Boulders – installation in the NGP

The Boulders installation in the respirium of the National Gallery Prague emerged from a reflection on how to transfer natural principles into the gallery context – a space fundamentally different from the living landscape in its typology, material, and scale. We were interested in how natural forms and processes can be conveyed within an exhibition institution, and what happens when the gallery space becomes a tactile and sensory experience. Our focus was not only on the final result but on the entire process – the journey of searching for forms, materials, and meanings.

During sketching and consultations, we arrived at the boulder as an archetype and symbol of a natural form. Its shape is not the result of a single force but many influences: time, water, movement, temperature changes, surrounding objects, and materials. The installation therefore works with two types of objects – found granite boulders from various parts of the Czech landscape and shapes we created ourselves from hempcrete. This is one of the few building materials with a negative carbon footprint, made by combining hemp shives and lime, and it can be processed either by casting into a mold or hand modeling.

The hempcrete boulders were made by hand, as forms responding to the found stones, yet retaining a certain ambiguity and openness to interpretation. Thanks to their softness and texture, they invite touch, sitting, and resting. These are objects not intended for contemplation from a distance but for direct contact. Together with the stones, they form a landscape of shapes, masses, and movement. The installation also includes a sound layer. Through an open call, visitors recorded landscape sounds – the rustle of leaves, wind in treetops, the chirping of grass, babbling of a stream. These sounds are played in the gallery space, connecting the visual and haptic experience with the acoustic memory of nature. The respirium thus becomes not only an artistic installation but a sensory composition that simultaneously engages sight, hearing, and touch.

Visitors play a crucial role – both children and adults – who enter the space without prejudice or instructions. For them, the boulders become islands, hideaways, and play elements. They bring a different rhythm into the gallery – running, touching, joy of movement, and a direct relationship with the object. The installation thus transforms into a shared space – a place that is not just an exhibition hall but a landscape for exploration, pause, and play.