Matej Vakula's Manuals for Public Space Project Challenges Privatization Through Participatory Interventions

In 2011, Slovak artist Matej Vakula launched Manuals for Public Space (MfPS) to confront the issues of global privatization and surveillance in public areas. The project, which has its roots in Vakula's research conducted since 2006 in locations such as Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Boston, and New York City, is based in both Brooklyn and Slovakia. It encompasses various components, including interventions, an interactive blog, a website, and printed manuals aimed at reclaiming public spaces. Drawing from his experiences in Czechoslovakia, Vakula critiques the effects of privatization on both space and its users. Notable initiatives include "Out and Up to Date," which examines public art commissions, and a conference in Bratislava focused on public artworks. Workshops have generated manuals for urban green spaces, promoting community involvement. As a Fulbright scholar, Vakula teaches in Bratislava and writes for art magazines.