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January 2020
A remembrance of Jan Palach and concert by Smetana Trio
Jitka Čechová – piano, Jan Talich – violin, Jan Páleníček – cello. Programme: Sergej Rachmaninov - Trio elegico No. 1 in G minor Bohuslav Martinů - Piano Trio in D minor č. 2, H 327 Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70 No. 1 Tickets for the concert £10 paid at the door (include a glass of wine and light refreshments). Please register your attendance by 17 January by email to ludmilastane@gmail.com or text to…
Find out more »Free Lunchtime Concert by Slovak musicians
Representing the Embassy of Slovakia Performers Eva Bodorová Soprano Matthew Tomko Bass Jozef Janík Piano Programme Traditional Slovak Christmas Carols: Canite Jesu Infanti – Poďme spolu do Betlema (Let’s go to Bethlehem, brothers) Dnešný deň sa radujme (Let´s be jolly today) Povedzte nám pastuškovia (Tell us, shepherds) Do hory , do lesa, valasi (To the mountains, to the forest) Dobrá novina, šťastná hodina (Good news) Narodil sa Kristus Pan (Jesus Christ is born) O chýr preeblahý (Rejoice at the news) Kyrie Pana Krista (Kyrie) Pastieri, pastieri (Shepherds, shepherds) Pascha – Aria from…
Find out more »A discussion about the life and aspirations of Slovak students in Britain
Martin Hochel won second prize in the 2019 BCSA competition with his rather original essay on a little-covered aspect of 1989. He will be interviewed about his life and aspirations as a Slovak student studying in London. Brexit or no Brexit, he is aiming high. Martin is a student of contemporary Central European history and politics, Slovak politics being his special interest. Martin’s tutor, Dr Thomas Lorman, a teaching fellow in Modern Central European History at UCL SSEES, will conclude…
Find out more »Rendezvous in Bratislava UK tour 2020
Rendezvous in Bratislava combines new music, a four-piece British Slovak band, comedy, cabaret and original 1940s photographs and recordings to share the life story of writer Miriam Sherwood’s grandfather – Jan ‘Laco’ Kalina. Laco Kalina was a dramaturg, satirist, collector of jokes and writer of cabarets, born in Czechoslovakia in 1913. A Slovak Jew, he survived the fascists only to be imprisoned by the communists, who believed him a threat to the regime. Using his autobiographies and cabaret material, we present…
Find out more »Personal security in the age of AI
Michal Pěchouček, professor in computer science at the Czech Technical University (CTU) discusses the role of AI enabled cybersecurity problems and how we can increase our privacy and security online. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way we live. We spend more time online, with more devices connected than ever before. How do we keep our personal data online private and secure from AI algorithms, both online and in the physical world? Pěchouček has run several research contracts funded by the…
Find out more »February 2020
From the village to the city: urbanisation in Slovakia, 1896-1972
In his talk, Dr Lorman will explore how Slovak culture was initially characterised by its rural quality and alienation from the beginnings of mass industrialisation and urbanisation in Hungary (exemplified by the 1896 millennial celebrations in Budapest). He will examine how Slovak national identity was then substantially (but not entirely) transformed by similar processes of induustrialisation and urbanisation in Czechoslovakia, symbolised by the post-war rebuilding of Bratislava and the opening of the new SNP Bridge in 1972. Dr Thomas Lorman…
Find out more »BCSA “Get to Know You” Social Evening
This is an opportunity for anyone interested in the British Czech and Slovak Association (members, supporters and friends) to meet, eat, drink, chat (maybe practise your Czech or Slovak) and get to know each other in a relaxed and informal setting. Anybody with Czech or Slovak connections or interests is welcome Join us and have a fun evening meeting friendly people. Food and drinks are available from the newly opened Bohemia House. We will be in one of the rooms at the Czech…
Find out more »Jan Svoboda: Against the Light
The first major UK presentation of 50 vintage works by Czech photographer, Jan Svoboda (1934–1990) since his first solo exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery back in 1982. It includes biographical material and a video interview. Svoboda sought to redefine the language and perception of photography, deconstructing the process and form, playing with subject matter and presentation and considering the medium in relation to painting and sculpture, and within the traditions of Symbolism, Romanticism and Modernism. His self-reflective, speculative works paved the way for wider…
Find out more »Mobility with Michal Čáp
Is autonomous driving an answer to reducing traffic congestion in our cities? Cities are overly congested with traffic and pollution. At present the most widely discussed solution is urban on-demand mobility based self-driving technology. The envisioned automated mobility-on-demand (AMoD) systems employ a centrally-controlled fleet of self-driving vehicles to provide on-demand point-to-point transportation to the users of the system. Such systems promise to revolutionise user behaviour and significantly improve the efficiency of urban transportation. As a case study, we will discuss…
Find out more »Was a Slovak ever the king of Madagascar?
Moric Benovsky was an 18th century adventurer born in Vrbové in what is now Slovakia where he is considered a national hero, as well as in Hungary and Poland. In his Memoirs (published posthumously in 1790 in London) he claims to have been elected king of Madagascar. A street in the capital is still named after him. A Slovak society (Zdruzenie Morica Benovskeho) is dedicated to his memory. It has produced a film (with English subtitles) about this enigmatic figure…
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