Art in the crowded night streets of Košice

The city of Košice recently became a center of modern art during the second annual Nuit Blanche 2011. It was also the first official one, as the conveners were granted a certificate in July this year. The event, which is well known from major cities like Paris, Brussels, Rome, Madrid and others, had even greater success than than the one of 2010.

More than 50,000 visitors interested in modern art saw the creations of 130 various artists from six countries. This large number of participating artists was also enabled by the The Norwegian Kingom, which financially supported the conveners.

The gratitude goes not only to them, but also to the 120 volunteers from local schools who were guiding the public through all of the 32 installations. Those where of accoustic, optical and interactive character, but also included dance, paintings and poetry.

High expectations were matched

Such an attendance shown by the public is a proof of the interest in art and a success of the project Košice 2013. Nuit Blanche became a traditional event in Košice, well known and attended not only by young people looking for inspiration, but also by families and those of higher age. The high expectations of the public which were based on the previous year's experience were measured up, if not even outnumbered as the conveners tried to set Nuit Blanche to an even higher level.

Besides the increased number of artists and volunteers, improvements were made also in the area of logistics and local cooperation. Not only the visitors had volunteers to help them, but also maps of the event and signings providing basic information about the installation were a useful guidance. Moreover, the conveners had arranged free transportation between the cities of Prešov and Košice to bring the event closer to people.

In general, Nuit Blanche 2011 can be characterised as major cultural event with positive feedback from the public, as well as from the participants. „The artists were surprised by the good cooperation with volunteers and by the high level of organisation. According to the feedback, Nuit Blanche 2011 impressed not only the wide public, but also those scholarly interested,“ said Zuzana Pajcárová, curator of the event. It seems that there is a well established tradition of artistic nights in the city of Košice.