Master's Thesis

Garden without fences

Final Thesis 13.27 MB

Author of thesis: Bc. Sára Némethová

Acad. year: 2025/2026

Supervisor: Mgr. et MgA. Barbora Lungová

Reviewer: MgA. Veronika Janoušek Čechová

Abstract:

The presented diploma thesis explores the relationships between human and non-human entities through material assemblage within the specific environment of a family garden center. The point of departure is the personal experience of the author, which shapes her sensitivity towards materials on the boundary of their primary utility and towards their potential to enter new semantic and functional relationships. The theoretical framework anchors the practical research within contemporary philosophical thought on matter with a primary focus on Jane Bennett's vital materialism and Manuel DeLanda's assemblage theory. The text analyzes the transformation of material perception from a ritualistic approach in earlier artistic works to the current recognition of the autonomous power of things and material agency. The practical output of the project is a spatial installation transforming waste fragments of gardening infrastructure into a complex ecosystem of objects. The author works with elements such as irrigation systems, biological ballast, or synthetic nets. Selected objects are stripped of their original utility and elevated to equal partners in the creative process. The work addresses the paradox of modern landscape cultivation while simultaneously acknowledging the processual nature of the artwork subject to natural degradation and constant variability. The collection of works is conceived as a dynamic system in which materials enter into mutual interactions. The resulting installation represents a temporary configuration of material processes that remains open to further transformations and interpretations.

Keywords:

Garden center, Landscape Cultivation, Waste, Spatial Installation, Assemblage Theory, Vital Materialism, Material Agency

Date of defence

18.05.2026

Result of the defence

Defended (thesis was successfully defended)

znamkaAznamka

Grading

A

Process of defence

Studentka během obhajoby představila práci formou komentované prohlídky instalace a popsala rodinné zahradnictví rodičů jako výchozí inspirační bod své tvorby. Vysvětlila teoretická východiska své umělecké praxe a odpověděla na otázky z podusdků. V rozpravě se diskutovalo využití materiálů ze zahradnictví, vztah mezi estetizací a rezignací na líbivost instalace i snaha autorky nevytrhnout použité matriály z jejich původního kontextu do klasického prostředí white-cube. Komise dále tematizovala citlivé propojení instalace s okolním prostředím, práci se světlem a význam odkazů na konkrétní rostliny, které autorka označila za intuitivní volby. Diskutovány byly také některé zcizující prvky v instalaci.

Language of thesis

Czech

Faculty

Department

Study programme

Fine Arts (VUM_M)

Composition of Committee

MgA. Veronika Vlková (předseda)
MgA. Patricie Fexová, Ph.D. (místopředseda)
Mgr. et MgA. Barbora Lungová (člen)
MgA. Argišti Alaverdyan (člen)
MgA. Jonáš Strouhal (člen)
doc. MgA. Jan Šrámek, Ph.D. (člen)
Mgr. art. Dávid Koronczi (člen)
Mgr. et MgA. Zuzana Janečková, Ph.D. (člen)

Supervisor’s report
Mgr. et MgA. Barbora Lungová

Grade proposed by supervisor: A

File inserted by supervisor Size
Posudek vedoucí [.pdf] 179,80 kB

Grade proposed by reviewer: A

File inserted by the reviewer Size
Posudek oponenta [.pdf] 333,78 kB

Responsibility: Mgr. et Mgr. Hana Odstrčilová