Šedá happy with her social experiment despite criticism

Czech conceptual artist Kateřina Šedá has said she is happy with the outcome of her UNES-CO project in the town of Český Krumlov, despite getting many negative reactions from the public.

Speaking at a press conference at the close of the social experiment which aimed to bring back normal life to the town which is suffering from overtourism, Šedá said the project had highlighted important questions regarding the measure of tourism a normal living town can take and what can be done to maintain a sense of normality. She said it was always important to hold a dialogue on such issues, even when people are angry and negative.

Český Krumlov with its 12,000 inhabitants is annually visited by over two million tourists, which has resulted in the city centre becoming something of a ghost town. In the course of the summer Kateřina Šedá paid families with children to live in the city-centre and lead normal everyday lives.

Many people criticized and ridiculed the experiment saying the money could have been put to better use. The project cost four million crowns, with the state contributing two million. Šedá said she actually ran into debt because of it.