Open call

Join the opencall to create a unique stele and become part of the GlazBridge project.

On the 12th of September an endowment fund ARTE BOHEMIEN announced an open art competition for funeral stele called PIETAS / IN MEMORIAM.

Context of the funeral-themed competition

Physical departure from our earthly life is unfortunately a topic of marginal public interest in our society. That is why we are developing the Funeral Art programme from 2022. The intention is to pay tribute to the deceased through artistic means, as was quite common in the past. In 2023, the first part of the programme, called PIETAS/ THE HONOURED SOUL, was completed. The aim was to create a collection of funeral urns using a unique fused sculpture technology. 21 leading Czech artists from various disciplines participated in the creation of the project, reflecting on the function of funerary sculpture in today's society. The collection of the Glaz Bridge group was exhibited at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague ( 17/5- 17/9/23).

What is PIETAS / IN MEMORIAM?

On the basis of the success of the Pietas/Glass Soul project, we are now proceeding to further develop the FuneralArt programme, namely the Pietas/ In memoriam project. The aim is the artistic representation of the tomb stelae that were erected in place of monuments on graves in the area of Greco-Roman civilization. A stelae (Greek) was a vertical stone object that marked a tombstone, or rarely a monument, and was in the shape of a column or slab.

This type of memorial commemorating the existence of the deceased or the grave of the deceased underwent various modifications throughout European civilization; whether it was located in burial grounds or in the open air.

Competition assignment

To create a stelae (funerary object) and pay respect to the deceased by contemporary artistic means. The vertical stelae must be designed in the way that it can be placed on an individual grave or in an open space (plein air); private or public (e.g. garden area). A legible area must be set aside on the stelae for the funeral inscription; the name of the deceased, age or dedication. The stelae may also contain a recessed covered box for the memorial in question on the deceased.

The material of stelae: stone, concrete, metal, glass, or a combination

The height of stelae: min. 1.5 m, max. 2 m

Requirements of the competition proposal*

Written conception of the idea - text: max. 1 A4 page
3 x sketch, possibly supplemented by a 1:5 model
1-2 sketches - location in space
Material description
Timetable for production
Implementation realization budget for the stelae
Arrangement of the digital version of the design

*The competition proposal in CZ or ENG should be sent in digital form to the email arte@arebohemien.com. Acceptance and inclusion in the competition will be confirmed by the Foundation administrator within 5 working days of delivery.

ENSURING COPYRIGHT PROTECTION IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PARTICIPANT AND THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY

Observance of confidentiality
Unsuccessful proposals will not be published or used for other purposes
Legal regulations.

Prizes and rewards

No prizes will be awarded, but 12 competition proposals will be selected for implementation in no particular order. The prize for the 12 winning designs will be, by agreement, to enable implementation at the expense of AB and their partners. 500.000 czk will be distributed among the selected authors. Conditions for the contract for the subsequent commission: the production of the work will be provided by Arte Bohemien and its partners.

The submitters of the competition proposals will participate in the competition without any right to a fee or reimbursement of expenses related to participation in the competition.

Important days of the competition

announcement: 12. 9. 2023
termination: 1. 2. 2024
evaluation and jury meeting: 2/2024
protocol and evaluation: 2/2024
*exhibition during 3Q 2024