Mykilio and Novavita Lab presented Altar of Sustainability with triptych of abstract paintings by Kafes33 at KVIFF
The investment group Progresus in cooperation with E15 organized an afternoon cocktail during the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where well‑known business faces with an interest in sustainability met. The event was hosted by E15 editor‑in‑chief Nikita Polyakov, who interviewed KVIFF executive director Kryštof Mucha, Progresus group co‑owners Lukáš Zrůst and Lukáš Foral, designer Martina Zachrlova from Novavita Lab and abstract painter and designer Martin Hirsch, known as Kafes33.
The event culminated in an artistic performance in which Kafes33 painted a triptych of paintings specially created for the occasion. "When creating a painting, I start from light, which is indispensable for life on Earth. Light was also an important element in sacred architecture. The flow of light can be divided into three basic visible colours: yellow, blue and pink, which I elaborate into abstract surfaces that interpenetrate each other in the triptych. These are then complemented by lines in the other colour spectrums of light," says Kafes33 about his work. For the canvas, he has used a substrate made from a mycocomposite made of mycelium of glossy cork and beech sawdust, produced in the workshop of our technological hub Mykilio.
The altar itself, on which the paintings were placed, was also unique. This was produced by Novavita Lab, a design materials laboratory with which Mykilio has newly established a long-term collaboration. The three panels were a mosaic of a total of 144 square tiles made from various upcycled materials: concrete with brick dust, recycled plastic combined with coffee grounds or mycelium. "Industrial plants have tons of waste material that we can give new meaning to in our materials lab. It's wonderful experimental work that has a huge overlap into sustainability. With Mykilio we have the same goal: to use the materials that are in front of us and transform them into beautiful and useful products," says Martina Zachrlová from Novavita.
After the event, the triptych moved to the wooden modular café Progresus Café in Dvořák Gardens, where all visitors can admire the artwork.