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February 2020
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…
Find out more »March 2020
BCSA Annual General Meeting
The AGM is open to current subscription BCSA members only. The agenda will include the chairman and treasurer’s reports for 2019 and the election of officers and members of the executive committee. Refreshments and entertainment will follow. Please register your attendance (or apologies for absence) by email to secretary@bcsa.co.uk by 26 February.
Find out more »The story of Czech beer as told by Zdeněk Kudr
It is an understatement to say that the Czech Republic has a strong beer culture. Famous for being the birthplace of pilsner, the Czechs drink more beer than anywhere else in the world. Brewing methods remained traditional until the fall of communism after which most of the larger breweries were bought by overseas companies who modernised production methods. In recent years a new breed of microbreweries has sprung up offering a variety of traditional styles. Zdeněk Kudr is a co-founder…
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 »Škampa Quartet
The Czech quartet play three key works from their native repertoire. Josef Suk (1874-1935) Meditation on an old Bohemian Chorale (St Wenceslas) Op. 35a Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) String Quartet No. 1 'Kreutzer Sonata' Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) String Quartet No. 13 in G Op. 106 Helena Jiříkovská, violin Adéla Štajnochrová, violin Martin Stupka, viola Lukáš Polák, Violoncello
Find out more »Zuzana: Music is Life
Wigmore Hall will screen the film Zuzana: Music is Life, about the legendary harpsichordist and humanitarian figure Zuzana Růžičková, who performed for many seasons at the Hall between the 1960s and 1990s. Music is Life is the dark and triumphant story told by Růžičková, who died in 2017 aged 90, about how she became the world-famous harpsichordist and interpreter of Bach under the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, after surviving three concentration camps during her teenage years. Despite constant surveillance, marginal…
Find out more »Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Jan Šedivý
Intelligent speakers have been one of the rapidly evolving areas in AI. We will describe the Alquist social chatbot designed by the Czech Technical University team of students under the leadership of Jan Šedivý. Jan will briefly review the competition and its primary motivations. But his main focus will be on the Alquist team’s expertise, which embraces several disciplines, such as Conversational AI, Dialogue Management, Linguistics, Audio design, Creative writing, and many more. Jan will also explain the development of…
Find out more »Rusalka
Dvořák's best-loved opera, Rusalka is inspired by myths and folk-tales about a water-nymph that chooses to become human to win her Prince. The opera displays Dvořák’s exceptional gift for melody and orchestration and features the beautiful aria ‘Song to the Moon’. This new production is directed by Tatjana Gürbaca (Opernwelt Director of the Year 2013) and conducted by Antony Hermus. Both are making their ENO debuts. Leading the cast is Corinne Winters in the title role. She returns to ENO…
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