Overview of past and present discourse on VAL

[1] The exhibition “VAL—Cesty a aspekty zajtrajška” (1996) took place in Umelecká Beseda in Bratislava, Slovakia (today’s Gallery Umelka). Later, in 1997, the exhibition moved to the gallery Klasik, Žilina, both in Slovakia. It was also their first exhibition, where all eight projects were presented (Heliopolis: Olympic City, Akusticon: Homage to M. Filip, Homage to Hope and Courage: Memorial to E.A. Cernan, Istroport: Port on the Danube, Antarctica: To Those Daring to Seek, Scarabea: Space City, People’s Assembly of Argillia: Homage to Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, E-temen-an-ki: Sheraton Hotel Babylon). Search in Google Scholar

[2] Kupkovič, Ľ., Mecková, V., Mlynárčik, A. (1995) “VAL - Cesty a aspekty zajtrajška” (exhibition catalogue), Žilina, Slovakia. Search in Google Scholar

[3] Restany, P. (1995) “Inde - Alex Mlynárčik”, Slovenská národná galéria, Bratislava, Slovakia. Search in Google Scholar

[4] Theory of prospective architecture is defined by Michel Ragon in the publication: Ragon, M. (1963) “Où vivrons-nous demain?”, Édition Robert Laffont, Paris, France. A Czech translation was subsequently published in Czechoslovakia: Ragon, M. (1967) “Kde budeme žít zítra?”, Mladá fronta, Prague, Czechoslovakia. Later, in 1965, the manifesto of the G.I.A.P. group (Groupe International d’architecture prospective) was published, initiated by Michel Ragon. In the late 1970s, he published an “encyclopedia” of prospective architecture in which one of the projects of VAL also appeared: Ragon, M. (1978) “Histoire mondiale de l’architecture et de l´urbanisme moderne, Prospective et futurologie”, Casterman, Paris, France. Search in Google Scholar

[5] Ragon, M. (1971-1972) “Alex Mlynárčik”, Chroniques de l’art vivant XXVI(41), p. 20. Search in Google Scholar

[6] Exhibition “Voies et Aspectes du Lendemain, VAL 1967-1976” (1977) took place in Galerie Lara Vincy in Paris, France. Search in Google Scholar

[7] Excerpt from the foreword by Alexander Valentovič for the exhibition catalogue “Voies et Aspectes du Lendemain, VAL 1967-1976”, later published in the journal Projekt: Valentovič, A. (1992) “VAL 1968 až 1989”, Projekt XXXIV(1), pp. 8-19, and also in the catalogue of the exhibition “VAL - Cesty a aspekty zajtrajška” (1996) in the Umelecká beseda in Bratislava, Slovakia. Search in Google Scholar

[8] Excerpt from the afterword by Antonín Stuchl for the catalogue for the exhibition “Voies et Aspectes du Lendemain, VAL 1967-1976”, later published in the cataloque of the exhibition “VAL - Cesty a aspekty zajtrajška” (1996) in the Umelecká beseda in Bratislava, Slovakia. Search in Google Scholar

[9] Ragon, M. (1978) “Histoire mondiale de l’architecture et de l´urbanisme moderne, Prospective et futurologie”, Casterman, Paris, France. Search in Google Scholar

[10] Valentovič, A. (1992) “Radosť z napätia”, Projekt XXXIV(1), p. 2. Search in Google Scholar

[11] VAL (1992) “VAL 1968 až 1989”, Projekt XXXIV(1), pp. 8-19. Search in Google Scholar

[12] Mecková, V., Záborský, V. (1995) “Spomienky na minulosť, prítomnosť i budúcnosť”, Projekt XXXVII(4), pp. 24-25; VAL (1995) “Štúdie: E-temen-an-ki: Sheraton hotel, Dom po-ľných strážcov”, Projekt XXXVII(4), pp. 26-27. Search in Google Scholar

[13] Dulla, M., Moravčíková, H. (2002) “Architektúra Slovenska v 20. storočí”, Slovart, Bratislava, Slovakia, p. 232. Search in Google Scholar

[14] Moravčíková, H. (2008) “Posledné utópie?”, Arch XIII(12), pp. 50-53. Search in Google Scholar

[15] Moravčíková, H. (2013) “Monumentalita v slovenskej architektúre šesťdesiatych a sedemdesiatych rokov 20. storočia: totalitné, národné, veľké a abstraktné”, In: Moravčíková, H., Szalay, P., Dulla, M., Topolčanská, M., Potočár, M., Haberlandová, K., Moderné a/alebo totalitné v architektúre 20. storočia na Slovensku, Slovart, Bratislava, Slovakia, pp. 78-106. Search in Google Scholar

[16] Moravčíková, H. (2015) “Neviditeľné architektky: prvá generácia žien v slovenskej architektúre”, Architektúra & urbanizmus XLIX(1-2), pp. 83-103; Szalay, P. (2017) “Daydream”, MAG D A. [online] Available at: http://magdamag.sk [Accessed: 10 Oct 2021] Search in Google Scholar

[17] Valentovič, A. (1996) “Cesty zajtrajška: V tvorbe skupiny VAL”, Literárny týždenník IX(44), p. 14; Štrauss, T. (1999) “Bratislava s humorom i veľkoryso krásna: Alex Mlynárčik ako návrhár možne nemožného”, OS: Fórum občianskej spoločnosti IV(6), pp. 75, 76; Veličová, H. (2012) “Utópia v čase normalizácie”, Vlna LI, pp. 32-37. Search in Google Scholar

[18] Šmejkal, F. (1975) “Kosmické vejce”, Umění/Arts XXIII, pp. 226-258; an excerpt from this article was included in the catalogue “VAL - Cesty a aspekty zajtrajška” (1996). Search in Google Scholar

[19] Štraus, T. (1992) “Slovenský variant moderny”, Pallas, Bratislava, Slovakia, pp. 74, 77, 79, 82. These essays were published in the form of a samizdat, as a whole they were published only in 1992. Search in Google Scholar

[20] Bartošová, Z. (2011) “Napriek totalite, Neoficiálna slovenská výtvarná scéna sedemdesiatych a osemdesiatych rokov 20. storočia”, Kalligram, Bratislava, Slovakia. Search in Google Scholar

[21] Kupkovič, Ľ., Mecková, V., Mlynárčik, A. (1995) “VAL - Cesty a aspekty zajtrajška” (exhibition catalogue), Žilina, Slovakia, p. 159. Search in Google Scholar

[22] In addition to the exhibitions that are mentioned in the text, also: “World Biennial of Architecture INTERARCH ´89” (1989) in Sofia, Bulgari; “Středoevropské forum IV - Slovensko IV” (2011) and “Od Tiziana po Warhola” (2012) in the Olomouc Museum of Art, Olomouc, Czech Republic. Search in Google Scholar

[23] The exhibition “Akce slovo pohyb prostor” (1999) took place in Prague City Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic. Search in Google Scholar

[24] Ragon, M. (1967) “Kde budeme žít zítra”, Mladá fronta, Prague, Czechoslovakia. Search in Google Scholar

[25] Hrůza, J. (1967) “Města utopistů”, Československý spisovatel, Prague, Czechoslovakia. Search in Google Scholar

[26] Havránek, V. (1999) “Akce slovo pohyb prostor” (exhibition catalogue), Prague City Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic, pp. 116, 133, 138. Search in Google Scholar

[27] theorists Petr Wittlich, Dalibor Veselý, artists Milan Knížák, Václav Cigler, Karel Malich, Hugo Demartini, Stanislav Kolíbal Search in Google Scholar

[28] “Milan Knížák sees the entire architectural practice, which aims to create shelter, as a destructive activity; as a production that pits man against nature and threatens to completely fill and destroy nature today.” - Havránek, V. (1999) “Akce slovo pohyb prostor” (exhibition catalogue), Prague City Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic, p. 133. Search in Google Scholar

[29] Kuracinová Janečková, V. (2000) “Neokonštruktivizmus v slovenskom výtvarnom umení” (exhibition catalogue), Galéria Jána Koniarka, Trnava, Slovakia, pp. 4, 5. Search in Google Scholar

[30] Rusinová, Z. (2000) “Dejiny slovenského výtvarného umenia: 20. storočie” (exhibition catalogue), Slovenská národná galéria, Bratislava, Slovakia. Search in Google Scholar

[31] Matuštík, R. (2000) “Umenie akcie”, In: Rusinová, Z. Dejiny slovenského výtvarného umenia: 20. storočie (exhibition catalogue), Slovenská národná galéria, Bratislava, Slovakia, pp.163-177. Search in Google Scholar

[32] Dulla, M. (2000) “Architektúra od moderny k sorele a späť 1950-1970”, In: Rusinová, Z. Dejiny slovenského výtvarného umenia: 20. storočie (exhibition catalogue), Slovenská národná galéria, Bratislava, Slovakia, pp. 223-228. Search in Google Scholar

[33] The exhibition “Slovenské vizuálne umenie 1970-1985” (2002/2003) took place in the Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia. It was curated by Aurel Hrabušický. Search in Google Scholar

[34] Hrabušický, A. (2002) “Umenie fantastického odhmotnenia”, In: Hrabušický, A. Slovenské vizuálne umenie 1970-1985 (exhibition catalogue), Slovenská národná galéria, Bratislava, Slovakia, pp. 143-188. Search in Google Scholar

[35] The exhibition “Slovenský obraz (antiobraz), 20. storočie v slovenskom výtvarnom umení”, (2008) was organized by Slovak National Gallery and took place in the Prague Castle Riding School, Prague, Czech Republic. It was curated by Katarína Bajcurová, Aurel Hrabušický, Katarína Müllerová. Search in Google Scholar

[36] Bajcurová, K., Hrabušický, A. (2008) “Iné svety”, In: Bajcurová, K. Slovenský obraz (antiobraz), 20. storočie v slovenskom výtvarnom umení (exhibition catalogue), Slovenská národná galéria, Bratislava, Slovakia, pp.189-214. Search in Google Scholar

[37] Crowley, D., Pavitt, J. (2008) “Cold war modern. Design 1945-1970” (exhibition catalogue), V&A Publishing, London, UK, pp. 259, 260. Search in Google Scholar

[38] Cytlak, K. (2012) “Les utopies grises: projets architecturaux d’Alex Mlynarcik, Tadeusz Kantor et Jozef Jankovic dans l’Europe centrale des années soixante-dix”, Dissertation, Université Paris 1 Panthéon - Sorbonne, Paris, France. Search in Google Scholar

[39] Cytlak, K. (2017) “L’architecture prospective en Tchécoslovaquie. Convergences et divergences entre l’approche du groupe slovaque VAL (1968-1994) et la théorie architecturale de Michel Ragon”, RIHA Journal 0179, 25 September 2017. [online] Available at: http://www.riha-journal.org/articles/2017/0179-cytlak [Accessed: 16 May 2020] Search in Google Scholar

[40] Hypertrophy of the cities, progressive urbanization of the countryside, city transport problems, use of new energies, new relationship with nature, air conditioning, spatial arrangement, expansion of people. Search in Google Scholar

[41] megastructures, space cities, underwater buildings, inflatable structures, house-sculpture, spatial cities, cities under the sea, mobile houses, flexible architecture etc. Search in Google Scholar

[42] simple geometric figures, ovoid figures, spirals and shells, domes and spheres and so on Search in Google Scholar

[43] Cytlak, K. (2015) “Complexity and Contradiction in Central European Radical Architecture, Experiments in Art and Architecture in the 1970s”, Umění/Art LXIII(3), pp. 182-203. Search in Google Scholar

[44] Kicová, M. (2019) “Architektúra skupiny VAL”, Master’s thesis, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Nožičková, P. (2008) “Skupina VAL”, Master’s thesis, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. Search in Google Scholar