In December, a new mural dedicated to the only Czech winner of the Nobel Prize in the field of natural sciences, Jaroslav Heyrovský, was ceremoniously unveiled at Ládví. In their work the authors, Josefína Jonášová and Štěpán Jílek, interconnected science, history and the local community.
The painting includes an interactive feature that allows passers-by to write in chalk the names of people they think could win a Nobel Prize in the future. The co-initiator of the project, Vladislava Vojtíšková, who is a local resident and representative (8žije and PRAHA SOBĚ) and at the same time editor-in-chief of the VědaVýzkum.cz portal, explains: "People can put down any name – themselves or serious tips, for example the physicist Tomáš Jungwirth."
Josefína Jonášová has already enlivened the Ládví underpass with paintings of pandas, which have been entertaining passers-by since 2015. The painting features the words "Hlavně žádnou pandemii (Let there be no pandemic)", which took on new meaning four years later with the onset of the actual COVID-19 pandemic. Let's hope that again the painting foreshadows future events, yet positive this time.
The mural also commemorates the historical event of 1870, when Alfred Nobel opened a dynamite factory in Prague 8. The witty quote painted on the mural, "Netušil jsem, že budu tak na roztrhání (I had no idea I would be under such pressure I might explode)” refers to the event and brings broader and lighter perspective into the context of local history.
The implementation of the project involved two institutes from the nearby campus of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Professor Martin Hof, Director of the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, who this year received honorary citizenship of Prague 8, says: "I perceive my research work and management of the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry as a mission – to be there for people. That is why I am pleased that this mural brings joy and colour to the lives of the locals."
The project was also supported by the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, which has been actively involved in connecting science and art and which also organises its own photo competition open not only to scientists but also to the public and students. "Science is still scarce in the public space, so I personally welcome the creation of this pleasantly informative and at the same time remarkable work of art, and I am glad that the Institute of Physics could financially support this project," says Michael Prouza, Director of the Institute of Physics.
This initiative enabled another place close to the campus of the Czech Academy of Sciences to come to life and other institutes located in Ládví might get inspired.