Climbing walls have become a popular feature in public spaces, not only for children but also for seniors seeking active movement. With a touch of humor, the head of the Graphic Art Studio, Mikoláš Axmann, remarks: “Climbing walls have recently become part of spaces where children and physically capable seniors move around. A moment of distraction, and a grandpa might climb away with the child you’ve entrusted him with.”
Instead of predictable holds and routes, this installation features various symbols and images, inviting deeper reflection. One of the creators describes the final piece as "a meeting of a polar bear's path with a cart of manure, an astrolabe with recyclable materials, and a scattered staircase with a bleeding Calvary."
This trend served as inspiration for the Graphic Art Studio at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, which explored the phenomenon from the perspective of aesthetics and wall art techniques. Rather than using prefabricated plastic grips in a standard color palette, the artists incorporated graphic and sculptural techniques into the wall in the faculty’s courtyard.
These methods transformed the surface into a work of art. The creative process involved layered serigraphy (a screen-printing technique), the installation of ready-made elements, plastering with reinforced concrete, and shaping holds with polystyrene molds. The wall was drilled and chiseled to achieve a specific texture, and the holds were then painted with acrylic colors.
The result is a unique art installation measuring 375 x 600 cm, designed to offer not only an aesthetic experience but also to provoke questions. It is a wall that, through its complexity and artistic execution, challenges the simplicity of ascent. The creators describe it as “sheet music for six inspired musicians” and a potential “route to (un)climbability.” This ambivalence between the possibility and impossibility of reaching the top is the core of the entire piece.
The work was created by Mikoláš Axmann, Kamila Doubková, Bedřich Kocman, Jan Kocman, Said Ismail, and Jan Šatara.
Photo by Said Ismail
Photo by Said Ismail
Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art |
Monika Bechná |
11. 10. 2024 |