Sound is a medium which connects all animate and inanimate objects in the world into a network of relationships. While in the past, sound’s fleeting nature discouraged many from diving deeper into its complexities, the sheer fascination with sound of many avant-garde artists and adventurous scholars, along with the development of sound recording technologies, have greatly contributed to the increased interest in sound over the last 50 years.

In the twentieth century, the natural and social sciences alike imagined the world as composed of individuals with distinct bodies, genomes, and competing vested interests. Twenty-first-century research has shown that symbiosis is a near-requirement for life – even for Homo sapiens. Life is symbiosis “all the way down.” However, when conditions suddenly shift, once life-sustaining relationships sometimes turn deadly. The Agosto Foundation sponsored Symbiont film series is a storytelling response in times of vulnerability and radical ecosystemic changes. Each film will include a personal introduction by its creator. —Pavel Borecký, curator of Symbiont

We talked with Newton Harrison, eco-artist and cofounder of the eponymous Harrison Studio, during his recent stay in Prague, where he was scheduled to speak at the American Center on the topic of climate change and possible mitigation strategies. The interview quickly turned candid and Newton left little room for half-full interpretations of our world’s state: things are bad all over.

El Mar La MarUSA, 2017, 95 min.An immersive journey through the Sonoran Desert on the U.S.-Mexico border.Directed / Edited / Cinematography by Joshua Bonnetta and J.P. SniadeckiLanguages: English, Spanish with English subtitles.

Thinking Like a Mountain Germany, Colombia, 2018, 93 min.Written and directed: Alexander HickDirector of Photography: Immanuel HickMusic: Christian Castagno and Nacho DraultProduction: Flipping the Coin Films, Hochschule für Fernsehen und FilmLanguage: Chibcha, Spanish, German with English subtitles.

Windjarrameru, The Stealing C*nt$2015, 35 minThe Mermaids, or Aiden in Wonderland2018, 26 minConceived and produced by the Karrabing Film CollectiveDirector: Elizabeth A. PovinelliLanguage: EnglishAustralia  

Roundtable discussion with Chris Hill, Tomáš Ruller and Jennifer DeFelice on current topics in the art in post-media, post-internet and post-truth times.

At the beginning of June, a conference on the pressing theme of Art in the Anthropocene took place in Dublin, Ireland. This term, though already commonly used in the media, is still rather new and sometimes criticised.

For the 3rd annual Perpedes grant program, the foundation recieved a total of 79 nominations. The selection process took place in two rounds, resulting in the selection of 9 projects for grant support. The Foundation will support the selected associations, initiatives or individuals with a total sum of 630,000 CZK, each project receiving 70,000 CZK.

If you have ecological or other reasons for not going on the traditional pilgrimage to the Venice Biennale along with hundreds of thousands of other tourists, this June there was a good alternative right in central Bohemia. The first ever Benátky Biennial took place in the baroque spaces of the Benátky nad Jizerou chateau from 25–28 June.

They call themselves Zvěřinec (Menagerie) and all of them are natives to the Zlín region. Although they appeared on the scene not long ago, they are already very accomplished.

In the town of Vrané nad Vltavou, near a picturesque church, cemetery and parish, just above the river and its paper mill, at the very end of the winding road named V Zítkách, stands a former elementary school. It was saved from decrepitude by a group of local volunteers which later formed the Stará Škola (Old School) association.

Directed and written by Emma Davie and Peter MettlerCinematography: Peter MettlerSound Design: Jacques Kieffer, Peter Bräker, Peter MettlerProducers: Cornelia Seitler, Brigitte Hofer, Rebecca Day, Sonja Henrici (maximage, Scottish Documentary Institute, SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen)Switzerland/UK, 2018, 78 min.

Directed by Paul WrightMusic by Will Gregory and Adrain UtleyProducers: Hopscotch FilmsUK, 2017, 78 min.English

The painters Jitka (1922-2011) and Květa (1922-1998) Válová, sisters from Kladno have been awarded the title Dames of Czech Culture. The posthumous honor was awarded by the minister of culture, Antonín Staněk, as part of the 13th annual international festival Mene Tekel. A medal with an emblem for painting is to be accepted on 24 February, 2019, by Marie Vydrová, representing the Válová family.

As part of its grant program Perpedes, the Agosto Foundation requests nominations from the general public for the support of the activities of individual artists, as well as for artistic or cultural projects.

Lee Patterson is a British musician, sound artist and maker of experimental musical instruments. He lives and works in Prestwich, Manchester.

The hill of Vinice (“Vinyard”) rises just beyond the outskirts of the village of Blatná, and atop that hill there was once a pub. The pub was a popular destination for day trips, and was designed by architect Karel Fiala for his brother Theodor, who was a well established citizen of Blatná and also the pub’s owner. He had it built in 1906, and called it a “buffet.” There was a bowling alley, and live music on Sundays. The year 2016, that is one hundred and ten years since, marks the beginning of Pavla Váňová-Černochová’s battle for very existence of the site.

Prague premieres: Curupira: Creature of the Woods / Curupira, bicho do matoFrance, 2018, 35 min, DCPSound / directed / produced by Félix Blume Fevers / Fiebres France, 2013, 45 min, DCPDirected by Adrien LecouturierSound Recording: Félix BlumeProduction: Zaradoc / Les Films Nus

Félix Blume is a sound artist and engineer who also creates videos, installations and works for broadcast.

Directed by Ziad KalthoumProduced by Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, and Tobias SiebertWritten by Ziad KalthoumCinematography: Talal KhouryLebanon/Germany/Syria/Qatar/UAE, 2017, 85 min.In Arabic with English subtitles

Locations: MOME Z, Budapest Music Center, Spatial Sound System, and Három Holló in Budapest, Hungary

We speak with Nils Agger, an activist who has been part of the British RisingUp! network since its inception some two years ago, and who is currently active with the Extinction Rebellion (XR) movement. In the wake of the dire warnings of the recently published 2018 IPCC report, XR has been making big waves in the political climate, both in Britain and abroad. Their demands are simple: the UK must achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2025. We met Agger in Katowice, Poland where he was organizing as part of the COP24 summit. 

Hearn Gadbois is a professional pecussionist, teacher and composer with 35 years of experience working in New York, Japan, Europe and Asia.

Although you will not find the Za krásnou Ostravu (Beautification Society) of Ostrava in the registrar, among the who’s-who of Ostrava’s cultural entities it has become a household name. Although its program harkens back to the tradition of Ostrava’s pre-war enlightenment societies, the primary motivation for its founding came in 2013, when a number of problems in the municipal cultural policies and its relationship to civic issues came to the fore.

The discussion will explore the scientific possibilities and ethical issues raised by advanced genetics and cloning.

A conference on Artistic Legacies, Together with a guided tour of the studio and house of Jitka and Květa Válová in Kladno