Dates
| 28.03.2026 / 15:00 - 18:00 |
Information
branches and songs ~ a Spring Ritual with Efemér & the Lada Ensemble
On Flower Saturday, artist Lucie Králíková of Efemér joins the folkloric ensemble Lada to bring the traditions of Palm Sunday into dialogue with the present. In the spirit of the original custom, we will set out together from the Liběnka spring in a neighbourhood procession, carrying blossoming branches. Along the way, these will be placed in the former Brewery in Libeň—now transforming into a centre for the arts—and in the adjoining garden, as a gesture of protection, renewal, and growth.
The procession and the afternoon will be guided by the folkloric ensemble Lada, whose members have selected Moravian and Slovak songs for the corners of the garden and the brewery spaces we will pass through.
The programme will conclude with the sowing of the garden and a shared moment of rest and conversation, accompanied by simple refreshments in the spirit of Lent.
The Efemér project was founded in 2011 by landscape architects Lucie Králíková and Klára Zahradníčková as the first ecological flower studio in the Czech Republic. Their intention was not only to offer an alternative to cut flowers imported from countries of the Global South, but also to transform the way people perceive plants — not as mere material or decoration, but as living beings with their own presence and meaning. In 2015, Klára and Lucie’s professional paths diverged. Yet the original focus on local plants, human connection, and ritual continued to guide Lucie’s work, taking on many new forms — from open gatherings, walks, and pilgrimages through landscapes, to small celebrations of nature and more intimate rituals. In collaboration with other artists, she continuously develops themes of folk traditions and seasonal festivities, searching for their most resonant contemporary expressions. She writes and publishes texts on an ongoing basis, often incorporating them into her gallery installations. In 2020, she published the book Svátosti (Sacraments), which guides readers through the calendar year and invites them to pause at the right moment to deeply feel the landscape and their belonging within it.
Her current creative focus has shifted toward the borderlands — the landscapes of the former Sudeten region. There, she lives in a 150-year-old house (Himmlhaus) and explores ways of caring for the heritage left behind by displaced German communities.
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Lada is a Prague-based women’s collective dedicated to the vocal interpretation of Moravian and Slovak folk traditions. The ensemble, consisting of eleven members, was formed in 2015, yet its essence lies in deep friendships reaching back to the mid-1990s and a shared background in a children’s choir. Their repertoire—composed mainly of love songs, wedding songs, trávnice (songs connected to haymaking and rural life), ballads, and others—is carefully selected from specific regions and arranged with respect for the character of folk expression and local traditions. Lada performs primarily a cappella, as well as with instrumental accompaniment by a traditional string band (violin, viola, double bass), accordion, and occasionally the cimbalom. Beyond their own concerts, the ensemble frequently collaborates with artists from the fields of music, theatre, and visual arts. In 2023, Lada released their debut album Všelijake kvety, which was nominated for the Radio_Head Awards in the World Music category. Last year, the group was also selected as a nominee for Czeching, the music export project of Czech Radio Radio Wave.
