The UNOSTO group was founded in May 2011 as a base for the promotion of new Czech jewelry. UNOSTO would like to participate on a refreshing debate about contemporary jewelry in both Czech and international context through exhibition projects, workshops and cooperation with similar groups. The founding members of UNOSTO are jewelry designers Markéta Richterová, Klára Šípková, Kateřina Řezáčová, Lucie Houdková, Alena Hesounová, Karla Olšáková, Kateřina Matěchová, Martin Verner and the curator Tereza Volná. They also cooperate with our guests from the field of jewelry design, product design and graphic design in most of their projects.
UNOSTO opened the exhibit Jewelry City at Designblok Prague in October 2011. Ten unique collections inspired by various forms of the city environment were presented in innovative exhibition design of Zbynek Krulich (wearecreative). Markéta Lisá, Zuzana Kynčlová, Michaela Gorcová a Helena Heinz were their special guests at Designblok Prague 2011. Each Artist presented his or her view on city based on own experience, memory or inspiration taken from general idea of city life or a particular place.
Kateřina Řezáčová was inspired by the technical network of pipes placed under the structure of architectural face of the city and created fragile rectangular constructions made of carbon pipes and stainless steel. The team of Karla Olšákova and Kateřina Matěchová reflected the typical construction material in a similar way when they cast necklaces, brooches and earrings out of concrete and silver. Lucie Houdková reconstructed her memories of growing up in a socialistic housing estate, with its unified geometrical schemes in a series of silver cubes-boxes. Another childhood memory comes up in Martin Verner’s series Stalin. He recalls his passion for skateboarding and recreates the stone beddings around the Prague famous skateboarding spot around the former Stalin’s monument. A poetic memory of a foggy autumn day in Prague also inspired Markéta Lisá for her collection of silver pieces. Markéta Richterová and Zuzana Kynčlová both worked with the colorful idea of futuristic city structure in a different way, while Klára Šípková reflected a night aerial view from the planed down to the city lights. Michaela Gorcová used the medieval King’s road of Prague and compared it to the body structure; on the other hand Helena Heinz illustrated the meeting of old and new in the city by putting together novel and traditional materials and technologies.
