Critical Daily    Critical practice in graphic design

“A piece of work is not finished until the audience comes to see it and adds their own interpretation.” – David Bowie, BBC Newsnight interview (1999)
Adela & Pauline is a graphic-designer duo that looks for new possibilities in communication at the basis of conceptual art. The studio works with video, drawings and text. Their subtle but distinct interventions are characteristic of Adéla Svobodová’s free works and graphic design, and of the Ládví art group that she is a part of. Together with Pauline Kerleroux, the pair supports activities that benefit the public. The aim of the designers’ action is to bring (or return) to the public (art) discussion what has apparently disappeared — namely, individual activism.

Here and Now is a simple sound installation that aims to complete the creative loop between the exhibitor and their public, within the exhibition space. Simple forms of black lines evoke map pictograms. By its very nature, an exhibition is meant to trigger reactions from the public. This ‘mental map’ was installed at the 27th Brno Biennale.

Visitors are invited to speak into a recording device while they experience the exhibition. Their opinions and thoughts are then broadcast through a directional speaker, installed in a suitable spot within the space, for the duration of the exhibition.

The audience’s responses and interpretations therefore become an integral part of the exhibition; an exhibit in themselves. In that sense, Here and Now reflects authentic reactions felt on the spot, at this particular place and this particular time.