IRON CURTAIN

LINDA SIRÁŇOVÁ AND JÁN URBAN INTRODUCE

BEHIND THE

IRON CURTAIN

TRUE CITIES/FAKE STORIES

BEHIND THE

IRON CURTAIN

TRUE CITIES/FAKE STORIES TEXT - ESSAY - CRITIQUE - QUESTIONS

1. DEFINITION OF THE RAILING Railing - an equipment composed of one or more horizontal rails supported by widely spaced uprights - a feature that prevent from a fall from height - a feature that divide a space - wooden, iron railing • • •

balustrade: barrier fence

(source:http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/railing?s=t) Guard rail - guard•rail•ing. a protective railing, as along a road or stairway (source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/guard+rail?s=t) In the city the main function of the railing is organizing and determining of the public space. It defines our movement in the city, where may we step and go or where it is prohibited.

2. DESCRIPTION The railing system, typical for the city, is made from curved iron construction. The construction is colored with a combination of red and white regularlychangeable segments. With its signal colors, the railing wants to have a place in a club of traffic signs.

The main purpose of fences is to make a life in the city more brighten. The visage of these fences depends on the decade when it was built; it depends on climate conditions as well as on the good will of voluntary painters.

In all of the cases of the types of visage it absolutely grabs our attention.

3. HISTORY

The railing of nowadays, the railing how we know it in the present form has its own ancestors in the historic walls and defensive structures whose primary function was to protect its inhabitants and keep the enemy back on the other side of a fort.

Similarities such as railings of the balconies and stairs were discovered in the interiors to protect against falling or to uphold. Wild West is famous for their extremely popular wooden patios and porches. They formed some sort of space for walking where horses could be tied up.

We could find them in the outdoors as well, especially on the bridges over the rivers, in the parks as ornamental elements. The arrival of motorized transport to the city meant a new gold era that brought red-white railings invention. It was crucial to resolve public space and separate pedestrian movement from the cars.

4. FUNCTIONS In the present guardrails have a different functions. One of the most important is organizing our life, our way and public space.

The division of pedestrian movement and motor movement makes protection for citizens.

They define walkways, lawns, roads, rail connections.

They guide pedestrians to crosswalks and tram islets. They hindercyclists from passing across busy intersection. They draw attention with their bright colors only to serve as decoration. They offer a resting place for people waiting for public transportor even for a few chewing gums. Last but not least rails are used as outdoor fitness equipment for all ages.

5. EXISTENCE Location of the railings is doubtless random. During photographing we noticed them on the most unpredictable places where the human leg hardly steps.

The most often used location of railings is infront of the entrance of buildings(schools, hotels), next to the bus stops or tram stops, along the tram railways or road curves, next to the under-crossing, on the upper bridges, in the middle of main roads, in the city parks or on a new cycle way. But mainly randomly erected in the public space and many times forgotten in the city area.

6. CRITIQUE Forgotten.

Totalitarian organizing.

A symbol ofignorance.

They stand in thecities, weacceptthemautomatically, we’vegotused to them.

They are localized in useless places, they restrain the pedestrian movements in the city, and they confine us.

Rails repeatedly create often callous and coarse solutions.

Infinite cluster of rails are dragging from the intersections to bus stops with ridiculous length up to 300 meters.

Railing between crosswalks, near underpass or upper bridges is defying our own steps, decisions and roads we can take.

Does it always have to be like this- the impossibility of change andenvironmental ignorance?

Rails are falling down from the sky, like comets!

They emphasize, absorb, and kill the space!

Save yourselves, everyone! (Explosions, fire, craters!)

They are only added not crushed while the old ones are decaying creating one big artistic gem.

Sometimes activists paint them to form safe imaginary cushions.

They are the proud wearers of institutional symbols and colors guarding our own footsteps. We are blessed with their presence, lovely railings.

They are the perfect tool for a nighttime leaning, sitting while waiting for a tram or a sentimental scrambling or heroic skipping in a Janosik style.

They connect us with so many memories!

Ah, how ignorant are we?

7. QUESTIONS Is it so necessary to have that many rails everywhere?

Are they required?

Do they serve to their purpose?

Do we need to change a disposition of the public space?

Is it urgent to change a hierarchy of the traffic?

Who is more important in our city? Is it a car, a bus, a cyclist or a pedestrian?

Is it normal that also elderly people scrape through them?

Who is responsible for them?

Who take care of them?

Why are they so long in many cases?

Aren’t we used to that someone still dictates what we have to do?

Are citizens of the city capable of NOT get used to it?

Are people capable of public discussion?

Are inhabitants capable of changing their thoughts?

8. THE END The railings are like a city ornament.

But our public space is too much prettified with railings.

Our public space is a top of urban organization, a top of segregation of our movement in the city. Thank you railings.

It was very nice to meet you.

BEHIND THE

IRON CURTAIN

TRUE CITIES/FAKE STORIES PHOTOS AND STORIES

IRON CURTAIN ON THE BUS STOP BUS STOP DAMBORSKÉHO DÚBRAVKA

PEOPLE RATHER CROSS THE ROAD THEN USE AN UNDERPASS TO CATCH THE BUS OR TRAM

STORY:

IRON CURTAIN BETWEEN THE MAIN ROADS PATRÓNKA OLD CITY

RAILING WITH “NEW VISAGE” CROSSWALKS ARE 500 M FAR WAY FROM BUS STOP ON BOTH SIDES PEOPLE HAVE TO USE DANGEROUS UNDERPASS TO CATCH THE BUS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MAIN ROAD

IRON CURTAIN BETWEEN THE MAIN ROADS ZOCHOVA OLD CITY

PEOPLE USUALLY CROSS THE ROAD USING CROSSWALK IN THIS CASE THEY CREATED THE HOLE IN THE FENCE USING UNDERPASS TAKES SO MUCH TIME

IRON CURTAIN BETWEEN THE MAIN ROADS NEW BRIDGE - AUPARK PETRŽALKA

IS THIS THE MOST POSH SHOPPING CENTER IN BRATISLAVA? IS THIS A BUS STOP NEXT TO THIS SHOPPING CENTER THAT LEADS TO ENTRANCE? AND WHAT IS AN ACCESS TO THIS BUS STOP?

STORY:

FORGOTTEN IRON CURTAIN IN THE NATURE ŽELEZNÁ STUDNIČKA, FOREST PARK RAILING STAYS HERE DO NOT FORGET THAT WE ARE STILL IN THE CITY

IRON CURTAIN ON THE BUS STOP BUS STOP ČERVENÝ MOST ŽELEZNÁ STUDNIČKA, FOREST PARK

STORY:

IRON CURTAIN - JUST TO BE SURE CROSSROADS- LAMAČ/DÚBRAVKA

USING RAILING IN ORDER TO CREATE CONTINUALITY OF BRIGHT GREEN FENCE OR JUST PROTECT PEOPLE TO NOT JUMP UNDER THE TRAIN?

STORY:

IRON CURTAIN IN FRONT OF THE ENTRANCE OF THE HOTEL NÁMESTIE 1. MÁJA MODERN RAILING FITS PERFECTLY TO THE GREY ENVIROMENT BUT ALSO SERVES TO PROTECT CARS AND PEOPLE...MAYBE

IRON CURTAIN - INFRONT OF THE ENTRANCE OF THE TATRACENTRUM HODŽOVO NÁMESTIE HOW MANY RAILINGS DO WE HAVE? WATCH OUT PEOPLE!WE TAKE CARE OF YOU.

STORY:

IRON CURTAIN TRENČIANSKA STREET - CYCLE WAY RUŽINOV

THANK YOU FOR USING THE CROSSWALK AND NOT PASS THE ROAD ON THE BICYCLE OTHERWISE YOU RISK YOUR LIFE!

STORY:

IRON CURTAIN TRNAVSKÉ MÝTO NEW CITY

3 DIRECTIONS OF TRAMS, FEW MORE DIRECTIONS OF BUSES OR trolley-busES OK, SO BE REBELS AND DO NOT USE UNDERPASS, OTHERWISE YOU WOULD WALK 500 M INSTEAD OF 50 M

ANNOUNCED COMPETITION! HOW MANY OF RAILINGS ARE WE ABLE TO ERECT HERE?

SO LONG, SO LONG, SOOO LONG...

STORY:

IRON CURTAIN TRNAVSKÉ MÝTO - SHOPPING CENTRE NEW CITY

OK, BE CONCENTRATED, GO HERE AND NOW TURN RIGHT. THANK YOU RAILINGS, I WOULD BE LOST.

PEOPLE DO NOT STEP ON THIS PROTECTED AREA BUT YOU CAN CLIMB OVER THE “IRON HEDGE”

WHITE - RED RAILINGS PERFECTLY ADAPT TO THE SURROUNDING...

STORY:

IRON CURTAIN ORGANIZING YOUR WAY AUPARK RAILING, I AM GLAD THAT YOU SHOW ME THE WAY TO THE ENTRANCE OF THIS SHOPPING CENTER

IRON CURTAIN - JUST TO BE SURE DEVÍNSKA NOVÁ VES JUST GO STRAIGHT, GO STRAIGHT AND FOLLOW THE RAILING IT SHOWS YOU THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO APPROACH THE END

IRON CURTAIN RADLINSKÉHO STREET

IRON CURTAIN - A DIFFERENT TYPE KOLLÁROVO NÁMESTIE THIS NEW TYPE WITH PLATAN TREE LOOKS PERFECT!

IRON CURTAIN NÁMESTIE 1.MÁJA OLD CITY

NO, NO...

THEY CUT THEM OFF, THEY CUT THEM ALL SHOULD I WAIT FOR CAR AND THEN JUMP?

IRON CURTAIN IN THE NATURE ŽELEZNÁ STUDNIČKA, FOREST PARK DO NOT ENTER TO THE GREENERY WE HAVE BUILT A ROAD FOR YOU

A VINTAGE TYPE OF RAILING

BEHIND THE

IRON CURTAIN

TRUE CITIES/FAKE STORIES DETAILS

DIFFERENT TYPES OF RAILINGS WITH DIFFERENT COLORS AND VARIOUS HEIGHTS

NEW COLORED RAILING HOW BRIGHT IT CAN BE

THERE IS ALWAYS PLACE TO PUT AN ADVERTISEMENT IRON CURTAIN IS PERFECT PLACE TO DO SO...

MARK OF USED RAILING

THESE SIGNS SHOW US WHAT A GOOD JOB THE RAILINGS DO

AS WELL AS THESE...

A PERFECT CONTACT THAT CONNECT ALL THE PARTS OF THE IRON CONSTRUCTION

DETAIL SHOWS US HOW THE RETRO RED - WHITE FENCE MANAGES TO FIT TO THE NEW AND MODERN FOOTBRIDGE

3 TYPES OF RAILINGS HOW AMAZING IT IS

BEHIND THE

IRON CURTAIN

TRUE CITIES/FAKE STORIES DETAILS WITH PHOTOSTORIES

PHOTOSTORY:

OLD SCHOOL TYPE

PHOTOSTORY:

REDESIGNED OLD SCHOOL TYPE

PHOTOSTORY:

MODERN / UP TO DATE FARMING STYLE

PHOTOSTORY: MULTIFUNCTIONAL EQUIPMENT

PHOTOSTORY: THE SCULPTOR CREATES HIS NEW MASTERPIECE

PHOTOSTORY: VOLUNTERY PAINTERS THE ONLY ONES WHO TAKE CARE

PHOTOSTORY: OPTIONS OF OVER CLIMBING

BEHIND THE

IRON CURTAIN

TRUE CITIES/FAKE STORIES

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING