The almost seventeen-metre-high, eight-metre-long and three-and-a-half-metre-wide sculpture depicting the legendary Porsche 911 automobile impaled on a large pin like a BEETLE in an entomological collection. Even the opalescent colour is a reference to the multicoloured insects living in nature. The sculpture is comprised of eleven moving segments that move with the help of hydraulics. The BEETLE is located on Vyskočilova Street right at the end of the exit from the expressway (5. května Street) in Prague 4, by the Alpha office building. It took nearly two years to make and the investor is Passerinvest Group, a.s.
"Our company has been developing BB Centrum for more than 20 years. In that time, we have invested almost 1.6 billion crowns into non-profit projects such as parks, a school and preschool, a social centre, sports facilities and playgrounds, a square, water features, etc. The idea to also have an untraditional work of art here originated a few years ago. We thought about various possibilities, such as building a unique water feature, but that was almost impossible to realise. We ultimately liked the idea for an installation with a car from Mr Černý the most, especially with regard to the theme and the chosen position," stated Radim Passer, the founder and CEO of Passerinvest Group, a.s.
"Why a moving car? Its location by the Prague expressway, my ambivalent relation to the car on one hand, the dark side as a societal fetish, on the other hand a heavy addiction to the iconic Porsche 911 automobile since my childhood," said artist David Černý on his idea for the creation of the sculpture for BB Centrum, adding: "Ferdinand Porsche, a native of Liberec, is the spiritual father of the popular VW Beetle. But few people know that he found inspiration for this fundamental design in the work of another constructor, the Austrian chief design engineer for Tatra, Hans Ledwinka, who lived and worked in Kopřivnice for many long years. His Tatra V 570 was even the subject of litigation between Tatra and VW after the war, a strange story. Of course, the Porsche 911, this beautiful piece of automotive design, is based on the Beetle. So it is kind of a Czech/German automotive jumble."
"I'm very glad that almost two years from the initial designs, the sculpture has been completed. We all want life to return to normal as soon as possible, and I am sure that the BEETLE from Mr Černý will help a bit to dilute what is currently a generally negative flood of information. And once life starts flowing again, the BEETLE will become another interesting cultural and tourist sight in Prague," added Radim Passer, the founder and CEO of Passerinvest Group, a.s.
Exact address of the sculpture: Vyskočilova 1461/2a, Prague 4 (Brumlovka mass transit stop)
You can get more information and photographs in print quality from:
Kristýna Samková, Head of PR and Marketing Department
PASSERINVEST GROUP, a.s.
Tel.: (+420) 221 582 111
E-mail: Kristyna.Samkova@Passerinvest.cz
www.passerinvest.cz, www.bbcentrum.cz
Marcela Štefcová
Crest Communications a.s.
Mobile: (+420) 731 613 669
E-mail: marcela.stefcova@crestcom.cz
About BB Centrum
BB Centrum in Prague 4 is spread out over an area of 25 hectares and is one of the largest and most successful projects of its kind in Central Europe from the perspective of developments built by a single investor. Passerinvest Group has been building and developing BB Centrum on the basis of the principles of quality urbanism and long-term sustainability ever since 1998. With its size and the number of users, BB Centrum has grown practically into a distinct city district providing the complete scope of opportunities and services, both in the commercial and the social spheres. With the represented services and responsible urbanism, it naturally blends in with the surrounding life, where the rationally chosen urban recycling breaks down the long-forgotten obstacles of impermeability and the original poor quality of the site. The locality includes 12 office buildings, two residential projects, the multifunctional Brumlovka building with a unique fitness and wellness club including a 25m swimming pool, a Social Centre, a Christian school and preschool, an athletic stadium, the central Brumlovka square and two one-hectare parks, all supplemented by other services for the general public.
About the artist
David Černý is a Czech artist who is primarily known for creating large sculptures in public spaces. He studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and participated in the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program in New York, where he lived for a number of years. He is also the laureate of the Jindřich Chalupecký award.
About the company
Passerinvest Group, a. s. is a purely Czech development and investment company founded and managed by Radim Passer. Passerinvest Group considers its social responsibility to act as an authority in its field and in society, thus both in the role of a long-term partner to the city, with the goal of transforming often dismal territories into pleasant and user-friendly localities, and in an educational, supportive and moderating role in socially important areas, i.e. the development of the Czech Republic through transportation initiatives or education in the area of health and human values. Since 1998, Passerinvest Group, as a responsible urban developer, has primarily been connected with BB Centrum in Prague 4, which is one of the most successful and extensive urban projects not only in the Czech Republic, but throughout all of Europe.
Another important project in the Passerinvest Group's portfolio is Nové Roztyly, the current brownfield of the former Interlov complex where, in the future, a place with pleasant housing with a large amount of greenery should arise, complemented by services for the general public and an office function. Apart from the projects in Prague, the company also built and owns the Ostrava office building Nová Karolina Park.
The principles of urban construction and the long-term sustainable development of Prague and the Czech Republic are part of Passerinvest Group's vision. Thanks to its responsible approach, Passerinvest Group has built a very good reputation both on a domestic and an international level. This is not only to the credit of the quality of the realised projects and the high level of the provided services, but also to the sense of fair play, a customer approach and especially its responsibility to the society and the environment.
