Tapestry in honour of Havel unveiled at Prague airport

The ceremony at the airport´s Terminal 2 was also attended by Petr Sis, Czech artist living in the USA, whose graphic work served a design for the tapestry made by French master weavers.

The production of the tapestry worth 1.5 million crowns has been financed by world musicians.

The tapestry of 5x4.25 metres features a flock of white birds shaped as a human figure floating over what is evidently the Vltava river with contours of Prague Castle, all on the dark blue background.

The tapestry project was initiated by Bill Shipsey, founder of the Art for Amnesty International Organisation, who attended its Prague unveiling today.

The costs were jointly covered by musicians Bono, The Edge from the U2 band, Peter Gabriel, Sting and Yoko Ono as a gesture of homage to Havel.

The unveiling ceremony was preceded by the presentation of a film describing the tapestry´s production and another film about the recent renaming of Prague´s Ruzyne airport to the Vaclav Havel Airport.

The tapestry was unveiled on the eve of the World Human Rights Day and nine days before Havel´s death anniversary.

Havel, former leading dissident, was the first Czechoslovak post-1989 president and the first president of the independent Czech Republic in 1993-2003. He died on December 18, 2011, aged 75.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz