Slovakia will present the winning project Black Pixel by Ateliér Scénografie at the Prague Quadrennial 2027
The expert jury for the selection process of the Slovak exhibition for the Prague Quadrennial 2027 has chosen Black Pixel, created by Ateliér Scénografie, as the winning project. The creative team convinced the jury with their concept, which reflects the theme of PQ 2027—“Absences and Silences as spaces of potential for new scenographic futures”—in an original way and presents a bold vision of scenography as a process of community transformation.
Black Pixel: Scenography of Absence and Community Formation
The Black Pixel project explores the transformation of forgotten industrial spaces and the emergence of a new community in the area of the old winery in the town of Pezinok. The creative team has been working there for a long time, documenting the gradual transformation of the area, which is evolving from silence and emptiness into a vibrant cultural and creative ecosystem.
Community Transformation: A Living Archive of Space
Black Pixel presents scenography as a long-term process. Nine events and nine art projects implemented in the area of the winery are captured through artefacts—from a metal hatch from a wine tank, and a chair from the community terrace to the rod used to set off the performative “winery concert”.
Authors: Ateliér Scénografie (Atelier of Scenography)
The collective of creators operating under the Ateliér Scénografie, which brings together set designers, visual artists, artisans, and technical professionals, has created the Black Pixel project. The team has been working on interdisciplinary projects in the fields of theatre, film, architecture, and event design for a long time now.
Atelier Scenografie (AxS) – Michal Lošonský, Adam Lukšík, Eva Lukáčová
Artefact content and archive materials: Jakub Steinecker, Patrik Gubiš, Vahe Grigorjan, and members of the Vinárske závody community
Mechatronics and programming: Michal Gonda, Michal Mižišin
Lighting design: Jakub Dibdiak
Sound design: Martin Štefánik
In collaboration with: the community of Vinárske závody Pezinok and the participants of the Re:Forma scenography workshop
About the project
A black pixel is a defective pixel that no longer responds to the signals telling it what colour to display. Among the installations of PQ 2027, the Slovak pavilion stands as a monumental black cube, 4 × 4 × 4 m, recalling the monolith from Stanley Kubrick's film. A narrow slit marked "One person only" invites visitors to enter alone. Inside, a spherical space formed by six ribs holds eighteen illuminated artefacts – props and architectural "souvenirs" from the former winery in Pezinok, Slovakia. Touching an object triggers a video, audio or photographic record of the event it comes from, such as a conversation with witnesses of the site's past, theatre in abandoned halls, a night urbex walk or a concert. A model reveals the pavilion's concept. Without interaction, the cube stays dark, filled only with the muted sounds of the industrial site. The artefacts document the events and art projects reviving the abandoned Vinárske závody (Pezinok Winery), from the Re:Vinárske cultural and community festival and the Re:Forma scenography workshop to an audio herbarium, time-lapse photography and residencies continuing into 2027. Responding to the theme of PQ 2027, Black Pixel presents a scenography of absence – silence as the sound of transformation, and scenography not as a backdrop but as a living, social process.