SOFFA 21 / TIME, English edition

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VOLUME | 21

life

SOFFA

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people

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life

ISSUE THEME: TIME SOFFA 21 is dedicated to something with which most of us battle – time. We hope this issue will inspire you to manage and value your time better.

Take a deep breath and slow down!

Contents

SOFFA 21 IS DEDICATED TO

TIME In this issue we explore the notion that time need not be our enemy. While we may not be able to stop the flow of time, we can surely slow it down. Our feature on slow living offers tips for putting breaks on time, as do the original stickers found at the back of the issue. To keep track of time you will learn about clocks, watches and other time measuring devices from the past and the present, and in the story on L. Hainz you can admire precise clock mechanisms, including that of Prague’s famous astronomical clock. This issue also includes maps depicting the development of Prague that hint at the unrelenting nature of time. So unrelenting, in fact, that it quickly swallowed up the basilflavoured ice cream featured in the food section. In our stories on interiors and travel we will transport you in space and time to show you an old countryside villa in Czechia’s eastern highlands, explore hidden treasures of Czech Switzerland and visit the magical island of Bali. You can also savour two sets of gorgeous illustrations: Míša Čejková and Michal Bačák’s vision of the future, inspired by the world of Jules Verne, and Ieva Ozola’s version of the history of humanity and our planet. Finally, you can’t miss our story on individuals for whom time is their daily bread. Peruse these pages and enjoy time well spent with SOFFA!

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4 7 10 21 35 43 44 53 70 77 83 90 100 108 113 120 133 135 140 142 150

Welcome | Slowly Does It Essay | Knowing How to Slow Down Creative People | The Hainz Lily Fashion | The Men’s Cut Photo Essay | Keeping up With Time Editor’s Choice | Tick-Tock Reflection | Creating Our Future Travel | Czech Switzerland Culture | Prague Celebrates Photo Essay | Windows Travel | Bali Illustration | Back to the Future Design | Definition of Luxury Collage | Into the Sun Milan Design Week 2017 | Design Highlights Interior | A Family Retreat Editor’s Choice | Slow Living Food | (An)gelato? Yes, Please!

Recipe | Basil Ice Cream Fashion & Cars | Electra Girl People | Footsteps of Infinity

Welcome

SLOWLY DOES IT Before I sat down to write this welcome note, I turned off my mobile phone and my email notifications, opened the balcony door, made a cup of coffee and laid out some sweets. I do this regularly when I need to concentrate on writing or other creative work. Several hours spent offline never hurt anyone, and every time I do it I am pleasantly surprised by just how much I can accomplish when my phone isn’t a constant distraction. As soon as I turn it off I immediately sense an inner calm and a liberating feeling of being unreachable. Is this familiar? If not then I recommend this ritual wholeheartedly. Except for the sweets, but then everyone has their weakness!

Why am I sharing my productivity secrets? Because the theme of SOFFA 21 is Time and everything connected with it. At the SOFFA office we have given ourselves the goal of learning how to manage time better and how to value it more, one of the reasons why the spirit of ‘slow living’ permeates this issue. We have put together stories and tips to encourage you to slow down and enjoy life, and at the back of the issue are original stickers to help motivate and inspire you. To see how our team is learning to slow down, visit us on social networks – the sloth image on my laptop tells it all! Just as it has been an inspiration to us, we hope this issue on Time will inspire you to take a moment for yourself, breathe deeply and feel contented.

Adéla Kudrnová | editor in chief

illustrations: Wikimedia Commons

Dedicate a space in your home for relaxation.

Plant a seed and watch it grow.

On the way back from lunch sit for a few moments on a park bench.

Get yourself a really big book and read it.

Find time to do what you enjoy and try new experiences.

Turn off notifications in your telephone and computer.

Go to an art gallery and marvel.

Find a new recipe and work it to perfection.

On your way home get off a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way.

Learn how to politely say no, and refuse to do other people’s work.

Eat your ice cream as slowly as possible.

Make sure you have enough sex. It relaxes body and mind, and leads to a longer life.

Allow your mind to rest – meditate or learn mindfulness exercises

Eat at a table, slowly, without devices and with family and friends.

Try to do nothing for a while.

Boredom is a great source for inspiration

Keep a diary or send an old-fashioned letter once in a while.

When stuck in traffic, think of it as time to yourself.

Have a date with yourself.

Go for a coffee, turn off your phone and just be!

Essay

KNOWING HOW TO SLOW DOWN SHIFT DOWN A GEAR – YOU WON’T MISS A THING partner for the article: Nila | text: Martin Sova

HOW DID IT HAPPEN THAT WE NOW LIVE IN AN ERA SO MARKEDLY DEFINED BY SPEED? EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE MOVING FASTER, FROM THE HANDS ON OUR EVER-PRESENT CLOCKS TO THE EARTH’S ROTATION AROUND THE SUN. EVEN MORE BEWILDERING, HOWEVER, IS THE SPEED WITH WHICH OUR OWN MIND IS MOVING. TODAY IT SEEMS THAT THE HISTORICAL RACE TO THE MOON HAS GIVEN WAY TO A RACE FOR EVERY BIT OF OUR ATTENTION. PARADOXICALLY, THE PRIZE AWAITS THOSE WHO KNOW HOW TO SLOW DOWN.

If factories and steam engines are the visual symbols of the industrial revolution, future generations will look back at our time through images of portable supercomputers in the form of smartphones and smartwatches – devices that constantly call for our attention with their incessant notifications. Technology can be a great helper, but it can also entrap and enslave. While no one would enter serfdom willingly, if it happens through gradual change then it is easy to miss just how much of your life has become entrapped. After all, how often did you check your email ten years ago, and how often do you do it now?

The sociology of cities predicts that the larger the metropolis, the faster people move along its streets. Small towns are inevitably calmer, while giant conurbations are that much busier. As growing numbers of people have moved to large cities over the past few decades, it is not surprising that our speedy existence has led to the rise of a counter-philosophy.

The movement espousing slow living is not a product of the twenty-first century, but a modern-day version of earlier efforts to cleanse our lives from the detritus of ‘civilisation’. The roots of the slow living movement would surely include the widely popular New Age philosophy, born in the 1970s, which draws inspiration from traditional cultures, religions and mysticism. New Age aims for a closer connection with nature and with oneself, and is inspired by insights from Asian traditions, in particular Buddhism. Buddhism is also the foundation for mindfulness, a practice that is becoming increasingly popular in the West and draws on many Buddhist meditation techniques. Mindfulness is about turning to oneself and to the world with a view that is not about judging or valuing, but about simply perceiving the present moment.

The slow living movement is closely linked to the slow food initiative, which emerged in the middle of the 1980s as a reaction to industrial food production, in particular fast food, and promoted ‘slower’ food made from quality local ingredients based on regional recipes. Today’s popularity of farmers’ markets, the growing interest in the conditions ►

of animals used to produce our meat, milk or eggs, and the renewed practice of craft brewing are all part of the development of the wholesome slow food tradition. Slow food also inspired the slow fashion movement, which places emphasis on conscious fashion defined by quality and longevity, and follows the motto ‘less is more’.

Similar perspectives have given rise to slow cities, which are connected through the international Cittaslow network. Cittaslow works to improve the overall quality of city life by promoting the development of urban landscapes that encourage city dwellers to slow down, both physically and spiritually. The movement has influenced contemporary urban planners to consider the complex question of how to ensure a pleasant existence even in big cities. Some cities have begun to explore the concept of slower living from the ground up – through community gardens and neighbourhood celebrations. Slowing down must begin with the individual, however, on a very personal level and starting with the smallest of changes. Instead of rushing around in the constant worry that you will miss something, consider the ‘carpe diem’ motto to mean that you should truly experience every moment, social interaction, taste or smell. It is a simple and clear trade: countless incomplete and fleeting activities exchanged for few powerful and meaningful experiences.

You can begin quite simply. In the morning hold your tea or coffee cup in your hands.

Take in the warm scent and imagine the tones that make up its complex harmony.

Take a sip, let the liquid slowly roll around your tongue, think about the other tastes or images it evokes. Observe how your morning beverage changes as it gradually cools.

For some of us the mind is like a fist that is clenched too often. Only when you allow your mind to relax do you begin to sense with the whole of your body the finer features of the reality you are experiencing. This is true about focused reading, listening to music, physical activity and contact with another person. The key advantage of slow living is that you need nothing special to achieve it. There are no set activities that you must first accomplish, or products that you must first purchase. Only your conscious decision that during at least some of your daily existence you will slow down, take a look around, and reaffirm that it doesn’t matter where you are going, what matters is now.

To help you attune to mindful peace and harmony, we have prepared a small gift in collaboration with the independent gallery and online shop Nila, which offers slow fashion, other fair trade products, organic cosmetics and items suitable for vegans.

Our original slow living stickers are sure to help you slow down. ■

Creative People

THE HAINZ LILY TWO GENERATIONS OF WOMEN LOOK AFTER THE LEGACY OF HAINZ CLOCKMAKERS. THANKS TO THEM THE WELL OILED GEARS OF TREASURED OLD CLOCKS CONTINUE TO TURN. text: Tereza Škoulová | photo: Adéla Havelková and L. Hainz company archive

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L. HAINZ IS ONE OF THE OLDEST CLOCKMAKERS IN CZECHIA. THEIR FAMILY TRADITION, RESOURCEFULNESS AND TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW HAVE ENDURED SINCE THE COMPANY’S FOUNDING IN 1836, DESPITE DIFFICULT TIMES DURING THE COMMUNIST ERA. THE COMPANY SPECIALISES IN TOWER CLOCKS AND IN THE PAST HAD SUPPLIED CLOCK MECHANISMS TO THE WHOLE OF THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE. SINCE 1866 ONE OF THEIR TREASURED CUSTOMERS IS CZECHIA’S MOST FAMOUS CLOCK IN OLD TOWN SQUARE. MARIANA NESNÍDALOVÁ, THE SECOND WOMAN AT THE HELM OF THE COMPANY, TOOK US TO PETRSKÁ VĚŽ [TOWER] TO SHARE THE BEAUTY AND COMPLEXITY OF A CLOCK’S MECHANISM. TALL STEPS, OLD ATTIC, LOST PIGEONS AND THE MAJESTIC CLOCK. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO LOOK AFTER IT?

L. Hainz exists since 1836, but the company was nationalised by the Communist government in the late 1940s. How and when did you become involved? We received the company through restitution in 1993. At first I kept the books and then I trained in clock-making in Jihlava and got my hands dirty. I started to join my colleagues on service trips and installations, so I could learn the trade. Today I go alone – my colleagues are too busy and someone has to stay in the workshop.

ing came to her only after restitution – it was she who got the company going again. Today there are six of us and mum is our grey-haired eminent advisor.

You specialise in tower clocks. Was it always that way? Before the company was nationalised it had 60 employees and not everyone could work on tower clocks. At first they made wristwatches and pendulum clocks, but only some parts. By 1850 the family already knew they could not compete with the Swiss, who were simply better, and so they bought Swiss clock mechanisms and made the rest here – clock faces, wooden cases and so on. We also had a shop with all sorts of instruments: metres for steam engines and all kinds of time measuring devises. There were three storeys of mechanisms here!

Did you always feel a connection to clocks? As a little girl I loved watching granddad Hainz as he worked with clocks. We had a big villa in Dobřichovice, where we went for our summer holidays, and I spent hours watching granddad at work. He was trained in Switzerland.

And your mum? My mother finished grade 9 and for political reasons could not study further, so she finished her studies at night and focused on journalism. She then worked as a journalist. Clock-mak-

Do the tower clocks also originate in Switzerland? No. Tower clocks have always been made here. That was the more interesting work. When we got ►

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Mariana Nesnídalová and Blanka Hainzová have been running the family business since 1993. The company symbol is a pair of clock hands with decorative lily petals and the name L. Hainz, which has been stamped on L. Hainz clocks for more than 180 years. In Prague the company looks after some 80 clocks on schools, offices, hospitals and churches, as well as the world famous astronomical clock.

the company back, tower clocks were the only remaining part of the business.

There were no longer any facilities for making wristwatches or pendulum clocks.

is looked after by an old gentleman and he has started to teach his son. Today tower clocks are usually connected to a uniform time system, to keep them accurate, remember daylight saving time and adjust automatically after a power outage. It is rare today for people to climb towers to ensure that the clock tells accurate time.

Was someone from the family always involved in the company? During Communism no. After 1948 granddad was imprisoned, mum’s brother Ludvík had just been born, and mum was very little.

When granddad was released from prison he started to work in a clock-making factory in Šternberk, but the Communists didn’t like it and sent him to a stone quarry.

What’s the story of the clock in your office? The clock was built in our former workshop in Dlouhá ulice [street] in 1879 and found its way to a farmhouse near Příbram. About five years ago I got a call from the police saying that the clock had been stolen, and they wanted my estimation of its value. A year later they called again to say that the clock had been recovered and that the owner wanted to sell it to me rather than to see it stolen again. The next day I drove to her and bought it. It is one of our first, with production number 25.

Did anything remain from the original workshop? There were some tower clocks here but not much else. Some of my granddad’s equipment was in the National Property Fund and we had to buy it back – for the second time. We bought most of the equipment you see here – the Communists left us nothing.

The building was in a dilapidated state, as no one had invested in it. We are now working on it in stages.

What’s the most common reason for a clock malfunction? Dirt or an improperly oiled mechanism. The clock itself doesn’t usually break – it’s more that it hasn’t been maintained well. We have a customer who put Vaseline through all the clock components and blocked it up.

Instead of oiling just the moving parts, he oiled everything and the clock stopped… ■

In Prague alone you look after some eighty clocks. Which do you like the best? My favourite are clocks in small villages, where the local people look after the instrument. The village of Oslov has had our clock since 1906 and to this day they wind it with a crank. The clock

RIGHT: Tower clocks are divided into those that show time, but don’t strike, and those that strike at specific intervals: every quarter hour or every half hour. The photo shows two clock mechanisms: on the left is a brand new clock and on the right a 1920 clock from Justiční palác [Palace of Justice] on náměstí [square] Kinských in Prague.

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‘ORLOJ IS AMAZING, THE MOST COMPLEX AND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I HAVE EVER SEEN,’ SAYS MARIANA NESNÍDALOVÁ DREAMILY WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE FAMOUS ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK, WHICH HER COMPANY HAS BEEN MAINTAINING SINCE 1866. NEXT YEAR, AFTER A SEVENTY-YEAR ABSENCE, THE PRICELESS INSTRUMENT WILL RETURN TO THE WORKSHOP OF L. HAINZ. THE ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK REQUIRES A HIGHLY COMPLEX RENOVATION, WHICH WILL INCLUDE REPAIRS AND SERVICE TO THE WHOLE CLOCK MECHANISM, AND ALSO EXTENSIVE RESTORATION WORK. IN ADDITION TO L. HAINZ, THE RESTORATION PROJECT WILL INVOLVE STONEMASONS, METALSMITHS, ENGINEERS AND OTHER RESTORATION SPECIALISTS.

The founder of the company, Ludvík Hainz, was not only a clockmaker but also an alderman who owned a house on Old Town Square, and so it was natural that he should be responsible for Orloj’s restoration in the nineteenth century. In 1945 his company saved the clock for the second time when the Old Town Hall became engulfed by fire and the inferno damaged the archive and with it all of the technical plans for the astronomical clock. It was L. Hainz employees, the Vesecký brothers, who managed to remake the melted components and rebuild the clock from memory. Employees of the company continued to service the clock during Communism, as there were not many people who understood the complexity of the Orloj instrument.

The astronomical clock was built in 1410 by the master clockmaker Mikuláš from Kadaň. The clock is thought to have been designed by the astronomer Jan Šindel, because in reality Orloj is not a clock, but a revolving celestial map. The astronomical dial in the centre shows Ptolemy’s solar system, in which the planets revolve around the Earth. The dial indicates the location of the stars and the sun as well as the phases of the moon. The calendar plate located beneath the dial features months, days and feast days of the Christian calendar.

In time Orloj also gained architectural and sculptural ornamentation, including the iconic moving statues of the Twelve Apostles. Surprisingly, interest in the astronomical clock waned over the centuries, and in the eighteenth century it was nearly dismantled and scrapped. We can thank the meteorologist Antonín Strnad for saving it from such terrible fate.

The entire clock was originally powered by a single mechanism. ‘Whenever I go up there and look around, I am amazed that someone was able to design, calculate and build it,’ exclaims Mariana Nesnídalová with great admiration. And now, once again, it will be the L. Hainz company that brings the instrument back to a perfect state. ■

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illustration: Lenka Hlaváčová

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Fashion

MEN'S CUT FASHION COMES AND GOES, BUT STYLE IS FOREVER. THESE TIMELESS PIECES HAVE DOMINATED THE GENTLEMAN’S WARDROBE FOR CENTURIES, AND THEY ARE SURE TO STAY. concept: Yasmin Keshmiri Hejduk and Adéla Havelková | text and styling: Patrik Florián photo: Adéla Havelková | models: Janek Gregor and David Chmátal / Eskimo-Bohemia Management

Janek: suit and bag, Dolce & Gabbana | shirt, Pietro Filipi David: suit, Dolce & Gabbana | shirt, Calvin Klein, www.bibloo.cz | shoes, design Adam Kost, Baťa

PREVIOUS AND THIS PAGE: David: coat, Kateřina Geislerová | top and pants, Hermès | hat, Tonak Janek: coat, Kateřina Geislerová | hat, Tonak

THIS PAGE: shirt, Calvin Klein, www.bibloo.cz | watch Prim Pilot 40 Q, www.prim.cz | bag, Louis Vuitton | pants and belt, model’s own

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THIS SPREAD: polo shirt, Pietro Filipi | pants, Cos | watch Prim Klasik 40 Q, www.prim.cz

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THIS SPREAD: David: coat, Kateřina Geislerová | top and pants, Hermès | shoes, design Adam Kost, Baťa Janek: coat, Kateřina Geislerová | overall, Jiří Kalfař | shoes, design Adam Kost, Baťa

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THIS SPREAD: Janek: suit, Dolce & Gabbana | shirt, Pietro Filipi David: jacket and pants, Dondup | boots, Dior

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THIS SPREAD AND NEXT PAGE: David: vest, Stinak | top, pants, belt, boots, all from Dior Janek: overall, Jiří Kalfař Janek: coat, Kateřina Geislerová | overall, Jiří Kalfař | hat, Tonak

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Photo Essay

KEEPING UP WITH TIME THE EVOLUTION OF TIMEKEEPING DEVICES REFLECTS THE LIFESTYLE OF EACH HISTORICAL ERA. WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT OURS? text: Tereza Škoulová | styling: Lenka Hlaváčová | photo: Lina Németh and Adéla Havelková

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IT IS A SUMMER EVENING AND TWILIGHT IS BEGINNING TO SET. SOON THE MOON WILL RISE AND THE WORLD WILL BECOME SHROUDED IN THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT. IN THE MORNING THE SUN WILL RISE AND THE DAY RETURN. THIS IS HOW THE FIRST PEOPLE PERCEIVED THE PASSAGE OF TIME. THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUN AND OTHER HEAVENLY BODIES WAS THEIR FIRST TOOL FOR MEASURING TIME, COMBINED WITH THE ANNUAL RHYTHMS OF NATURE – FROST, FLOODS, THE COUNTRYSIDE IN BLOOM AND THE FLIGHT AND RETURN OF MIGRATORY BIRDS… BUT HOW TO MEASURE IT ALL?

Early people knew that recurring events were akin to units of time – monthly cycles were observed as early as 30,000 years ago. The first tools for keeping time came in response to the need to divide the day into shorter periods for work and rituals. To measure time, people had to carefully observe their surroundings – dripping water, a burning candle, the changing length of a shadow. It was this careful observation that inspired people to develop the first timekeeping tools.

The oldest tool for measuring time is believed to be the water clock, a simple vessel with water dripping in or out. The first device that showed the time of the day was the sundial, but its dependence on the sun was limiting, leading to the development of mechanical clocks. Early versions of these relied on the constant flow of energy and were highly inaccurate, until the invention of the verge escapement in the fifteenth century. The need for precision further led to the invention of the chronometer in 1735, a device with a mechanism for adjusting its accuracy and much prized for navigation at sea.

Springs and pendulums eventually gave way to electricity and crystals. The quartz timekeeping system, in which a quartz crystal keeps track of time, was developed

by Bell Telephone Laboratories in the 1920s. And the twenty-first century heralded the Apple Watch, a device that measures the physical condition of its wearer in addition to keeping time. Now the clock watches the person. Our changing lifestyle, defined by greater connectively and shorter distances between countries, is reflected in the concept of Swatch Internet Time and the unit of a ‘.beat’. The Swatch Internet Time has no time zones or geographic boundaries and its day is divided into 1,000 .beats, pointing indirectly at the dizzying speed of the twenty-first century. ■ TIME BASED ON THE MOVEMENT OF OUR PLANET The sundial tells time based on the apparent movement of the sun: a pointed object known as the gnomon casts a shadow onto a surface with carved or painted hour lines. The first sundial was a pole stuck into the ground, later morphing into carved stone. The oldest known sundial comes from Iran from around 5,000 BC, and some 1,500 years later sundials were used across Egypt, Babylonia, India and China. To this day sundials still tell solar time.

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SAND AS A SYMBOL OF THE INFINITY OF TIME Gravitational force is the timekeeper in an hourglass, with sand flowing from one glass bulb to another. The hourglass was the first reliable time measuring device, used by seafarers as early as the eleventh century. The hourglass shows the present as the space between the past and the future, and it is therefore a poignant visual symbol of time. In computer graphics the hourglass indicates an action in progress.

WAKING TO THE SOUND OF BUTTONS People used candles with nails or metal balls inserted in the top as a waking device in the tenth century. When a candle burnt out, the metal pieces fell onto a metal plate and made a waking noise. There were also ‘rousers’, people who knocked on windows at the appointed hour with poles affixed with buttons. The same effect was also achieved by a peashooter.

WATCHING THE FLAME AND THE DISAPPEARING WAX The use of candles to measure time was advanced by King Alfred the Great of England in the ninth century, but the first reference to this method of timekeeping is in a Chinese poem from 520 AD. Time was measured by using candles of a certain size or by burning graduated candles. Time intervals were marked by lines or numbers on the candles or the candleholders.

TICK-TOCK MARKING THE PASSAGE OF TIME Mechanical clocks with oscillating escapements were invented in the thirteenth century, and period exemplars still tick on the faces of church towers. Early versions had only one hand and took a whole day to sweep around the clock face. Spring-driven clocks appeared in the fifteenth century, and the invention of the pendulum clock, already imagined by Galileo Galilei, greatly improved the accuracy of timekeeping.

PERFECTION IN THE IMPERFECTLY SHAPED CRYSTAL The first prototype of an analogue quartz wristwatch was developed by the Swiss, but it was the Japanese who made the first commercial model.

The quartz wristwatch uses the quartz crystal to regulate an electronic oscillator, which does away with the daily winding of a mechanical wristwatch.

Although quartz watches are very precise, today they serve mostly as fashion accessories. After all, the clock on a mobile phone is more precise.

PERSONAL SERVANT ON YOUR WRIST The ‘smart’ Apple Watch goes far beyond traditional timekeeping functions by monitoring the physical state of its wearer. Through wi-fi technology the smartwatch is connected to a smartphone, and this enables the wearer to use the watch for text messaging, phoning as well as navigation and payment apps. The Apple Watch S1 is essentially a personal computer strapped to your arm.

Editor’s Choice

TICK-TOCK THANKS TO THE UBIQUITY OF MOBILE PHONES WE NOW KNOW THE EXACT TIME JUST ABOUT ALL THE TIME, YET WE STILL LOVE CLOCKS AND WATCHES OF EVERY KIND! styling: Helena Novotná and Adéla Kudrnová | photo: company archives

FROM LEFT: Winston Regal All Red Watch, www.komono.com, €90 | Tube Clock, design Peit Hein Eek, leffamsterdam.com, €89 | Apple Watch Hermès, www.apple.com, $1,299 | Altdeutsche Clock, design Studio Job, www.moooi.com, €3,435 | Take Time XL Watch, design Mathieu Lehanneur, www.lexon-design.com, price upon request | Spartak Retro Watch, www.prim-shop.cz, 54,000 Kč | Multi Morning Watch, aarkcollective.com, $119

Reflection

CREATING OUR FUTURE HOW OFTEN DO YOU THINK ABOUT LIFE A THOUSAND YEARS FROM TODAY? WILL ROBOTS RULE THE WORLD, WILL PEOPLE RETURN TO NATURE, OR WILL THEY HIBERNATE AND WAIT FOR BETTER TIMES? text: Helena Stiessová | photo: Michaela Karásek Čejková | illustration: Michal Bačák

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THE HUMAN MIND IS ABLE TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH IN TIME, EVEN IF PHYSICALLY WE ARE ALWAYS IN THE PRESENT. MOST OF US ARE FAIRLY CONFIDENT ABOUT WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING, BUT WHAT ABOUT ONE HUNDRED OR FIVE HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW? SUCH QUESTIONS ARE MORE THE PURVIEW OF FUTUROLOGISTS AND AUTHORS OF SCI-FI LITERATURE … AND TALENTED ILLUSTRATORS OF COURSE. IT DID NOT TAKE MUCH TO CONVINCE MICHAL BAČÁK TO RENDER ON PAPER HIS IDEA OF THE FUTURE. TOGETHER WITH MICHAELA ČEJKOVÁ’S PHOTOGRAPHS, MICHAL’S IMAGES EVOKE A DREAMY VISION OF A FUTURE WORLD. JOIN US FOR A STROLL INTO THE UNKNOWN.

Our notions about the future of humanity can be quite bleak, and often stem from concerns about the legacy that our generation will leave behind. But we also hope that our progeny will be wiser than us and restore planet Earth as a place that is friendly to life, a place that carries a small trace of our own existence. After all, a future without even the smallest connection to the past defies the wildest of fantasies.

Subconsciously we try to align the murky vision of the future with what is familiar, so our image of the life of future generations is not too distant from our own reality.

Will our traditions live on? Will people drink coffee? Will they celebrate? Have pets?

We assume yes, as these are the elements of daily reality we take for granted. We also wonder about the same questions that occupied Jules Verne some 150 years ago. How will people move from place to place? How will they reach other planets?

And adding our current worries to his list: how will people solve energy problems and repair the damage to the natural environment? What order will rule the world?

Will the honeycomb moth eat through all the plastic bags that have been created since the invention of polyethylene? Will people of the future avoid military conflicts?

Where will water come from?

A reflection on the future will inevitably raise many questions, including your own.

The answers will come later, and until then all we have to play with is our vast imagination. How does the illustrator Michal Bačák see an ordinary Czech day in the thirty-first century? It’s not that bleak! People have managed to solve the problem of water shortages and an elegant solution inspired by the 20th century composer Bohuslav Martinů has saved many forest springs. The visionary Czechoslovak project from the 1960s called Eterea has finally found its day in the sun, and the sun now rises and falls over Eterea as it has over Prague for millennia. We have also solved the problem of space travel by returning to good old-fashioned spaceships, this time purely ecological in design. How do you like our vision of the future? ■

SPRING Opening of the Springs is a project commemorating the one-thousand-year anniversary of the birth of the composer Bohuslav MartinĹŻ. In the year 2890 the Czech land is no longer able to retain and distribute water. As part of a water revitalisation project, large monoliths are placed above ground to return water to the land. By the year 3017 the monoliths have become as integral to the Czech landscape as wayside shrines were in the distant past.

TAKE-OFF After the devastating collapse of the orbital elevator, space travel has had to resort to using archaic spaceships.

Current technologies allow for a quiet take-off that has no negative impact on the environment, and there is no longer the concern for aerodynamics. As a result, silicate ships can now be designed in the form of a cube.

The image shows the take-off of Unit 2; in the backdrop the moon is encircled by an artificial ring.

ETAREA Etarea was a futuristic project of Czechoslovak architects from the 1960s, presented at the 1967 EXPO in Montreal. Envisaging a new nature city just south of Prague, the project did not find backers at the time of its conception, in part due to the political developments of 1968. In the year 2968 the project is dusted and engineered on a much grander scale. It is completed in the year 3017.

YOU ARE INVITED TO THE EXHIBITION

THEATRUM AETERNITATIS FLORAE A romantically cosy installation to delight the nose and eyes on the ephemerality of flowers. A captivating look at some plants never seen before and a chance to experience their fragrance. The research team – Dechem studio, Květinového lahůdkářství (Flower Deli) and illustrator Michal Bačák – will present the results of their many years of effort in the laboratory and out in remote mountains and forests. You can look forward to aromatic extracts, surreal drawings and quaint flasks in the half-light of the Kladruby monastery.

VENUE Kladruby Monastery, Pozorka 1, 349 61 Kladruby u Stříbra

GALA OPENING OF EXHIBITION with a Midsummer’s Eve bonfire will take place on 24 June 2017, 6:00 p.m.; a tour of the cloister and the famous Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by the well-known architect Santini starts at 5 p.m. The exhibition runs from June 27 to August 31 in the Latin School of the Kladruby monastery.

Free entry

Travel

CZECH SWITZERLAND THE NAME OF CZECHIA’S YOUNGEST NATIONAL PARK – CZECH SWITZERLAND – EVOKES IMAGES OF DEEP FORESTS, DRAMATIC MOUNTAINS, WILD STREAMS AND SNAKING VALLEYS. IT OFFERS PRECISELY THAT AND MORE. text: Hana Švolbová | photo: Tereza Menclová

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THE BANK OF THE RIVER LABE NEAR THE VILLAGE OF HŘENSKO IN CZECHIA’S NORTH IS THE LOWEST POINT IN THE COUNTRY. PERHAPS IT IS THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE LOW-LYING RIVER BASIN AND THE TOWERING ROCK FACES AROUND IT THAT GIVES THE REGION ITS DISTINCTIVE ATMOSPHERE. LOOKOUTS ATOP STEEP HILLS GUARD OVER WILD STREAMS BLANKETED BY DARK, DEEP FORESTS. CZECH SWITZERLAND HAS A LOT TO OFFER, INCLUDING THE REGIONAL CENTRE, THE TOWN OF DĚČÍN. JOIN US TO DISCOVER NOT ONLY THE FAMOUS BUT ALSO THE FORGOTTEN CORNERS OF THE DĚČÍN REGION.

Kamenice – the small river named for the boulders through which it forges its way – enters the river Labe near Hřensko. The river has been a natural thorn in the side of the local residents since time immemorial. Some parts are accessible only by water, the banks too soggy for easy access, and from time to time the water level rises by several metres. In spite of the challenges it presents, the river has always been an important source of livelihood for the local people, for both transporting wood as well as trout and salmon fishing. At the end of Kamenice lies Hřensko, an ideal starting place for trips to some of the best known attractions of the area – Pravčická brána [natural stone bridge] and the Kamenice gorges. To explore the area, we went for a very pleasant walk and could not resist a boat trip through the gorges.

There are three gorges on the untameable Kamenice – Ferdinand’s Gorge, Edmund’s (Quiet) Gorge and Wild Gorge. Ferdinand’s Gorge, the highest-lying of the three, was the first navigable gorge on the Kamenice. Today the gorge is not accessible by boat, but you can explore it at your own risk by wading through the stream. The other two gorges were made navigable in 1890 and 1898 by Count Edmund Clary-Aldringen in order to support the development of tourism in the area. The count arranged for some two hundred Italian labourers to dig tunnels and build bridges, footpaths and resting points along the gorges, thus helping to build a spectacular attraction.

We recommend Mezní Louka as a starting point for your trip to the gorges, reached easily from Hřensko by bus or car. The marked trail will lead you through a beautiful forest to the edge of the river, and then along its bank through a system of tunnels, bridges and resting points to the embarkation point for trips through the Wild Gorge. ► LEFT: Entry into Edmund’s Gorge on the wild part of Kamenice near Hřensko.

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THIS SPREAD: Some parts of the canyon carved by Kamenice cannot be reached on foot. Punts have been used to enjoy these parts since 1890.

The former spa complex of Chmelnice near Děčín has been abandoned since the end of the Second World War.

A punt carrying a maximum of 25 people is steered through the gorge with the help of a long pole. The punter will share interesting details of the history of the gorge and point out the most noteworthy examples of natural beauty along the Kamenice riverbed. Sometimes entertaining, sometimes a little scary, just as a good guide should be. Continuing your walk along Mezní můstek [little bridge] you will reach Edmund’s or ‘Quiet’ Gorge, where the wild flow of the river becomes tamer. Just as with the Wild Gorge, parts of Edmund’s Gorge can only be reached by a guided boat.

The stretch is longer than the Wild Gorge but calmer, with rock walls that rise some 50 to 150 metres above the water level. At the end of the boat journey awaits a trail that leads to Hřensko, along which you will pass newly built fishways for salmon that have started to return to northern Czechia after a decades-long absence.

Jetřichovice is another great starting point for a romantic stroll or a proper hike to one of the surrounding lookouts. The village itself is well worth your visit – its quaint timber houses against the backdrop of imposing rocks complete the national park’s bucolic image. From among the many recommended trails we chose the yellow six-kilometre circuit that offers stunning views of the Kamenice canyon and leads to the remnants of Dolský mlýn [mill]. The descent into the valley has its own magic, complete with a pause at the King Spruce, a heritage tree that rises to the height of 27 metres. The majestic tree has been standing at the crossroads near Dolský mlýn for more than 180 years. From the crossroads the mill ruin is just a short stroll away.

The old mill building stands at the confluence of the Kamenice and Jetřichovická Bělá streams and is known from historical records dating to 1515. It worked as a mill until the nineteenth century and was later used as a brewery and distillery. After the end of the nineteenth century Dolský mlýn became a welcoming tourist spot with a restaurant, but it began to fall into ruin after the Second World War. Today all that remains are the impressive stone walls of the building’s original foundation. The genius loci of the mill site is spectacular and it is not surprising that it has inspired many film makers. While still in its full glory the beautiful building played a role in the famous 1952 fairy tale Pyšná princezna [Proud Princess], to this day a staple of Czech television programming at Christmas time. The last time the mill was used as a film location was in 2008 for the filming of the fairy tale Peklo s princeznou [Troubles with a Princess].

Since 2007 the old mill is a national heritage site. ► RIGHT: Vlčí jezero [Wolf Lake] is hidden by a curtain of birch trees and offers no evidence of its artificial origins.

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THIS SPREAD: The stunning view of the canyon from near the King Spruce and Dolský mlýn [mill].

THIS SPREAD: Hotel Maxičky was a tourist draw soon after the end of the First World War. Today it waits – seemingly in vain – to regain its former glory.

You will find heritage sites of another kind along your walk to Dolský mlýn and elsewhere in the national park. Light fortifications in the form of reinforced concrete bunkers were built in 1937–1938 as part of the defence of the Czech border against Nazi Germany. Some of the most interesting examples of this defensive line of mini fortresses are found near Dolský mlýn.

Let’s now return to Děčín and its surroundings. Along the way to the lookout tower at the top of Děčínský Sněžník lies the picturesque Vlčí jezero [Wolf Lake]. Don’t be fooled by its name – it is not a natural body of water but an artificial pond with its floodgate now missing. Hidden from the view of the road by a curtain of birch trees, the lake’s sandy beach and clear water beckon would-be swimmers and picnickers.

Not far from Vlčí jezero, about five kilometres from Děčín, is the small village of Maxičky – home to a large former hotel complex of the same name. For Děčín residents as well as tourists, Maxičky was a sought-out recreation area as early as the 1920s. The hotel complex included a restaurant, tennis courts and a natural swimming area. For a long time now the town of Děčín has been looking for a new owner and manager to bring the hotel to its former glory. The hotel and the surrounding facilities are currently falling into disrepair and entry to the site is only at your own risk.

One final ‘lost’ attraction of Czech Switzerland are the remnants of a former spa complex found on an overgrown hillside above the Děčín area of Chmelnice. In the past, visitors were able to enjoy a complete spa complex with a swimming pool, a lookout terrace and a chapel. Following the expulsion of the German population after the Second World War the spa at Chmelnice was closed, but today you can still stroll along a two-armed terrace and enter the dilapidated chapel.

After your walk through the national park’s deep forests, or an ascent to one of its rocky peaks, you may welcome a meal at a good local restaurant. If yes, be sure to visit the timber inn and restaurant Na Stodolci [The Barn Inn] in Dolní Chřibské. Open every day, the kitchen turns out wonderful local fare as a reward for your hard-earned hunger. The food is so good that it feels as if a group of local grandmothers had gotten together, each bringing her own special recipe, and used their mastery to refuel tired muscles and empty bellies. ■

RIGHT: A line of small defence structures dots the border region, an attempt from the 1930s to protect the former Czechoslovakia from Nazi Germany.

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THIS SPREAD: The descent from the top of the canyon to the edge of Kamenice and to Dolský mlýn is marked by natural and human-made trails and steps.

Dolský mlýn is mentioned in documents from 1515 and continued to function until the end of the Second World War. Its ruin beckons tourists and film-makers alike.

THIS PAGE: At the restaurant and inn Na Stodolci you can soak in the atmosphere of the Czech-Saxen countryside while being looked after as if at your grandmother’s.

Culture

PRAGUE CELEBRATES THE CITY OF A HUNDRED SPIRES – PICTURESQUE AND RENOWNED. THIS YEAR PRAGUE’S HISTORICAL CENTRE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS AS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. partner for the article: Prague City Hall | text: Helena Novotná | photo: company archives

‘The brick chapel was built in 1863 by the local pastor Thomas Baker,’ explains the owner Sally Edwards, ‘and his memorial plaque has a place of honour in the bedroom, serving as a reminder of the building’s origins.’ The chapel stopped functioning as a religious space in the early 1990s, and in 1997 the building was bought and beautifully restored by the architect Ian Constantides. It was then used as a place for gatherings and talks by speakers from all across Great Britain on themes as varied as Russian wooden churches, European opera houses and modern poetry. After Ian’s death in 2013 the building went on sale and Sally found it by chance. She immediately fell in love with the chapel and its surrounding landscape surrounding landscape alkh.

Sally Edwards lives in an adjoining building that was once the village school, which implies that she has a passion for converting old buildings into spaces suitable for modern living. ‘We tried to respect the original purpose and history of the chapel, which resulted in an interesting dialogue between how we imagine modern living and how we can preserve the integrity of the original structure. I used to live in a renovated barn, and that experience inspired many of the ideas for the restoration of the chapel.’

Conversions of historical and even ecclesiastical buildings into modern family homes are reasonably common, but what led Sally to convert the chapel into a place of respite for others? ‘I must say I didn’t start out with a clear idea of how the chapel would be used, and in the end the decision was led by the building itself. Religious structures typically serve as a place of refuge, so I wanted to create a comfortable place where both the body and the spirit could rejuvenate, a place that exudes history yet befits modern life.’ d in the end the decision was led by the building itself. Religious structures typically serve as a place of refuge, so I wanted to create a comfortable place where both the body and the spirit could rejuvenate, a place that exudes history yet befits modern life refuge, so I wanted to creat both the body and the spirit could. ■ ►

THIS SPREAD: Cadastral Delineation 1840–1842 | © IPR Prague 2016 – Prague Institute of Planning and Development

TO REMIND OURSELVES HOW WE MOST PREFERRED SPENDING THE SUMMER AS CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS, WE HEADED OFF TO GO BOATING DOWN A RIVER. TWO DAYS ON THE WATER BRING PEOPLE CLOSER TOGETHER AND GIVE YOU A LOT OF MEMORIES THAT WILL LAST FOR A LIFETIME. AND YOU STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST OF SUMMER? HOPEFULLY YOU’LL BE INSPIRED TO GO CANOEING DOWN ONE OF OUR BEAUTIFUL RIVERS. TAKE ONLY THE BARE NECESSITIES WITH YOU: GOOD SPIRITS, GOOD FRIENDS, A SWIMSUIT AND SOMETHING TO WARM YOUR TOES!

IT IS RARE TO SEE A LIST OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES OF EUROPE THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE PRAGUE. SOMETIMES IT PLACES FIRST ON THE LIST, SOMETIMES FIFTH, AND SOMETIMES IT IS SOMEWHERE NEAR THE BOTTOM. IN REALITY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHICH CITY IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL. PARIS? ROME? PRAGUE? EACH HAS A UNIQUE IDENTITY ENCAPSULATED IN ITS HISTORICAL CORE. BUT TIME CAN BE CRUEL TO OLD CITIES AND A CONCERTED EFFORT IS NEEDED TO PROTECT THEIR BEAUTY. ENTER UNESCO AND ITS INITIATIVE OF WORLD HERITAGE SITES.

In December 1992 the North American city of Santa Fe hosted the sixteenth gathering of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The result was the addition of several valuable heritage sites from around the world onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. That year Prague’s historical city centre was added to the list, and in 2010 followed another area of Prague, this time an enchanting natural garden located southeast of the city.

The World Heritage List represents a prestigious selection of the world’s most significant cultural and natural heritage sites. If something is on the list, it is truly worth seeing.

How is a site selected? There are surprisingly few criteria, but they are challenging to meet. Whether a listing is sought for a city, a building or a form of intangible heritage, it must have outstanding universal value that transcends international borders.

What criteria did Prague fulfil? First, the city boasts a large number of sites from varied historical periods which, despite their divergent age, create a unified whole. To experience this, all you need do is stand in the middle of Old Town Square and slowly turn your head – the Gothic town hall, Renaissance residences, Baroque church and Rococo palace band together to create a spellbinding panorama. Second, Prague’s historical centre is a wonderful example of uninterrupted urban development from the Middle Ages until today. Last, Prague has played an important role not only in the development of Christianity in Europe but also of higher learning, which began to flourish after the founding of Charles University in 1348. The Emperor Charles IV and later the Emperor Rudolf II were both great patrons of the arts and drew to Prague artists and scholars from far and wide – Italy, France, Holland and elsewhere. They brought with them the latest developments from all corners of Europe, giving Prague its eclectic flavour.

There are many lengthy descriptions of the uniqueness of Prague, but the French philosopher and poet Paul Valéry was able to capture the spirit of the city in just a few lines when he wrote: ‘There is no other city in the world in which the imposing majesty, the precious details, and the cosy nooks are better and more congenially put together. The city offers more densely clustered beauty, inspiration and opportunities to break from the bustle of daily life than any other place in the world.’ ►

THIS SPREAD: View of Prague – Vincenc Morstadt (sketch), Main View of Prague – C. A. Richter, coloured etching, about 1830 | Collection of The City of Prague Museum

Historical Plan of the Průhonice Park (F. F. Pleskot – 1909) | Archive of the Institute of Botany of the CAS, v.v.i.

THIS PAGE AND RIGHT: Stanislav Horák, Zdeněk Balcar, L. Běhal, Ivo Oberstein, Urbanistic Plan of the Malostranský Tunnel, 1967, Újezd – Klárov, 1st Stage | © IPR Prague 2016 – Prague Institute of Planning and Development

SEVEN YEARS AGO A LARGE TRACT OF PARKLAND WAS ADDED TO THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST. ITS ADDITION MADE THE LIST NOT ONLY RICHER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL, BUT ALSO GREENER. THE PRŮHONICE PARK MAY CHALLENGE THE GENERAL NOTION THAT ONLY CASTLES, CHATEAUS AND CHURCHES QUALIFY AS HERITAGE SITES, BUT HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE IS ALSO DESERVING OF OUR ATTENTION. THE PRŮHONICE PARK – A LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE CREATED AT THE END OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY – IS A UNIQUE EXEMPLAR.

The park was established in 1885 by Count Arnošt Emanuel Silva-Tarouca, the Czech owner of the Průhonice domain. He searched for inspiration in Czechia and abroad before creating one of the largest nature parks in Europe, which to this day is highly prized for botanical research. The count’s lifelong passion was botany, and although he had no formal training in the field he published several books on dendrology. In 1927 he sold the entire Průhonice domain to the Czechoslovak state, but continued to look after the park until his death in 1936. Count Silva-Tarouca was also responsible for the reconstruction of the Průhonice Chateau into its current Neo-Renaissance likeness. It is rather fitting then that today the chateau is the seat of the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

There are no right angles or geometric designs in the Průhonice Park – all trails follow the various natural contours that define the Botič stream valley, itself a notional axis for the park. When creating the park, Count Silva-Tarouca retained its original wooded sections and over time added exotic species and water features. Today visitors can enjoy an impressive collection of conifer cones, a stunning alpine garden extending over the rocks above the stream, and more than 8,000 full-grown rhododendrons. The rhododendrons bloom in May and June and transform the park into a vivid colour palette.

You can learn more about the 25th anniversary of Prague’s placement on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List at the free outdoor exhibition called Praha světová–25 let v UNESCO [Praga Mater Urbium–25 years on the UNESCO list], displayed on Prague’s Kampa Island until the end of June 2017. ■

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Photo Essay

WINDOWS WHILE STUDYING DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY AT PRAGUE’S FAMU, SOFFA PHOTOGRAPHER MICHAELA ČEJKOVÁ CREATED A FASCINATING SERIES OF TIME-LAPSE PHOTOGRAPHS. text and photo: Michaela Karásek Čejková

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She stands veiled by a curtain, as translucent as her paper-thin skin.

When she awakes she tends to the plants, her only friends, as though they were her children.

Where are her real flesh and blood?

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The gentle caress of warm light.

Nothing but happiness, two people celebrating the arrival of new life.

Just the three of them.

Now. Home full of love... beauty and clichĂŠ.

My envy.

She arrives each day at exactly the same time.

Turns on the light.

Takes off her coat.

Makes coffee, or is it tea?

Turns on the computer.

Sits at her desk.

Days, months, years and decades will pass, but she will remain.

An unchanging expression, dreaming of forests and lush green gardens.

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Robinsons on their own private islands.

In the same space.

Mere square metres.

Together in body but spiritually apart.

Lost in oppressive silence.

Behind the window...

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The three most interesting answers will be rewarded with a shampoo and conditioner set for coloured, dry or limp hair (tell us your hair type in the subject line).

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TEMA E VARIAZIONI FIRST SERIES 1–100 Tema e Variazioni – the limited edition handmade book containing the first 100 illustrations from the series of the same name by the Italian artist Piero Fornasetti is on display at Gallery Praguekabinet until 27 June. The limited edition books signed by the artist’s son Barnaba Fornasetti count only 100 copies.

Gallery Praguekabinet, 18 May–27 June 2017 www.praguekabinet.com

Travel

BALI JUST AS WAVES SHAPE THE SEASHORE IN THEIR OWN IMAGE, SO TOO CAN PEOPLE CHANGE A LANDSCAPE. SOFFA’S WRITER PATRICK AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER ROBERT TRAVELLED TO AN ISLAND WHERE TIME HAS ITS OWN RHYTHM. text: Patrik Florián | photo: Róbert Kováč

INDONESIA COMPRISES MORE THAN SEVENTEEN THOUSAND ISLANDS, AND THEIR VAST NATURAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY MAKES INDONESIA ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE PLACES ON EARTH. THE MOST FREQUENTLY VISITED ISLAND IS BALI – A SMALL PROVINCE OFTEN CALLED THE ISLAND OF THE GODS AND THE DAWN OF THE WORLD. SINCE THE 1980s BALI HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT OUT DESTINATIONS FOR TRAVELLERS, AND IN MARCH 2017 IT WAS RATED AS THE BEST TOURIST DESTINATION IN THE WORLD.

The history of the island is as rich as its image. The first inhabitants reached Bali around 3,000 BC, followed by Javanese settlers and their ruling dynasties, then the Dutch, the British and during the Second World War also the Japanese. Over this time the physical shape of the island has been transformed by forces of nature – the relentless crashing waves and volcanic activity, including the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung. Human hands have added their mark on the surface of the land and helped create what many believe to be paradise on earth. To a traveller Bali offers everything – volcanoes, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, quiet shores with coral reefs, exotic fruit, delicious rice and freshly roasted traditional coffee. After a morning session of bikram yoga, a mid-day meal of gluten-free Italian pizza, shopping for designer wares, and an evening poolside drink overlooking the deep blue sea, you may begin to wonder where exactly you have landed. Tourism has transformed this little bit of Southeast Asia into one large cosmopolitan bubble.

What of our introductory statement that time has its own rhythm in Bali? Governed by two unique calendars, time does flow a bit differently on the island. The lunar calendar Saka has twelve months of 30 days, each month beginning the day after ►

a new moon, and spans a total of 354 or 355 days. The calendar is regularly adjusted for synchronisation with the lunar cycle, which is slightly shorter than 30 days, and with the Gregorian calendar. The lunar new year begins with a six-day celebration best known for the Nyepi ritual – the day of silence. On the eve of Nyepi local people parade through villages with large effigies of demons and evil spirits, accompanied by noisy celebrations and gamelan music. The effigies are then burnt in the night and thrown into the sea. At sunrise the next morning Nyepi begins, and time comes to a halt for 24 hours. Streets previously buzzing with noisy motorcycles quiet down and people remain indoors for the entire day to honour tradition. During this time people are not supposed to go out, turn on lights or fires, watch television or speak loudly.

Shops, bars, beaches, restaurants, even the airport – everywhere becomes devoid of human activity.

The second Balinese calendar, Pawukon, has its origins in the age-old tradition of rice cultivation. The highly complex calendar comprises six months, each 35 days long, and its most interesting aspect is in the cycle of concurrent weeks. There are ten weeks in total, they run in parallel, and one week can comprise one to ten days, each with a unique name. This means that any day can have multiple names and in contrast to our calendar, the days do not follow a uniform order. If this is not enough to confuse you, there are some weeks that require days to be added so that the whole cycle can fit into the 210 days that make up a Pawukon year.

Just as Pawukon may have got your mind spinning, so will Bali’s bewitching beauty. If you should find yourself on Bali and have a few days to spare in your personal calendar, consider exploring the wonders of some of the other nearby islands: the lively Gilis island trio, the traditional Lombok or the dragon-filled Komodo. ■

Illustration

BACK TO THE FUTURE

ENJOY OUR VERSION OF THE HISTORY OF OUR PLANET AND HUMANITY, AND CHALLENGE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PASSAGE OF TIME. text: Patrik Floriรกn | illustration: Ieva Ozola

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WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF TIME? WAS IT CREATED WITH THE COSMOS, OR IS IT SIMPLY A CONSTRUCT OF THE HUMAN MIND? ARISTOTLE DEFINED TIME IN RELATION TO MOVEMENT – TIME PASSING AS YOU WATCH THE SETTING SUN, THE MELTING ICE AND YOUR AGEING SKIN. ALBERT EINSTEIN LATER CONCEIVED OF TIME AS A COSMIC DIMENSION, AND WORKED WITH IT JUST AS HE HAD WORKED WITH SPACE. TODAY’S SCIENTISTS HAVE PUT FORWARD THE NOTION THAT TIME DOES NOT EXIST, NOR DID IT EVER EXIST. WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BATTLING AGAINST THE FLOW OF TIME SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING, BUT WILL NEVER WIN. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER TIME SLIPS THROUGH YOUR FINGERS OR DRAGS ON – IT ALWAYS MOVES FORWARD!

The theory of special relativity states that if a body reaches the speed of light, it will experience time slower than its surroundings. In other words, it will become a time traveller. The same effect can be reached, according to the theory of general relativity, with a strong gravitational field such as a black hole. In practical terms however, time travel would be very complicated. Imagine you made a mistake in the past, a mistake you want to correct, and you decide to travel back in time to change your future. Let’s imagine you are successful and correct your mistake, but then the mistake never took place, and so you would have no reason to travel back in time. And along the same line of logic, there is nothing preventing you from making that mistake over and over again. Confused? Not surprising if you are, because time travel creates paradoxes that stand against logic and the laws of physics. Will it ever be possible for people to travel back and forth in time? What benefits would this bring? And if there are visitors from the future among us, who are they and what are they up to? Let’s not waste time on too many questions. In the end, only time will tell… ■

THE COSMIC CLOCK TICKS AT ITS WHIM

A day on Earth is not 24 hours long, but 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds, to be precise – the time it takes the Earth to rotate around its axis. One year, the period required for Earth to rotate around the Sun, takes 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes and 9.5 seconds. In contrast, on Neptune one year lasts the equivalent of some 40 years on Earth, which means that celebrating birthdays on Neptune would not be much fun. Jupiter seems to be in a constant race, moving at the speed of 45,300 km per hour, its day lasting less than 10 terrestrial hours. Venus is the laziest of all planets, with a day that lasts a bit longer than the entire year.

A day at the pole of Uranus is 42 terrestrial years long, followed by an equally long night. And on Mars you can enjoy summers and winters that last almost two terrestrial years.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX LIVED CLOSER TO HUMANS THAN TO ITS ANCESTOR THE STEGOSAURUS The tyrant lizard king, or T-Rex, was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs. The alpha predator, who weighted as much as 10 tons, lived roughly between 68 and 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period. You may be surprised to learn that T-Rex’s film buddy, the Stegosaurus, was a very distant ancestor – some 83 million years older. One of the most recognisable dinosaurs thanks to its broad upright plates and spiky tail, the Stegosaurus lived during the Jurassic Period, 155 to 150 million years ago. When plotted on a timescale, the stumpy-armed T-Rex appears closer to humans than to its herbivorous ancestor with a brain the size of a tangerine.

CLEOPATRA LIVED CLOSER TO THE INVENTION OF INSTAGRAM THAN TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA Cleopatra VII Philopator, the Egyptian queen from the Ptolemaic dynasty, was born in 69 BC. She ascended the throne at the age of seventeen and ruled alongside such great historic figures as Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. By the time of her reign the pyramids of Giza had been standing for more than 2,500 years. Indeed, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza necropolis, is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. And if these facts don’t generate sufficient awe, then consider that herds of mammoth still roamed the earth when the Giza pyramids were being built.

CHARLES UNIVERSITY IN PRAGUE IS OLDER THAN THE AZTEC EMPIRE

The beginnings of Charles University in Prague date to the middle of the fourteenth century. A half a century later, in 1410, Prague received its famous astronomical clock, the oldest astronomical clock still in operation in the world. In contrast, the Aztec Empire – which ruled over today’s Mexico – did not come into existence until 1428. Aztec culture used two calendars to mark time: Tonalpohualli, which had 20 thirteen-day periods ruled by the gods, and Xiuhpohualli, which had 365 days divided into 18 twenty-day months plus five so-called ‘useless’ days. It was recommended not to do much on useless days. Do you have these?

HERMAN MELVILLE’S WHITE WHALE MAY STILL BE ROAMING THE NORTHERN OCEANS Moby Dick, the most famous of Herman Melville’s novels, was published in 1851. The bowhead whale featured in the novel lives in the cold waters of the north and can live up to two hundred years – long enough for the whale that inspired the book to still be alive! The legendary Moby Dick is the only figure associated with the novel that lived to see its fame and glory. The book was a flop at the time of its publication and became world-famous only after Melville’s death. The stunning illustrations that in many readers’ minds are inseparable from the story were added by the American painter Rockwell Kent 70 years after the novel’s first publication.

VACUUM CLEANERS EXISTED DURING THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

The Ottoman Empire was founded by Osman I in 1299 and at the height of its power controlled much of Southeast Europe, parts of Central Europe, Western Asia, the Caucasus, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. The empire fell only after the end of the First World War in 1922, when the sultanate was abolished. As the first manual vacuum cleaners appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century, they may well have found their use in Ottoman palaces. The first powered vacuum cleaners were introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century, and the little suckers continue to be popular to this day.

FAMOUS PERSONALITIES AND INVENTIONS OF 1926

Close your eyes and imagine the divine Marilyn Monroe standing above a Manhattan subway grate in her iconic flowing dress. Then close your eyes again and imagine the longest living monarch of the British Empire, the smiling grey-haired Queen Elizabeth II, as she waves to the masses in her perfectly tailored suit with a matching hat. Now close your eyes for the last time and imagine the two women together, toasting their 91st birthdays. Cheers! When you have awoken from this somewhat surreal dream, make yourself some toast to celebrate the year 1926. That’s because the automatic pop-up toaster is exactly the same age as two of the world’s most famous women. Timeless, just as they are!

EVERY TWO MINUTES MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE TAKEN THAN DURING THE ENTIRE NINETEENTH CENTURY The camera obscura, silver nitrate and silver chloride, iodine and mercury vapours, salt baths and copper plates – these are the building blocks of today’s photography. The oldest surviving photographs from 1825–1827 were made by the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce, whose process was essentially the same as the process used by Polaroid today. The first colour photograph was introduced in 1961 by James Clerk Maxwell. In 1981 Sony created the first digital photographs with the Sony Malvica, and since then the number of digital photos has grown exponentially. It is estimated that in 2017 people will collectively take more than 1.2 trillion photographs.

Design

DEFINITION OF LUXURY DESIGN IS ONE OF THE MAIN DRIVERS FOR THE SUCCESS OF MERCEDES-BENZ, AND THE DAIMLER AG DESIGN TEAM LED BY GORDEN WAGENER IS WORLD RENOWNED. WELCOME TO THEIR WORLD OF SENSUAL PURITY. partner for the article: Mercedes-Benz | text: Hana Švolbová | photo: Mercedes-Benz archive

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MERCEDES-BENZ CARS ARE FAMED FOR THEIR ELEGANCE, BUT ELEGANCE IS NOT ENOUGH FOR GORDEN WAGENER AND HIS TEAM. THEIR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY OF SENSUAL PURITY, WHICH PERFECTLY MARRIES TWO OF THE BRAND’S MAIN CRITERIA – EMOTION AND INTELLIGENCE – IS PAVING THE WAY FOR A WHOLE NEW CONCEPT OF MODERN LUXURY. ON THE EXTERIOR MERCEDES-BENZ CARS ARE FOLLOWING A PURIST DESIGN PRINCIPLE WITH REDUCED LINES, WHILE THE INTERIOR IS BECOMING SOMETHING OF A ‘THIRD SPACE’ BETWEEN HOME AND WORK. THE ENTIRE VEHICLE IS ABOUT PURE EXPERIENCE.

‘With our design philosophy of sensual purity, we’ve initiated a shift in automotive design,’ observes Gorden Wagener, the head of the design team at Daimler AG. Next to cars his team designs for other aspects of modern life, bringing technical skills and creative passion to the design of boats, aeroplane interiors and luxury flats. Luxury is not about the amount of material used, but about the quality of experience, including the experience of freedom, space, privacy and peace. ‘People do not want more, they want better,’ affirms Gorden Wagener. Mercedes-Benz is a brand with a long tradition and a faithful customer base. This too is considered in sensual purity design, where tradition connects seamlessly with modernity. New technologies enable designers to elevate the purity of contours, freeing the vehicle from all unnecessary weight.

The Daimler AG design team works on projects so challenging they may never come to fruition, yet their work is grounded in reality and delivers projects that ignite passion in their customers. Gorden Wagener and his team face a task that is extremely simple on the one hand and extremely complex on the other: to create a better, more beautiful and more intelligent future. The philosophy of sensual purity has led to the design of the visionary Mercedes-Benz Future World with futuristic cities, bridges, streets, buildings and cars.

When we dream of the future we contribute to its creation. This requires time.

The elegant futuristic vision designed by Gorden Wagener’s design team is the result of painstakingly detailed work that begins with design ideas and continues through sketches, 3D and virtual models, and the final delivery of a complete product.

For more information visit www.mercedes-benz.com. ■ LEFT: The Daimler AG design team has introduced the concept of the Mercedes-Benz Future World, built in the spirit of sensual purity.

THIS SPREAD: The steel wings of a bridge of the future resemble an albatross in flight. A protective glass tube allows cars to travel at a speed of 500 km per hour.

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THIS SPREAD: The new concept of design includes not only modern vehicles, but also cities, apartments and aeroplane interiors. The roof structure for the Oasis Plaza was inspired by a spider web.

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THIS SPREAD: The vision of a futuristic world, in which luxury is defined in terms of pure experience, requires countless hours spent over sketches and virtual and 3D models.

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Collage

INTO THE SUN THE RIGHT ACCESSORY COMPLETES ANY OUTFIT. SUNGLASSES ARE GREAT ACCESSORIES, AND THEY ARE ALSO GREAT EYE PROTECTION, ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER. CHOOSE WISELY! partner for the article: Komono | text: Adéla Kudrnová | styling: Lenka Hlaváčová photo: Komono archive

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KOMONO IS A JAPANESE TERM FOR TRINKETS AND ACCESSORIES. IT IS ALSO THE NAME OF ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING ACCESSORY BRANDS IN THE WORLD, STARTED BY TWO FRIENDS WHO WANTED TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY. SINCE 2009 THE BELGIAN BRAND HAS BEEN MAKING WATCHES AND SUNGLASSES NOT TO BE MISSED. THEIR ACCESSORIES ARE A MIX OF RETRO AND FUTURISTIC INFLUENCES AND BLUR THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN CLASSIC AND NEW, ART AND FASHION, MEN’S AND WOMEN’S. COME FACE TO FACE WITH FOUR PIECES FROM KOMONO’S SPRING/SUMMER 2017 COLLECTION AND SEE FOR YOURSELF!

KOMONO PHOENIX | MADE FOR STARS The stylish Phoenix glasses in a retro frame – a reinterpretation of the iconic shape of the 1950s – is an ideal companion for hot summer days. Donning these will surely make you the sultry centre of attention at any beach or party. scratch resistant polycarbonate lenses, UV 400 protection

KOMONO DEVON | MADE FOR STRONG PERSONALITIES The round frames of the new Devon model are expressive and stylish.

The fine silver framing lends the glasses a classically elegant look, flattering to both women and men. scratch resistant polycarbonate lenses, UV 400 protection

KOMONO LULU ROSE QUARTZ | MADE FOR LOVERS Fresh rose-coloured frames evoke passion, femininity and steamy summers.

The subtle rose is complemented by fashionable turquoise, reminiscent of a light, cooling breeze. scratch resistant polycarbonate lenses, UV 400 protection

KOMONO CRAFTED GILLES | MADE FOR DESIGN GURUS The unisex glasses from the Crafted collection are a true designers' delight.

The handcrafted frames from Italian acetate are complemented by a metal bridge that speaks with the authority of a vintage opus coveted in the present. high quality lenses to ensure longevity, UV 400 protection

For more information about Komono and their stockists visit: www.komono.com ■

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Milan Design Week 2017

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS FOLLOWING YEARS OF TRADITION, THIS APRIL THE CITY OF MILAN CELEBRATED THE BEST FROM THE WORLD OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN. WE HAVE SELECTED THREE TRENDS THAT ARE WORTH FOLLOWING! text: Adéla Kudrnová | styling: Lenka Hlaváčová and Adéla Havelková | photo: company archives

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COLOUR EVERYWHERE GONE ARE BLACK AND WHITE AND NEUTRAL SCANDINAVIAN INTERIORS. LET VIVID COLOURS SHINE, ESPECIALLY IN COMBINATION WITH THE DELICATE FEATURES OF FURNITURE INSPIRED BY THE 1970s. VIVA THE RAINBOW PALETTE AND NEON!

Week-end Outdoor Furniture, design Studio Brichet Ziegler, www.petitefriture.com | Beetle Acoustic Panel, design MUT, www.sancal.com | Paper Flower, papereden.jp | Francis Wall Mirrors, design Constance Guisset, www.petitefriture.com | t.e. 200 Set of Stones, design Studio Brynjar & Veronika, www.thomaseyck. com | Mellow Vase, hattern.com | Nina Table Lamp and Georges Armchair, www.hartodesign.fr

LUXURIOUS ELEGANCE REFINED MATERIALS, HEAVY VELVETY FABRICS, GOLD AND SILVER FEATURES – THEY ALL EVOKE THE PERIOD OF ART DECO. DARK BLUE AND GREEN TONES ARE COMPLEMENTED BY LIGHT PINK, THIS YEAR’S DEFINITE COLOUR FAVOURITE.

Swirl Fabric, www.martynthompsonstudio.com | Hideout Lounge Chair, www.frontdesign.se | Woman in Paris Dressing Table, www.scarletsplendour.com | Plumage Tiles, botteganove.it | Table Mirror and Divider, lanzavecchia-wai.com | Drift Mirror, www.fernandomastrangelo.com | Vase, design Ettore Sottsass, www.bitossiceramiche.it | D-Vision Trumeaux, www.fratelliboffi.it | Stay Daybed, design Nika Zupanc, se-collections.com | Rotazioni Carpet, design Patricia Urquiola, www.cc-tapis.com | Split Table, www.francescomeda.com

RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS THE LATEST COLLECTIONS FROM THE WORLD’S MOST RENOWNED BRANDS WERE INSPIRED BY ETHNIC ELEMENTS, TRADITIONAL CULTURES, RELIGIOUS ICONS AND TIMES PAST. GLORIOUS TRADITION!

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Polar Byzantine Carpet, design Klaus Haapaniemi, www.moooicarpets.com | Touke Jungle Wallpaper, www.dalwindesigns.com | Umbrella Stand Rimini Blu, www.bitossiceramiche.it | Bahia Chairs, design Mauro Lipparini, www.bonaldo.it | Kagami Mochi Jar, h-concept.jp | Oh Signore! Table Accessory, design Ron Gilad, www.danesemilano.com | Pierina Armchair, www.fratelliboffi.it | t.e. 115 Cabinet, design Christien Meindertsma, www.thomaseyck.com

Interior

A FAMILY RETREAT IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE IRON MOUNTAINS STANDS A SUMMER RESIDENCE ENVELOPED BY WOODLAND SCENTS AND BIRDSONG, A PLACE WHERE TIME STANDS STILL. text: Patrik Florián | styling: SOFFA | photo: Lina Németh

THE COUNTRYSIDE VILLA WAS BUILT IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BY THE NOBLE DOBŘENSKÝ FAMILY FROM DOBŘENICE. IT CAME TO THE NOVOTNÝ FAMILY AS A STROKE OF LUCK IN A GAME OF CARDS – FAMILY LORE SAYS THAT AN INEBRIATED UNCLE LOST THE VILLA TO HIS BROTHER, THE GRANDFATHER OF THE CURRENT OWNER, DUE TO A BAD HAND OF CARDS. A DISTINCTIVELY QUAINT SETTING SURROUNDED BY WOODLAND, A BROOK AND AN ORCHARD, THE COUNTRYSIDE VILLA IS A PLACE WHERE SILENCE GIVES WAY TO CHILDREN’S LAUGHTER AND THE BARK OF A DOG CHASING A DEER.

The walls of the enchanting summer residence literally exude family memories – all one need do is listen to the tales. There are portraits of ancestors who look remarkably similar to the current owners, black and white photographs, old books. Grandma’s and grandpa’s chairs, their grandson’s model sailboat and aeroplanes, a mix of colourful toys belonging to great-grandchildren. For the Novotný family the memories imprinted in the antique objects are more valuable than the objects themselves. ‘The mill wheel in the garden, over which I broke a tooth as a little lad, or the metal bust of a great-granddad, which used to scare my daughter to no end until we tied a colourful scarf around its head.’ There were times when moving anything off the walls was strictly forbidden and dark evenings were lit only by the light of the moon or an oil lamp. Today the villa is modernised for practical living; in the kitchen you will find a dishwasher, opposite the fireplace is a television, and antique chandeliers are lit with energy efficient light bulbs.

The cool cellar is home to several old bottles of red and the attic resembles a treasure chest filled to the brim with trinkets found in the forest, small family heirlooms and lots and lots of sweets. The princess room is furnished in the style of Louis XVI, the reception room offers its original uncomfortable chairs, and the veranda remembers traditional weekend afternoons with hot coffee and obligatory cream filled meringues from a nearby village. Some things have changed, however. Apricot dumplings are no longer served at every Sunday lunch in the summer, and raspberries no longer grow in the surrounding woods. But the family portraits on the outer staircase, squealing children made wild from playing at cowboys and Indians, the smell of grilled sausages from the outdoor fire pit, and morning walks on refreshing dew will remain the same for future grandchildren and their loving grandparents. ■

Editor’s Choice

SLOW LIVING YOUR LIFE WILL COME TO A PEACEFUL HALT – FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIKE – IN A COMFORTABLE CHAIR OR A HAMMOCK. BE SURE TO INCLUDE A GOOD BOOK! styling: Helena Novotná and Adéla Kudrnová | photo: company archives

Smart Garden Flowerpot, www.zelenekuchyne.cz, 2,990 Kč | Yellow Nest Box, ptacigarsonky.cz, 1,590 Kč | Pláž [Beach] Plate, Adekor and artists, www.maame.cz, 300 Kč | Daily Fiction Set of 3 Notebooks, Normann Copenhagen, www.designville.cz, 550 Kč | Grönadal Rocking Chair, Ikea, 4,990 Kč | Color Dotted Vase, &klevering, www.nila.cz, 660 Kč | Monkey Hammock, www.butlers.cz, 849 Kč | Magic Panda USB Mini Humidifier, www.urbanoutfitters.com, $20

HAIRSTYLIST TOMÁŠ KOBLASA WOMEN | MEN | ALL HAIR CARE SERVICES Hair styling for fashion shows, weddings and photo shoots

TEL: +420 774 16 00 76 www.facebook.com/tomaskoblasahair www.instagram.com/tomas_koblasa | www.thehart.cz KoblasaTomas@seznam.cz Karlínské náměstí 11, Prague 8, Czech Republic

Food

(AN)GELATO? YES, PLEASE! LONG GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN PEOPLE STOOD IN LINE FOR BLUE SMURF ICE CREAM. BILJANA KEBAKOSKA FROM PRAGUE’S ICE CREAMERY ANGELATO SPEAKS ABOUT SEASONAL FLAVOURS AND THE SLOW FOOD PHILOSOPHY. text: Helena Novotná | stylingt: Lenka Hlaváčová | photo: Adéla Havelková

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Vivid orange, juicy, sweet. Mango ice cream not only keeps all the delicious attributes of a ripe mango – it enhances them.

At first salty, then sweet, then a touch salty again. Salted caramel ice cream is not for a conservative palate.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND ICE CREAM CAME TO EUROPE WITH MARCO POLO. APPARENTLY HE DISCOVERED IT ON HIS TRAVELS THROUGH MONGOLIA, WHERE PEOPLE ENJOYED FLAVOURED FROZEN MILK FROM GOATS AND YAKS. WHILE YOU WON’T FIND YAK ICE CREAM AT ANGELATO, THIS PRAGUE-BASED FAMILY ICE CREAMERY HAS BECOME RENOWNED FOR ITS UNUSUAL FLAVOURS. ANGELATO CELEBRATES TEN YEARS THIS YEAR AND THEIR (SO FAR) TWO OUTLETS CAN BE SPOTTED FROM AFAR BY THEIR LONG, SNAKING QUEUES! WE SPOKE TO THE ICE CREAMERY’S CO-FOUNDER, BILJANA KEBAKOSKA, ABOUT ICE CREAM AND ANGELATO’S FUTURE PLANS.

This year Angelato celebrates ten years of making ice cream. How did you get started? When we came to Prague at the end of the 1990s, we didn’t speak Czech or understand the local customs.

Today we own Angelato, which speaks in all languages. We opened our first outlet in Rytířská street in 2007 and since then we have been on a mission to develop Prague’s ‘gelato culture’.

fresh seasonal ingredients, and always choose local over imported produce.

Our aim is to protect the traditional craft, quality and authenticity of ice cream made without artificial ingredients. Our ice cream is made by hand and its preparation requires time and passion.

What flavours have been most popular?

Classic varieties, or the more unusual ones? Some people can’t do without chocolate and vanilla, but other popular flavours are mango and pistachio.

Also, people aren’t afraid to try the more unusual flavours, like avocado, olive or rice-flavoured ice cream! Each month we put an updated list of our new flavours on our website. Our customers are curious and many want to know what we are planning for the next month.

No one on your team had worked in gastronomy before. Whose idea was it to start an ice cream business?

Angelato is the brainchild of Zlatko Kebakoski, a trained economist, who continues to run the operation. Bojan Dimitrijević is responsible for distribution, wholesale and logistics, and I have the fun creative job – coming up with our unusual flavours.

Where do you see Angelato in the next ten years? We already have two outlets and at the end of the year you can look forward to a third one in Prague 6. Our work in Angelato never ends and we still have many dreams. ■

In making ice cream you promote the philosophy of slow food. What does slow food mean to you? The slow food philosophy is at the root of what we do.

We respect culinary traditions, work with

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Chocolate, the wonderful staple that is a must on any ice creamery menu. But even a classic can be improved upon!

Recipe

BASIL ICE CREAM TOSS CAUTION TO THE WIND. INSTEAD OF ADDING BASIL AND OLIVE OIL TO YOUR SALAD, MAKE BASIL AND OLIVE OIL ICE CREAM INSPIRED BY ANGELATO.

PREPARATION TIME: 45 minutes plus chilling time INGREDIENTS: 500 ml full cream milk 250 ml whipping cream 150 g sugar 80 ml extra virgin olive oil 4 egg yolks handful of finely chopped fresh basil pinch of salt few drops of lemon

DIRECTIONS: There is beauty in simplicity and this very much holds true for ice cream. For this recipe you won’t need an ice cream maker or any special ingredients. Quite the opposite. Simple ingredients with no artificial additives are the telltale sign of quality ice cream.

In a heavy pot stir the milk, cream, sugar and salt, and warm it gently until the sugar dissolves. In the meantime whip the egg yolks in a bowl while adding olive oil a few drops at a time. Once the egg yolks are whipped, add the warm milk/cream/sugar mixture to the bowl. Stir the mixture well, return it to the pot, and cook it on low heat until it thickens. Once thick, cool the mixture and add a handful of finely chopped basil leaves and a few drops of lemon. Mix it thoroughly, transfer into a suitable container, and put it in the freezer. If you have an ice cream maker, you can use it at this stage.

We could add that the ice cream will last up to two months in your freezer, but we know this is useless information, as it will be gone long before then!

TIP: Basil and olive oil ice cream is a perfect complement to the crisp flavour of melon. You can serve it together with melon gazpacho. â–

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Fashion & Cars

ELECTRA GIRL!!!

WHO IS TODAY'S TRUE SUPERHERO? A MUSCULAR SUPERMAN? A DARK KNIGHT? OR A WOMAN WHO IS ABLE TO MANAGE A HUNDRED LITTLE DETAILS DURING A SINGLE DAY? partners for the article: Bibloo and BMW | text a styling: Yasmin Keshmiri Hejduk and Patrik Florián | hair: Tomáš Koblása | model: Lucie Medová, Ely Management | make-up: Aleksa Sidorina | photo: Adéla Havelková | graphic design: Lenka Hlaváčová

TO BE A GREAT LOVER AND AN EVEN BETTER MOTHER, TO KEEP A SEXY FIGURE, MANAGE A CAREER, TAKE CARE OF THE HOME AND THE FAMILY, REMEMBER FRIENDS AND FIND TIME FOR HERSELF – THE MODERN SUPERWOMAN MANAGES IT ALL. SOFFA APPROACHED TWO BRANDS WHO, WE FEEL, PROVIDE EXACTLY WHAT A MODERN WOMAN NEEDS TO MANAGE HER BUSY LIFE: A FAST, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CAR AND ORIGINAL, COMFORTABLE CLOTHING. INTRODUCING THE ALL-ELECTRIC BMW i3 AND JAKUB POLANKA’S COLLECTION FOR BIBLOO. LET’S GET BEHIND THE WHEEL!

JAKUB POLANKA X BIBLOO In collaboration with the original fashion retailer Bibloo, the Czech designer Jakub Polanka has crafted a clothing collection for the modern superwoman. Universal, playful, provocative – apt descriptors for the Fax Off collection, which comprises forty unique pieces in a wide range of colours. The collection offers a blend of comfortable basics and sophisticated lines, which work together to create refined outfits for women who are not afraid to take charge of a situation and to be themselves. Jakub believes that every woman has a strong personality, and his designs abide by the key principles of comfortable elegance, functionality and femininity. Individual pieces carry the designer’s signature style with iconic, flowing curves, and hide clever hooks and buttons so that superwomen can adjust the garments according to their own creative impulses. A cape anyone? The collection is available exclusively at www.bibloo.cz or at the Bibloo Concept Store in Prague’s shopping centre Kotva.

BMW i3 A heroine cannot save the day without her trusted automobile. For several years now BMW has been changing the traditional image of cars and formulating a future of environmentally-friendly travel.

The BMW i3 is the most successful electric car on the Czech market. With the help of wind-generated electricity the manufacturing process consumes half the amount of energy of a conventional car and uses 70% less water. In addition, 95% of the automobile can be recycled! The interior has been created with well-considered materials: there is leather tinted by olive leaves, wool supplied by sheep grazing on the grounds of the BMW plant in Leipzig, and eucalyptus panels that help produce oxygen. The use of carbon-fibre reinforced polymers in the passenger compartment ensures a feeling of safety and the ultralight lithium-ion accumulator with a range of up to 200 km in efficient driving mode makes it the most efficient powertrain on the market. This electric stunner releases no emissions and its superb handling and quiet acceleration from 0 to 100 in 7.3 seconds make a huge impression. The Advanced Edition BMW i3 includes all the most frequently chosen options on top of the standard model. Get behind the wheel of a BMW i3 to achieve your superwoman feats! ■

LEFT: BMW i3: The combination of aluminium, carbon compounds and coloured plastic will never rust.

Model: sweatshirt Ficus On, 3,699 Kč; skirt Game On, 1,499 Kč; both design by Jakub Polanka for Bibloo, www.bibloo.cz

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.

LEΤ S LET GO!!!

BMW i3: Zero emissions, driving range of up to 200 km in efficient driving mode, and acceleration from 0 to 100 in 7.3 seconds.

Model: top Lilas, 1,399 Kč; briefs Lis, 1,399 Kč; dress Daphne, 7,999 Kč; all design by Jakub Polanka for Bibloo; shoes, ALDO, 1,399 Kč, www.bibloo.cz

LEFT AND THIS PAGE: BMW i3: You can charge the car battery to 80 % capacity in less than three hours from the comfort of your home thanks to the BMW i Wallbox.

Model: top Jasmin, 2,999 Kč; skirt Game On, 1,499 Kč; cap Belle, 1,599 Kč; all design by Jakub Polanka for Bibloo, www.bibloo.cz

POWER UP...

BMW i3: The Lift Drive architecture lightens the vehicle by as much as 300 kg. Heated seats, automatic air-conditioning and the Harman Kardon sound system provide maximum comfort.

Model: sweatshirt Ficus On, 3,699 Kč; briefs Lis, 1,399 Kč; socks Fusain, 499 Kč; all design by Jakub Polanka for Bibloo, www.bibloo.cz

THIS PAGE AND RIGHT: BMW i3: Green driving is made easier thanks to a flexible charging system that uses both DC and AC power at public charging stations.

Model: dress Coriandre, 1,999 Kč; design by Jakub Polanka for Bibloo; high heels Christey, Steve Madden, 3,499 Kč; www.bibloo.cz

MΑKES ME STRONGER!!!

SOFTER...

DYNA...

MIC!!!

BMW i3: The exterior, formed by a thermoplastic with carbon-fibre reinforcement, will not sustain any damage when colliding with an object at speeds below 8 km/h.

Model: jacket Asperge, 5,999 Kč; singlet Iris, 2,499 Kč; all design by Jakub Polanka for Bibloo, www.bibloo.cz

LEFT AND THIS PAGE: BMW i3: The Advanced Edition offers an automatic speed regulator with a recovery break function and LED headlights.

Model: body Canelle, 1,599 Kč; sweatshirt Fraxinelle Off, 3,799 Kč; socks Fusain, 499 Kč; all design by Jakub Polanka for Bibloo; sports shoes ZX Flux, Adidas Originals, 2,599 Kč; www.bibloo.cz

ΒOOΜ!!!

People

FOOTSTEPS OF INFINITY

WHILE SOME PEOPLE TRY TO PUT THE BREAKS ON TIME, OTHERS COMPRESS IT FOR SPEED. FOUR PEOPLE, FOUR WAYS OF EXPERIENCING TIME. text: Alice Muziková, Helena Stiessová | photo: Adéla Havelková

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LONG AGO PEOPLE PUT A DEFINITION ON TIME SO THEY COULD ORGANISE THEIR LIVES BETTER. TODAY MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE THAT TIME FLIES, SOMETIMES AT WHAT SEEMS LIKE COSMIC SPEED. TIME CAN BE YOUR ENEMY, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE YOUR FRIEND, THE KIND THAT HELPS YOU STRUCTURE YOUR DAY AND YOUR LIFE. EVERY PERSON MANAGES THEIR TIME DIFFERENTLY – SOME SPEND LONG EVENINGS IN FRONT OF THE TELEVISION, OTHERS WHOLE MORNINGS IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR. INSPIRING INDIVIDUALS HAVE A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH TIME. LET’S MEET SOME OF THEM.

Although the great concept we know as time can be measured quite precisely, it is a relative notion that flows differently for each and every one of us. Perhaps you are the kind of person who is always early for a meeting, while your friends send frantic messages saying they are ‘on the way’. Or perhaps you are the guilty person writing the message? Our relationship with time can be quite stressful in this regard, even when a few minutes mean nothing on the grander cosmic scale. We are not suggesting that it is practical to look at your life through the lens of cosmic time, but from time to time (here we have it again) it may be healthy and helpful.

To explore people’s relationship with time, we spoke with four unusual professionals for whom time is a very palpable aspect of their work. There is the athlete, the palaeontologist-poet, the baker and the astronautics specialist. A few seconds, a few hours, billions of years – those are the parameters of time with which they work on a daily basis. ►

ZUZANA HEJNOVÁ PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE AND CHALLENGER OF TIME. ZUZANA’S SPECIALITIES ARE THE 400 METRE SPRINT AND THE 400 METRE HURDLE, FOR WHICH SHE WON BRONZE MEDALS AT THE 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS. IN ADDITION TO COMPETING ZUZANA IS ALSO ACTIVE IN THE HESU SPORTS ACADEMY, WHICH SHE CO-FOUNDED.

Are you always on time? I try to be, but sometimes I’m a few minutes late. I’m not the kind of person who arrives early and waits.

be competing, and I’ll be able to enjoy sports I can’t do at the moment.

Is it limiting for you that you sacrifice so much for sport? Athletes don’t have a set time to train. It’s up to us. Some train early in the morning, some in the afternoon, there’s no such thing as nine to five. It’s also very important to allow your body to regenerate. Sometimes I get home very late, cook something, and then collapse into bed. I can’t imagine anything different, so it’s hard to say if it’s limiting.

Time is very important to you – after all, your whole life revolves around it. How do you manage your free time? Since my professional life is highly planned and I have to follow a strict schedule, I try not to plan much in my free time. Instead I try to enjoy the day and not worry about scheduling things.

What inspired you to start HESU and what goals do you have for the academy? I’ve always wanted to train children, and that’s why I studied education. Athletics is my life, and being able to train children and encourage their love of sport is a dream come true. With HESU we wanted to build an academy where both children and adults can develop their love for sport and learn how to relax properly and eat well. That’s also why I recently set up a food blog, where I focus on healthy eating. ■

Will time be a key feature of your life in the future? Do you like it being so prominent? Sometimes it can be really demanding, but sport encourages you to have a routine. And I like knowing that everything is planned. I think I’ll continue to plan important things in the future. I’m someone who likes order.

What do you do when you need to relax? Do you still golf? I do, but there isn’t much time for it. That’s why I’m looking forward to the time when I won’t

►

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LADISLAV ZEDNÍK A COLLECTOR OF SPECIMENS WHO WORKS ON A TIMESCALE MOST PEOPLE FIND HARD TO FATHOM – THE MILLIONS OF YEARS IT HAS TAKEN FOR CERTAIN FORMS OF LIFE TO EVOLVE. LADISLAV RESEARCHES AND PRESENTS AT TRILOPARK, WHICH HE CO-FOUNDED. IN HIS SPARE TIME HE WRITES POETRY.

How do you perceive time? For me that’s a fairly complex question, as the poet in me perceives time differently than the palaeontologist. There’s our biological time, and then there’s geological time, which is almost unfathomable.

As a poet I think of time as connected to space. In my work I return to the same places and examine them through different angles of time, so time is a very important theme for me. In my last collection of poetry Město jeden kámen [The City as One Stone], I pit human time against geological time, and explore the bewildering feeling this evokes.

People need this, especially for their creative work – writing, photography. In such moments you can easily let go of all your worries.

What do you think about today’s fast pace? How does it influence you? I’m a bit of a neurotic, so when I sit in one place too long, I start to get bored. But I do like to sit down, have a coffee and smoke a pipe, and I don’t really need much else. In that moment I loose all concept of time and simply let go.

Where do you look for inspiration?

I don’t worry much about it; it just comes.

Creativity is a natural drive. When you have it, your creative source will yield from time to time – you just have to be present. And even when you’re short on inspiration, you need to capture the moment … be constantly aware and work on yourself. ■

Are the moments when you let time flow good for your creative work? I have my own state of flow and a few specific rituals. For example, I’ve always enjoyed writing in cafés. Amidst the bustle of café life I can create a wall of concentration around me and enter the awaiting inner world of poetry. I can’t do it without it. If I didn’t have opportunities to turn towards myself, I think I would die.

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JULIANA FISCHEROVÁ BAKING IS LITERALLY JULIANA’S DAILY BREAD AND HER LIFE PASSION. SHE LOOKS AFTER BREAD IN HER KITCHEN AND ON THE INTERNET, WHERE SHE ADVISES HER READERS AND THE LARGE COMMUNITY THAT HAS GROWN OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS AROUND THE AGE-OLD TRADITION OF BAKING BREAD.

Your website describes baking, rising and leavening. Which of these takes the most time? It all goes hand in hand.

I begin with the starter, from which I make leaven, and that takes some twelve hours. It’s a kind of dead time, with nothing to do but wait. I use the leaven to make dough, which needs time to rise, about six hours. From the dough I make a loaf, and this rises for another three hours, but sometimes it can go on for a full day. So there’s quite a bit of time required before baking, which only takes some 45 minutes.

or sleep. Then a few more actions and the dough rises. It’s the kind of patience where you can afford to be a little slack.

What’s the starter map you created, and how does it work? You can make your own starter at home, but some people were having troubles so they looked to source it elsewhere. So about five years ago some friends and I decided to start a ‘starter sharing’ scheme, and before Christmas we got together in a café and gave starters away. Many people came and many wrote afterwards to ask whether we’ll do it again. We didn’t have the time anymore, but we thought that if we could share our starters, then others could too. So we put together a map to which other people can add, and started a Facebook group called Pečem pecen, where bakers at heart can sign up to share their starters. It’s an online network that leads to people meeting face to face.

All these steps need a lot of time. Do you think a person has to be patient in order to bake? Patience is the basis of it all.

There’s not much active work required, only time and patience. In reality even people who aren’t very patient can bake, like me for example. If I think about it, I feed the starter and then I have 12 hours to do other things. I can go for a walk

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JAN ŠIFNER IN COMPARISON TO THE AGE OF THE UNIVERSE, HUMAN LIFE IS BUT A MINOR BLIP ON THE COSMIC TIMESCALE. GETTING LOST IN VAST INFINITY IS VERY EASY FOR JAN ŠIFNER OF THE PRAGUE PLANETARIUM, WHO SEARCHES FOR THE TIME THAT STRETCHES BETWEEN THE PLANETS AND THE STARS.

Were you always fascinated by the cosmos? As a little boy I wanted to be a rubbish collector – I liked the idea of riding on the back of a truck. Then I realised that it probably wasn’t the right thing for me, and from about the age of ten I developed an interest in astronautics. Back then every rocket launch was widely publicised, and I was fascinated by it all. As a teen I joined a student group here at the planetarium, and it has somehow stuck. Also, I was always interested in technology, which is closely connected.

then. One notion of time is the time that flows here on Earth – for example, the time required to fix a particular instrument. Another is that the planetary light we see left their planets some 20, 30 or even thousands of years ago. The universe is an immense space. When you consider that light is what moves the fastest in the universe, you realise that a star you are watching at a particular moment may no longer exist.

Do you think it’s just a matter of time before we discover life somewhere else?

Definitely. I won’t say that I’m an alien in disguise, or that it is certain that there is life on other planets. But I think it’s more than probable. The universe is so incredibly vast – it’s highly unlikely that the Earth would be the only inhabited planet.

I think it’s far more likely that somewhere there are planets with similar beings and similar civilisations. Time is our natural protective barrier. ■

What does time mean to you? Human timescale is different from the cosmic timescale, and the time people are given is truly short. I’m not sure it’s possible to achieve everything we need or want to achieve. The planetarium is a kind of time machine – if you find yourself in the dumps, you can go back a few years and reflect on how great it was

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CORRECTION In the last issue of SOFFA there was some ambiguous information in an interview with Nancy Petschek-Kohn.

The Ustí nad Labem branch of the Petchek family was ‘unable’ to sell their property before the war because Mrs Nancy Karl Petschek’s grandfather refused to sell his properties to the Nazis. The Bank House Petschek was established by the brothers Isidor and Julius, but not Ignatz.

We apologise for the ambiguity in the original interview.

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HIGHLIGHT: Slowly Does It ILLUSTRATION: Back to the Future PEOPLE: Footsteps of Infinity FOOD: Basil Ice Cream TRAVEL: Czech Switzerland and Bali FASHION: Men’s Cut

ISSUE THEME: TIME SOFFA 21 is dedicated to something with which most of us battle – time.

We hope this issue will inspire you to manage and value your time better.

Take a deep breath and slow down!

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