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A siren. A warning instrument that emits a frightening sound and evokes imminent danger for many. Approaching death in the eyes of those warned but functioning with an utterly opposite intention – to provide information and give people time to avert their fate. This definition has stood for some 220 years, reflecting the aims of our society. Just as the Telegrafia company tries to fulfil the function of imaginary protection for the population, it also needs a patron to fulfil this function for its people. And today, we have one. Siren, a winged mythical creature, is the new Telegrafia’s totem. However, we must return to ancient mythology for its meaning and definition, and I will leave this task to the talented author of the Siren sculpture – Kateřina Šťastná:

“Telegrafia came up with the idea of creating an object that would visually represent the company. An object through which something authentic could flow and thus potentially become the company’s symbol. I believe that it is symbols that provoke ideas in us, often unconsciously, and build stories. These stories are different and, above all, individual. And that ability to stimulate is what fascinates me so much about art. Such associations, such images in my head, often have a reason. And they stay with us only as long as we need them.

Naturally, I am very close to working with the human body. We are all somewhat familiar with the mass of the human figure; perhaps that is why we use it to describe situations or tell whole stories. There can be hidden gestures, even in the smallest details, that can provoke or raise questions and give us clues for reading. They stimulate and put the viewer in the inevitable situation of making different kinds of contact with a sculpture, painting, or photograph. And they provoke indignation and delight.

For this work, I chose stories about bird women who, on the one hand, lured sailors with their lovely voices and, on the other hand, fiercely protected their island at the cost of smashing ships on the sharp edges of the reef. Their voice and sound were essential to the question of existence.

History has portrayed these beings in different ways. Their original form, however, was close to the female figure with wings and claws or, on the contrary, to birds with a female face. In the case of the Siren for Telegrafia, I chose to work with a winged female body. Sitting leisurely on a pedestal, her eyes closed in silence. She holds a cigarette in her right hand, but her left wing is still firmly in control. Calm, yet steady and firm.

The Siren lived with me for almost two years, from the first impulse, the drafts and sketches, through the long period of modelling when we were locked together in the studio for hours on end. You touch the malleable material, and through a gradual process, something emerges under your hands that, without you being aware of it, you merge with over time.

Again, I would like to thank Telegrafia for this great challenge and fantastic opportunity.”

Mythological motifs, the image of society and the soul of Telegrafia. A combination that, according to the author, creates the image and essence of this sculpture. Since I do not intend to add anything to the author’s commentary, I will use her words to introduce you to one of the symbols that has been the most frequent target of your questions – the cigarette. It is meant to represent the business world, but also to reflect the relaxed nature and spontaneity of our company. However, it is up to us to decide which representational elements to add to the work of art that Telegrafia’s employees encounter every day when they enter our building. No matter how objective we may be, art is still subjective. And if I’m wrong… that’s just my opinion. We would like to thank the artist, Katerina Šťastná, for her dedication, time, and admirable imitation of the difficult task of embodying the ideas of the company that makes electronic sirens. While others wouldn’t be able to say a coherent sentence about it, she managed to portray it in a work of art.

The article was written by

Róbert Jakab

Robert is like a moving photograph – because he is like a video. He can capture 60 frames per second. Whenever something happens, he records it. Currently, he’s working on smaller videos and hoping to make a feature film one day and then its sequel. Telegrafia 2: Monkey Power