[:sk]Dom / GORAZDOVA 31[:en]House / GORAZDOVA STREET 31[:]

[:sk]O dome Erny Masarovičovej a Štefana Kissoczyho na Gorazdovej ulici 31 v Bratislave sme sa rozprávali s jeho majiteľkou a súčasnou obyvateľkou Katarínou Kissoczy, fotil Ján Kekeli. [:en]We have discussed the house of sculptor Erna Masarovičová and Štefan Kissoczy on Gorazdova Street 31 in Bratislava with its owner and current dweller Katarína Kissoczy. Photos taken by Ján Kekeli.[:]

[:sk]“V prvom kontakte to vracia človeka do detstva, kedy architektúra bola samozrejmosťou a robili, či priali si ju aj nearchitekti – inžinieri a lekári. Tento dom je zjavením – priestorovou mnohoznačnosťou a materiálovou pravdivosťou. Najviac ma však dostali detaily: bazén – kajuta a pre mňa jedna z najočarujúcejších miestností vôbec – kúpeľňa obložená kabrincom, s lavicou vedľa vane.” Ján Studený

Pohľad do záhrady

Pohľad z východu. Východ do záhrady v hornej úrovni je vstup do ateliéru

Horná terasa

Horná terasa

Horná terasa

Katarína Kissoczy

LH: Od kedy a do kedy tu žili vaši rodičia? A vy?

KK: Stavať začali v roku 1963 a sťahovali sa sem v roku 1967. Najprv bol hotový samozrejme ateliér. V roku 2007 zomrel otec a rok nato mama. Počas toho ako stavali dom, som žila u starých rodičov v Prešove. Predtým sme bývali v dvojgarsónke v Krasňanoch. Od konca 80-tych rokov žijem v Prahe a sem som sa začala pravidelne na dlhšiu dobu v roku vracať, až keď boli starší. Zhruba odvtedy sa o dom starám, udržujem ho.

Koľko rokov mali rodičia keď sa tu nasťahovali?

Narodili sa v roku 1926, čiže mali 41 rokov.

Ako získali pozemok?

Pozemok patril maliarke Gabike Schillerovej a jej otcovi Dr. Schillerovi, mali na tú dobu nadmernú záhradu a preto predali časť našim.

Rešpektovali nejakých architektov zo slovenskej dobovej scény?

Pokiaľ viem, tak k Ferdinandovi Milučkému mali blízko. Mama spolupracovala s viacerými architektmi na interierových a exterierových zákazkách.

Ako to bolo s návrhom domu – bola to spoločná práca rodičov? Prečo si to nedali navrhnúť architektom?

Úplne presne to neviem, ale podľa mňa ho navrhli spolu. Dom im podľa ich predstavy potom nakreslil architekt Černý. Pôvodne urobil aj návrh, ale ten rodičia neakceptovali. Až potom si to urobili podľa seba. Poňali to kompletne, výtvarne formovali okrem domu, interiérov, zariadenia aj vstup do domu, plot… Ako tínedžerka som to veľmi neriešila, až teraz keď som tu častejšie, vidím ako veľmi to premysleli a postavili presne podľa svojich potrieb. Napríklad ateliér je umiestnený v časti kde je veľa stromov a je tam chládok až do neskorého popoludnia. Schválne na tej strane nie sú okná, lebo keď sa robí s autogénom a zvára sa, ide z toho ďalšie teplo.

Dom je pekne umiestnený v záhrade.

Pôvodne bola na pozemku záhrada a tak existujúce stromy zakomponovali do celku. Aj výhľad do Rakúska z horného podlažia je určujúci. Vonku, na južnú stranu, potom navrhli okrem terasy s integrovanými priestormi pre kvety aj bazén. Dali si záležať na schodoch, chodníkoch. Je tu aj sauna. Umiestnili ju zboku domu, v zadnej časti, blízko bazénu. Ja už ale bazén, ani saunu nepoužívam.

Vnútro bazénu so schodmi

Bol bazén od začiatku zastrešený? Prečo ho už nepoužívate?

Na začiatku nebol, ale keď zistili, že je jeho údržba kvôli padajúcemu lístiu dosť náročná, tak ho zastrešili. Aj tak ho bolo treba stále čistiť a ja som ho kvôli tomu nemala rada. Vtedy ešte neboli také účinné chemické prípravky. A oni by to asi ani nechceli tak chemizovať ako sa to robí dnes. A inak sú v ňom také sochárske schody.

Momentálne ho používam ako výstavný priestor- galéria BAZÉN, niekedy pre prácu počas sympózií a jedno obdobie sme tu robili inštalácie. Napríklad tu vystavovala Patrícia Koyšová, Ninna Karnamo a ďalší. Čo sa týka sauny ani tu už nepoužívam, lebo bývam čiastočne v Prahe a čiastočne tu. A tak musím strážiť ekonomické výdaje.

Spomínali rodičia niekedy počas života na priebeh stavby?

No určite to bolo vyčerpávajúce, lebo v tej dobe bol nedostatok všetkého, neboli ani tehly, len vďaka tomu, že dokázali obidvaja spracovávať kov, si dokázali sami vyrobiť okná, radiátory, krb aj iné konštrukcie, ktoré sa vtedy nedali kúpiť. Niektoré veci sa im nepodarilo dokončiť, ale to boli maličkosti. Nejaké obklady v kúpeľni, medzidvere vo vstupe…

Vstup do domu s roštom na čistenie topánok

Vstupný priestor

Obývací priestor s integrovanou kuchyňou

Sklo z Lednických Rovní, dizajn Karol Hološko

Obývací priestor s krbom

Horná chodba s minimalistickým svietidlom.

Detail okna s kovaním a dodatočným zateplením

Horná kúpeľňa s pôvodnou sanitou a keramickým obkladom

Horná kúpeľňa – vaňa a odpočívacia chaise longue

Dolná kúpelňa s pôvodnou farebnosťou

Je interiér pôvodný? Alebo sa v priebehu rokov významne menil?

Je dosť zachovaný, menil sa iba čiastočne. Je viacúrovňový. V nižšej úrovni je spoločenská hala a kuchyňa, na poschodí spálne, kúpeľňa a bývalá fotokomora (ta bola projektovaná už od začiatku) a z boku na úrovni ulice je k domu pridaný veľký priestor sochárskeho ateliéru s veľkými odsúvacími dverami do záhrady. Čo sa týka zariadenia, napríklad mama bola priekopníčka v spojení kuchyne s obývacím priestorom, ako je to dnes úplne bežné. V tom období to bola úplna novinka. Mama už vtedy argumentovala, že prečo má byť zavretá v kuchyni a variť pre niekoho. V obývacom priestore navrhla sedací čalúnený nábytok, deliacu pultovú stenu, pracovný a servírovací pult, s otcom krb. Kuchynská linka je kovová, štandardizovaná a moderná – je to klasika z konca 60. rokov.

Otec bol tiež technologicky veľmi zdatný (pozn. autora Ing. Štefan Kissoczy bol docentom na Vysokej škole technickej v BA), a veľa z toho, čo vidíte, vyrobil. Radiátory, okná, krb, svetlíky sú jeho….

V hornej časti sa už nezachoval pôvodný nábytok. Boli tu také jednoduché skrine. Ja som tu spravila novú drevenú podlahu, mame sa veľmi nepáčila, a je tu nábytok po starých rodičoch. Pôvodne tu bola betónová dlažba s vlneným kobercom s vyšším vlasom, ale teraz je tu teplejšie. Rodičia silne dbali na materialitu a mama všetko podriaďovala svojej estetike. Keď sa jej niečo nepáčilo, prerobila to. Napríklad aj otcovu košeľu na blúzku pre seba.

Zariadenie v dolnej kúpeľni je celkom autentické, v hornej kúpeľni som ho čiastočne zmenila, pridala som sklenenú priečku do pôvodného sprchového kútu, kvôli novým potrebám (hostia sympózia), ale napríklad batéria aj obklady sú pôvodné.

Pôvodne boli priestory aj viac čistejšie, napríklad bez zábradlí, ale ako rodičia starli, tak pribúdali oporné prvky. Aj v niektorých detailoch sa dom menil, napríklad svetelné podhľady smerom von boli transparentné. Tak, aby aj svetlo mohlo ísť von.

Spomínali ste dôraz na materialitu. Aké materiály teda v dome použili?

Tehlu, kov, sklo, betón, bridlicu, drevo, keramické dlaždice. Veľmi riešili funkcionalitu a logiku priestorov a to až do detailov ako napríklad priechodný rošt pre čistenie obuvi vo vstupnej miestnosti v domu. V pivnici otec zase vymyslel dômyselnú šachtu pre zhadzovanie uhlia aby minimalizoval nečistotu aj prácu. V predsieni pod bridlicou bolo podlahové kúrenie. Rodičia boli veľmi vynaliezaví a mali radi inovácie.

Ako pracovali so svetlom?

Aj to je veľmi dômyselne premyslené. Dom je orientovaný hlavne juhovýchodne a všade umiestnili veľké okná (okrem ateliéru), aj na severnej časti orientovanej do ulice. Plus sami riešili aj osvetlenie. Viaczdrojové, aj rozptýlené, napríklad ten svetelný pás nad sklenenou stenou a dverami do záhrady. V hlavnom obývacom priestore bolo zavesené modernistické guľaté kreslo z ÚĽUVU. Nad schodisko otec vyrobil úplne minimalistické svetidlo.

Okná už určite nevyhovujú aktuálnym štandardom, celkovo je tu veľa presklených plôch. Dom by sa skôr hodil do Kalifornie. Ako sa s tým pasujete?

Áno, nie sú to izolačné okná ako ich poznáme dnes a vďaka tomu sú tepelné úniky veľké. Chcem ale zachovať ich pôvodný charakter. Nielen okná, ale aj kovania okien navrhli a vyrobili rodičia. Snažím sa to korigovať bez nejakých väčších zásahov do domu. Napríklad sme jemne zateplili na hornom balkóne trochu skla izoláciou, alebo si pomôžem aj kartónom, zdvojením okien alebo dekami v zime.

Ako kúrite?

Kúri sa tu plynom. Pôvodne tu bol aj kotol na uhlie. Dom nemá takmer žiadne izolácie a áno má veľa presklených plôch. Oni to vtedy pri navrhovaní veľmi neriešili, lebo energie boli lacné. Dnes je to dosť problém. Navyše tento dom je vo veternom koridore, ktorý končí niekde v Rakúsku. Rodičia to trochu podcenili a všetky okná navrhli tak, že sa otvárajú smerom von. Takže musíme dávať pozor, aby ich neodfúklo.

Ako si mama navrhla ateliér?

Pracovný priestor je určený na prácu s kovom, pretože mama robila veľa so železom, ktoré sa rezalo s autogénom. Vo vchode do domu je drevená dlažba, podobne ako kedysi v prejazdoch domov. V ateliéri je technická podlaha, špeciálne opäť pomohol otec. Vyrobil napríklad na strop posuvnú rampu, s ktorou sa dali prenášať ťažké sochy. Spomínala som aj to, ako je ateliér logický umiestnený v chládku a je prepojený s bytom dverami do vstupnej haly. Hneď vedľa kúpeľne. Na stene, ktoré prepájajú ateliér so vstupným foyerom je natapetovaná veľká celostenová kresba. Je to škica, ktorá ostala z jednej monumentálky, ktorú mama robila.

Ako si spomínate na život v dome?

Mama aj otec tu trávili veľa času, samozrejme najviac v ateliéri. Pravidelne raz do týždňa si pozývali hostí, ale neboli to veľmi ľudia z umeleckého prostredia, skôr vedci a ľudia z iných odborov. Mama dbala aj na prestierania a riad. Napríklad sme mali doma kolekcie moderného úžitkového skla z Lednických Rovní. Stále ich mám odložené, ale veľmi ich nepoužívam. Žilo sa tu s nimi dobre.

A ako bez nich?

Najťažšie to bolo keď zomreli. Ten prechod bol náročný. Nemám súrodencov a tak sa o dom starám sama. Má to ale aj výhodu. Môžem si to robiť podľa seba a nikto mi do toho nehovorí. Dlhodobo sa snažím robiť poriadok v pozostalosti. Spracovala som ju do rozsiahlej monografie. A hľadám nejakého odborného pomocníka, kunsthistoričku, ktorí by mi s tým pomohli. A hlavne, začala som tu robiť umelecké sympózia. Vďaka tomu sa tu cítim oveľa lepšie. Dom zase funguje. Snažím sa ho otvárať ľuďom a snažím sa tu tvoriť ja, aj nechať tvoriť iných. Za 11 rokov tu prešlo viac ako 120 autorov a každý tu zanechal nejakú vec. Našťastie sú to väčšinou šperkári. Takže sa to zmestí do jednej krabice. Pre sochy, ktoré tu vzniknú (tiež ich nie je málo), mám prenajatú veľkú záhradu oproti. Som rada, že je prístupná verejnosti a že našu tvorbu môžeme ukázať Bratislavčanom.

Plány a fotografie z archívu Katy Kissoczy:

Čelný pohľad, z Gorazdovej ulice

Zadný pohľad, zo záhrady

Tehly a betón

Erna Masarovičová s architektom Černým.

Hlavný vstup s domovým znakom

Novostavba, obývací priestor

[:en]“The first contact brings one back to childhood when architecture was a natural thing and when it was done or wished for by non-architects, either engineers of doctors. This house is an apparition – a spatial ambiguity and material truth. However, I was most fascinated by the details: the pool-cabin and one of the most charming rooms at all – the bathroom with brown clay wall tiles (mostly used on facades) and a bench next to the bathtub.” Ján Studený.

View of the garden.

East view. The exit to the garden at the elevated level is the entrance to the studio.

Upper terrace.

Upper terrace.

Upper terrace.

Katarina Kissoczy.

LH: What years did your parents live here? And you?

KK: They began building the house in 1963 and moved here in 1967. Naturally, the first thing finished was the studio. My father died in 2007, my mum followed him a year later. During the construction I was living at my grandparents in Prešov. Before that, we had lived in the double studio flat in Krasňany (Bratislava’s part). Since the end of 1980s I’ve been living in Prague and as my parents grew older, I started spending more time here in Bratislava. And that is more or less since when I have attended to and maintained the house.

How old were your parents when they moved in?

They were born in 1926, so at 41 years of age.

How did they get the land?

The land belonged to painter Gabika Schillerová and her father Dr. Schiller; they had an excessive garden for that time, so they sold part of it to my parents.

Did they respect any architects of the Slovak architectural scene of that time?

As far as I know, they were pretty close to Ferdinand Milučký. My mum collaborated with many architects on interior and exterior commissions.

How did they go about the house design – was it a common effort of both of your parents? Why didn’t they have it designed by an architect?

I don’t know all the details, but I guess the they devised the project together. Afterwards, they had the house sketched by architect Černý, following their ideas. The project had originally been made by him too, but my parents did not accept it. So they came up with their own. They have embraced it as one artistic whole – not only did they form the house, they also made interiors or furnishings, the entrance and fence… As a teenager, I had other things on my mind; it is only now when I am here more often that I see how well-thought the house is, built just to fit their needs. For instance, the studio is placed in the part surrounded by trees that keep it cool until late afternoon. There are no windows on that side of the house, because there was a lot of welding going on and the windows would only let more heat in.

The house is nicely nested in the garden.

The land used to be a garden, so they included the trees into the whole. The view of Austria from the upper floor is determining too. Outside, to the south, they designed a terrace with integrated spaces for flowers and a swimming pool. They paid heed to the stairs and pavements as well. There is sauna, too. They attached it to the side of the house, in the back part, close to the pool. But I don’t use the sauna or the pool anymore.

The inside of the pool with the stairs.

Was the pool roofed from the very start? Why don’t you use it?

At the beginning, it had no roof, but when they saw how demanding it is in terms of maintenance because of the falling leaves, they covered it with a roof. Anyway, it still required constant cleaning and I didn’t like it. There weren’t such efficient chemical cleaning detergents. And I guess they would be against the heavy chemical curing in the way it’s done today. By the way, there are sculptural stairs inside the pool.

At the moment, I’m using it as a gallery space – BAZÉN Gallery (POOL Gallery). Sometimes I use it for work during workshops and we did installations here one season. For example, there was an exhibition of Patrícia Koyšová, Ninna Karnamo and others. I don’t use the sauna, because I live partly in Prague and partly here, so I have to keep an eye on the expenses.

Did your parents ever mention the course of the construction?

It must have been exhausting, because back then there was a constant lack of everything, e.g. there were no bricks. Thanks to the fact they both could process metal, they managed to make windows, heaters, fireplace and other constructions that were impossible to buy. They weren’t able to finish some things, but these were rather minor things: some tiles in the bathroom, the inner door at the entrance…

House entrance with a shoe wiping grate.

Entrance area.

Living room area with an integrated kitchen.

Glassware from Lednické Rovne glassworks, designed by Karol Hološko.

Living room area with a fireplace.

Upper hallway with a minimalist light.

Window detail with fittings and additional insulation.

Upper bathroom with original installations and clay wall tiles.

Upper bathroom – a bathtub and relaxing chaise long.

Lower bathroom in an original colour scheme.

Is the interior kept in its original state? Or has it changed significantly over the years?

It is rather well-kept, with only slight alterations. It has more levels. There is a lounge room and a kitchen on the lower level, bedrooms, a bathroom and a former photo chamber (which was designed from the very beginning) are on the first floor. On the street level, a big space of a sculpting studio is added to the side; it has a large sliding door opening to the garden. When it comes to the interior design, my mum was a pioneer of an open plan kitchen and living room. What is common today, was a novelty at that time. My mum’s argumentation was: why do I have to be closed in the kitchen and cook for someone? For the living space, she designed the upholstered furniture, bar counter partition, working and serving counter; the fireplace was designed together with my father. The kitchen unit is made of metal, it’s standardised and modern – a classic piece of the end of 1960s.

My father was also technologically adept (author’s note: Štefan Kissoczy was an associate professor at the University of Technology in Bratislava) and made many of the things you can see. All the heaters, windows, the fireplace, skylights are made by him…

The original furniture in the upper part has not been kept. There were simple wardrobes here. I made a new wooden floor here, although my mum didn’t like it, and there is furniture from my grandparents here. There used to be a concrete floor with a wool carpet with a higher pile, but now it’s warmer here. My parents cared about materiality and everything was subordinated to my mum’s aesthetics. When she didn’t like something, she remade it. For example, she has remade my father’s shirt into a blouse for herself.

The furnishing in the lower bathroom is completely authentic; I’ve changed it a little in the upper bathroom by adding a glass partition to the original shower enclosure due to newly arisen needs (workshop guests). But the water tap or tiling are original.

The spaces used to be cleaner, more minimalist, e.g. there were no handrails. Yet as my parents grew older, we had to adapt them by adding some elements of support. Other details have changed as well, e.g. some light solutions etc.

You mentioned the emphasis on materiality. So, what were the materials they used in the house?

Brick, metal, glass, concrete, shale, wood, ceramic tiles. They were very concerned about the functionality and logic of the spaces, including the very details such as the shoe wiping grate in the entrance hall of the house. My father also made up a smart coal shaft in the basement to minimise both the amount of dirt and work. There was floor heating covered by shale in the hallway. My parents were very inventive and fond of innovations.

How did they work with lighting?

That’s also very sophisticated. The house is facing mainly south-east and they placed large windows everywhere (but in the studio), including the northern street side. What’s more, they handled the lighting by themselves as well. Multiple source lighting, diffuse light, for example the row of lights above the glass wall and the door to the garden. There was a modernist spherical light hanging in the main living room area, designed by ÚĽUV (Centre for Folk Art Production). My dad made a completely minimalist light and put it above the staircase.

The windows surely do not meet today’s standards and, in general, there are many glass areas. The house would be perhaps more suited for California. How do you cope with that?

Yes, the windows are not the insulated windows as we know them nowadays and there is high thermal leakage. However, I’d like to keep their original character. My parents designed and made not only the windows, but also the window fittings. I’m trying to adjust it without major interventions into the house. For instance, we slightly insulated the window on the upper balcony, or I use cardboard, double-paned windows or blankets in winter.

How do you heat the house?

It’s heated by gas. Originally, there was a coal furnace too. The house has almost no insulation and yes, there are many glass areas. Energy efficiency wasn’t really addressed in their design, as back then, energy was cheap. In addition, this house is situated in the wind corridor that ends somewhere in Austria. My parents have underestimated this issue, having designed all the windows opening outwards. That’s why we have to watch out, so as not to let them blown away.

How did your mum design her studio?

The working area is made for metalworking, because my mum did a lot of metal cutting and welding. There is wooden flooring in the entrance of the house, similar to the pavement in houses with the right of carriageway (passage for horses and carriages). But she lay industrial flooring in her studio; my dad helped her in this respect. He also put a sliding ceiling track for transporting heavy sculptures. I’ve also mentioned the fact that the studio is logically placed in shade and connected with the flat – you may enter it through the door in the entrance hall, just right by the bathroom. The wall connecting the studio with the entrance lobby hosts a large whole-wall wallpaper with a drawing. It is a sketch left from one of mum’s monumental works.

How do you remember your life in the house?

My mum and dad spent here a lot of time, most of it in the studio, naturally. They would invite guests once a week, but rather than the art crowd, they were scientists and people of different fields. My mum paid attention to tableware and dishes as well. For example, we had collections of modern utility glass from Lednické Rovne glassworks. I still have them somewhere, but, to be honest, I don’t use them too often. I had good times here with them.

And now that they are gone?

It was toughest right after their death. That transitional period was hard, I must say. I don’t have any siblings, so it’s just me who takes care of the house. But there is an advantage to it too: I can do whatever I want without anybody having any objection. My long-term project is to sort all the inherited assets out. So far, I have put together a large monography. And I am searching for a professional assistant or an art historian who would help me. And mostly, I started organising art workshops here. They make me feel here much better, as the house is back in its working condition. I try to open it up to people: I work here myself and let others work here as well. In the past 11 years, there have been more than 120 different artists and each of them has left a thing in here. Luckily, they were mostly jewellery designers, so the things fit in one box. For the sculptures that are created here (and there is quite a few of them too), I rent out a large garden across the street. I am glad it’s open for public and I’m happy we can present our artworks to people living in Bratislava.

Plans and photos from Katarína Kissoczy’s archive: