which houses the medieval Astronomical clock, and were fortunate enough to be there on the hour to see the procession of moving figures coming out of the clock. After all the walking, refreshment was needed and, by chance, we ended up in a stunning Art Nouveau restaurant with impressive glass chandeliers and high ceilings: a chance to reference some design history. The following morning, we visited the Public Transport Museum, which houses a unique collection of artefacts and old trams previously used in the city. It is housed in an old tram depot, helping
102
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker