The idea to build the Ester Tower in Jerusalem was initiated by Lukáš Přibyl, the former head of the Czech Centre Tel Aviv, who, in cooperation with Francoise Cafri from the Jerusalem Municipality, found out an opportunity to build a tower in the centre of Jerusalem. Czech Centres are a contributory organisation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, established to promote the Czech Republic abroad; they are an active tool of the foreign policy of the Czech Republic in the area of public diplomacy.* The Tower resembles a cactus, which for Martin Rajniš represents a combination of tenderness and determination, which is similar to the people’s character, who encountered in Israel. The tower has become a dignified manner how to celebrate the upcoming 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia state formation and the 70th anniversary of Israel state formation.** The construction elements were crafted in the Czech Republic and shipped to Israel. The main partners are HAMR [Huť architektury Martin Rajniš], Czech Centre Tel Aviv, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Czech–Israeli Mutual Chamber of Commerce and the Israel–Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on the Israeli side the Jerusalem Municipality, the Jerusalem Development Authority, the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, with the support of a number of corporate and private partners.***

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Martin Rajniš said about the project: „I always admired the Israeli nation because I like courageous people prepared to face even seemingly hopeless situations with their heads held high. All of us who are participating in this project want to evince that Israel is in a way a model and hope for us, that even a small country can brave to fight for and keep the most precious things – freedom and independence. I consider my contribution in the form of this Tower a symbolic expression of holding onto this idea, that is why I decided to dedicate all my work on this project as a gift to Israel.“*** Because of repressive regime of the Israeli government and the occupation of Palestine, some artists call for a cultural boycott of Israel (the „Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions“ (BDS) appeal refers to the South African experience of apartheid, where the boycott became an effective pressure for the regime change). Could the political context influence the work of Czech architects? And how are politics and state commissions related to the ideology of anarchism, which Martin Rajniš confesses?

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In the interview mentioned book is Pětadvacet tisíc dnů vzpomínek [Twenty-Five Thousand Days of Memories] by Martin Rajniš and Magdalena Šebestová (2016). The interview was filmed at the Doubravka Tower in Prague-Kyje.

 

 

* About Us. Czech Centres [online]. Available from: http://www.czechcentres.cz/en/about-us/

** Rajniš, M. (2017). Věž Ester. archiweb.cz [online]. Available from: http://www.archiweb.cz/b/vez-ester

*** Czech Centre (2017). Ester Tower by Martin Rajniš. Czech Centre [online]. Available from: http://tel-aviv.czechcentres.cz/ester-tower-by-martin-rajnis/

 

 

Martin Rajniš worked in several successful studios during his architectural career – first at the Školka architektury [Architecture Kindergarten] affiliated to the SIAL studio in Liberec, since the 1980s he has worked independently. After the revolution, he was one of the founders of the Czech Chamber of Architects, with his studio D.A. they worked on several large projects for Czech and international developers in Prague (e.g. Nový Smíchov). He worked as a teacher at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and at the Technical University in Liberec. At a certain stage, he left his office to his companions and travelled around the world. The experience of encountering the primitive nations that live almost without any contact with modern civilisation and its achievements led Martin Rajniš to a radical reconsideration of the relationship between nature and Western culture. In 2005–2012 he led the E-MRAK Studio, later, since 2013 the Huť architektury. The starting point of his design the philosophy of so-called “natural architecture” – constructions made of natural materials, simple technologies. He built several wooden towers – the first one was the Tower of Scholzberg, or the “vertical wood store” (without building permission), the last one is Doubravka in Prague-Kyje. Other projects include the new Post Office at Sněžce and the Jára Cimrman Museum in the Jizera Mountains.

 

— “There are certain buildings, which support some disgusting human vices. Like appetitive instinct, for example. They are called shopping mall. For long I’ve been trying to get as far as possible from these things, that I myself was making at young and middle age, because this isn’t my world.”

 

 

Jan Motal is a philosopher, playwright and director. He is an associate professor at the Faculty of Social Studies at the Masaryk University where he teaches media ethics and at the Faculty of Theater Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno. He focuses on the philosophy of dialogue, he published several essays and a book Dialog uměním (2016). He is also active as a publicist and commentator; in 2018 a selection of his texts was published as a book Průhledné zrcadlo, which reflects the erosion of democratic values in contemporary Czech society. He has made several documentary films on cultural and religious topics.

 

— “So, you say that you are a right-wing libertarian and anarchist, yet you don’t actually trust the trade – not really.”

 

 

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camera: Tomáš Hlaváček
video editing: Tomáš Hlaváček
translation: Ondřej Kvapil, Karolína Plášková

subtitles: Karolína Plášková