By Hannah Straw

Imagine a meat factory where creation was the focus, rather than death. Well, in Smíchov, that’s a reality- an abattoir turned into the artistic MeetFactory, where all forms of art are displayed and performed, within a context of a platform for European integration into the art scene in Prague.

Formerly housed at Holešovice, MeetFactory moved to Smíchov in 2005, following disastrous floods which all but destroyed the old building. However, floods be damned, its gallery is not only back up to speed, but hoping to expand rapidly through its new Artist in Residency program, which was launched in October 2007. This program offers a haven for international artists, who are invited to house themselves and their art in studios on site. A board of professional artists, including the locally and internationally acclaimed David Černý (responsible for those weird baby sculptures climbing up Prague’s television tower), offer their critique and advice for works in progress. 

Within its whitewashed walls, MeetFactory hosts a theatre, gallery space, housing for artists and an independent cinema. No apology is made for its industrial appearance; all the original features have been retained, and the ingenuity of the building that resonates from the gallery walls is echoed in the artists’ work.

What is in it for you lot, the general public, who might not be so artistically-inclined enough to live, breathe and spunk art in an old meat factory? You’ll have to wait until September for the theatre, but as an antidote to this vacuum MeetFactory is hosting a free film-club every Wednesday evening throughout the summer months. As a weekly theme, an hour’s excerpt from Berlin Alexanderplatz , the longest fictional narrative ever produced, will be shown at 10pm. This will be preceded by a film (programme not currently available- just show up and be surprised!) which is shown from 7pm. A bar and complimentary interval nibbles are available.

 The next opportunity to have a sneaky peek at the MeetFactory and the work within it will be on 24/7/08, when two static exhibitions will be displayed: German sculptors FMSW, whose previous work has included enormous representations of tomatoes, will be creating massive indoor displays. Alongside this exbition, four artists from Czech Rep and Slovakia (Dušana Záhoranského, Pavla Sceranková, Kateřina Hadravová and Matěj Al-Ali) will produce a bedlam of visual art using everday objects. Entrance to both exhibitions is FREE, so you've no excuse not to see this unique artwork housed in a unique building.

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