Milena Bartlová: Kde domov Tvůj? aneb Jak se dělá národ a stát

Can and should a travel document reflect a relationship to national or state identity? How to visualize the relationship to the place that the nation jointly inhabits and calls it a state? Prof. Milena Bartlová prepared a lecture on how national identity can be imprinted on everyday objects, such as a passport.

Passports are identity cards: a document that proves to others what a person is in himself he knows - that it is him and not someone else, and that he is a part of the Czech state, the Czech state is somewhat responsible for him and if there is a problem, it will stand up for him. At the same time, however, identity indicates a person's belonging to various groups, which do not issue documents about it, but their membership is demonstrated by some behavior, clothing, and the like. As you can see, identity, or identity in international terms, is a bit of a disturbing, strange thing. In the professional language of graphic design or fashion, it is nevertheless treated quite carelessly. The lecture will attempt to complicate this obviousness and at the same time shed light on the historical dimension and performative nature of national and state identity, especially from the point of view of citizens of the Czech Republic.

Lecture How a nation and a state are made starts the collaboration of the creative laboratory UMlab, the State Printer of Valuables and the students of the Studio of Graphic Design and Visual Communications UMPRUM.