Cosmic Spring and Ikarie XB-1

Lecture on the occasion of the presentation of the Czech cult movie „Ikarie XB 1“ at Berlinale Film Festival

The release of the first artificial satellite Sputnik gave an enormous impulse to the culture of European socialist states. The progress of the sciences and technology had become an integral part of the programme of the communist party of the Soviet Union. Political satellites of the communist empire, including Czechoslovakia, had to follow the new, technooptimistic direction to the future. Promotion of the space exploration became a political matter. No wonder that cinematographic tale of the space journey, the movie „Ikarie XB 1“, got the highest financial support in the whole history of Czechoslovak cinema. But Ikarie was just the top of the iceberg of the wider cultural movement that we can call "cosmic spring".

The Czech author, journalist and curator Ivan Adamovič talks about the reflections of communist utopia in Czech novels, stories, pictures, architectural projects and sci-fi films.

The lecture will be held in English.