Localisation: Lannova třída
“Heavy is the crown” is an elaborate, spatial sculpture resembling a fallen or strongly bent tree. The object consists of a brown trunk and branches, and a dense crown of metal leaves. The whole is positioned low above the ground and strongly stretched horizontally. The sculpture does not grow vertically upwards like an ordinary tree. Rather, it bends, descends and spreads out to the sides, as if the weight of the crown had pulled the entire trunk down. The object is [insert] centimetres high and [insert] centimetres wide.
At the lowest point are the points of support. One end of the sculpture grows out of a round, black base resembling a low pot or a metal hoop. From its centre emerges a brown, arched trunk. It is relatively thin near the ground, but quickly turns into a thicker branch. This branch does not run straight. First it rises, then bends strongly and continues sideways, creating a wide arch. In another place, several branches descend low and touch the ground, so the crown not only hangs in the air, but also seems to support itself.
The trunk and the thickest branches have a warm, brown colour. Their surface is uneven, grooved, in places glossy. It resembles wood covered with thick, wavy bark, although the form is more fluid and sculptural than naturalistic. Long furrows, folds and rounded ridges run along the trunk. The material looks as if it had been modelled in a soft mass, then hardened and painted the colour of varnished wood.
Numerous branches depart from the main trunk. They are thinner, twisted and led at different angles. Some run high, others descend low and curl towards the ground. They do not form a regular, calm structure. Rather, they intertwine, cross and spread apart, building an irregular skeleton of the crown. In several places, the branches form large loops through which one can look into the interior of the sculpture. These empty spaces are important, because the whole is not a compact solid, but an openwork construction of many arches and gaps.
The most elaborate part of the object is the crown. It is formed by a dense network of thin branches ending in leaves. The leaves are metal, flat and cut from thin sheet metal. They have the shape of simplified oak or fig leaves: they are broad, lobed, with softly cut-out edges. Some of the leaves are silvery, light and reflective. Others are dark, graphite-coloured or almost black. As a result, the crown shimmers with contrast: the light leaves stand out from the thicket, while the dark ones merge with the thin twigs.
The leaves are not arranged evenly. Some stick upwards, others droop, still others lean sideways or curl at the ends. Some seem light and mobile, as if they could move in a gust of wind. Others, especially the darker ones, create a heavier patch. This gives the crown a lively and restless character.
In the centre of the sculpture, the trunk divides into several thick offshoots. This is the most condensed place. The brown branches cross there and pass one into another. From this point, the crown spreads widely to the sides. On one side, it creates a compact, spherical mass of leaves. On the other, it extends into thin, increasingly sparse branches. The lower parts of the crown descend very low, almost to the ground, which strengthens the impression of overload.
The sculpture is spatial, but not monumental in the classical sense. It does not stand upright; it does not dominate. Its weight works differently: it stretches the form, bends the trunk and pulls the crown down. The titular “crown” can be read here literally, as the crown of a tree, but also as something that weighs down. The object looks like a tree stopped at the moment of bending: still alive, still branched, but already forced to change its natural position.