One hundred objects ****************************************************************************************** * ****************************************************************************************** By Jan Velinger 12 June 2018 We are here outside the famous Carolinum – the heart and soul of Charles University in Pra opened an exhibition entitled “Czechoslovakia in 100 objects”. The idea behind the show wa In a moment, we will be talking to the author and curator of the exhibition historian Jaku • “I think that limiting the choice to one object per year was a great idea. It forces you back memories. I also brought my son with me so he could learn more about the past.” • “The single object per year was what I most wanted to see and I was interested just for idea.” • “I like the show a lot. It is well-conceived, giving a good overall view of the differen • “It is very nice but the years after the Second World War were not very good. Now things As you heard, focusing on just one item per year was largely well- received – one of the t “The inspiration for the show was actually the British Museum which put together an exhibi we could do something similar. The difference is that with this exhibition there is one ob The history of this country, like most of central Europe, was often turbulent, not least a “eights” because you have the founding of the country in 1918, the Munich Agreement in 193 it to settle on just one object per year and, second, how did you balance between monument

“From the outset, I decided that I would give each yea “From the outset, I decided that I would give each year equal importance. I made the choic representing 1968: a mask, which students brought back with them from Africa where they ha upheaval which followed, but I tried to offer a different view on the year and, again, to “Some years it was quite easy to find relevant objects to exhibit and there was plenty to in 1974, for example, or in 1981!

“One of the most notable objects in the show dates bac “In some cases, many hours were spent in the library or online searching for a suitable it Did you choose all of the objects on your own or was it a collaborative effort? “I asked all 17 faculties at Charles University for help, asking for information about the first step. I was also teaching a seminar in which students helped me come up with potenti Were you yourself surprised during research and the selection process? “I was surprised many times. I am an historian but covering all the faculties was intense. object dates back to 1979 and it is a vaccination pistol that was used to eradicate smallp “There is also a motorcycle helmet from 1957 when a doctor from the Faculty of Medicine in adopted by the government. So those are two examples of how faculty members at Charles Uni To go back to what you said, I remember reading about the leading epidemiologist, Zdeněk J of course a terrible, terrible disease and if I am not mistaken two final samples of the v eradication and that was a monumental feat. “That’s right.” One of the things that is readily apparent, and which comes to the fore in the show, is ju changes were instigated by either professors, or students or both. “When it comes to students, there are, for example, two bags in the show: one belonged to occupation, and the second bag dates back to 1989 and the start of the Velvet Revolution. to the demonstration at Albertov in Prague. “So we have 1969 and 1989: two moments where students influenced the history of the countr “Then it bears saying that, from a certain standpoint, the importance of Charles Universit politicians and members of government to the heads of major institutions at that time were It strikes me as a viewer that there is a good ‘ebb and flow’ to the exhibition. Even thou What are some of the ‘lighter’ things that visitors can see here? “One might be the fictional creature called the ‘ropák’ (or oil guzzler) which lives off o Svěrák who invented the adventures of the fictional Czech genius Jára Cimrman.” Something of a mythological character in his own right… “Yes, so the ropák was a similar invention. As for other items, another ‘lighter’ object m Záruba – also a Charles University graduate. He called the play-by-play of the men’s hocke “But actually, this is an example of an object that was hard to get. Robert Záruba origina end, he wasn not able to find it. So we have the jacket, which is great, but the stick wou

“We have only an empty glass case in the show for 2018 blockquote> Those winter games were particularly special also because it was the first year that profe we turn to this year, 2018, both in the catalogue and in the show itself, something is ver “Yes, we have only an empty glass case in the show because the year is not yet at an end. public for help in deciding what the last item should be. So they can vote on the best opt of the state or the prime minister. So we will have to see if it ends up being political o I guess that is not too surprising, given that the country has been waiting for a new gove "Yes." Once the people vote, will you take the step of putting the item in the case? “That’s right.” Let’s talk about the accompanying catalogue: it is in both Czech and English, for its size manga. You start at the back of the book, with the year 1918. “The catalogue was designed by Jáchym Šerých who did the overall graphic design for the sh professional photographer and the catalogue is for free.” The exhibition continues at the Carolinum in Prague until September 2018.