House / GORAZDOVA STREET 31

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.

“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: