The Shell no.2: Garden as a world, world as a garden

How is the world like a garden? Who all lives in a garden? How does the garden speak, what can we take from it and what should we put back into it? All this can be found in the new issue of the children’s workbook Shell (Krunýř).

The new issue of the workbook Shell this time subtitled Garden as World, World as Garden, was created during the year 2023 during editorial meetings held in the garden and studio of Kafkárna – the Centre for Art and Ecology at the UMPRUM in Prague, which generously opened its doors to us. Many great young editors and creators participated in the creation of the Shell, and we thank them for their cooperation.

The Shell workbook is just one of the traces we leave behind. For us, the Shell is first and foremost a shared time and a shared quest, but also a collective, not limited by age, that was formed while working on its first and second issues. And thank you very much to Kafkárna for supporting this issue and for the opportunity to work with a team with whom we share a lot and who have a lot to do with the fact that one such magical semi-wild garden is still alive and being cared for.

The illustrations for this edition were created by artist Marie Tučková. Marie works in the media of text, video, drawing, songwriting, live performance and installation. Her work explores the politics of listening, the hierarchy of voices, polyphony, various forms of collaboration, and the overlap between political and poetic language.

For the graphic design we thank Žofia Fodorová, a student of typography and lettering at UMPRUM, who is mainly engaged in the creation of author’s books and free graphics.


And for those of you who are meeting us for the first time: are you interested in the world around you and how to improve and change it? Do you have a rich inner world and would you like to share it with others? Do you believe that animals and plants talk and we just have to learn to understand them? Do you have stories that need to be heard? Do you have friends who would be interested too? Join us as we prepare the next Crucible!

Would you like your copy of the Crustacean? We’d love to send it to you. Email us at iu@institutuzkosti.cz.

The recommended minimum price for a copy is 100,- CZK.

The content is in Czech language only.


Thanks a lot to everyone who participated on this issue.
Illustration: Marie Tučková
Graphics: Žofia Fodorová
Font KAFKÁRNA: Magdalena Konečná
Editor: Eva Koťátková
Language Correction: Dagmar Pilařová
Project Coordination and prodcution: Ida Tausch
Printed by: KudlaWerkstatt
Authors: Naďa a Nina Bělíčková, Josef Buddeus, Amálie Bulandrová, Ema Feuereisová, Hubert a Arné Hanzlík, Lujza Haubeltová, Irvine Hill, Eva Koťátková, Maruška Lachoutová, Anna Žofie Langová, Dominik Lang, Julie Luňáková, Hana Pavlíková, Václav Postránecký, Magda Jiřička Stojowska, Nina Svobodová, Zita Šindelářová, Áda a Elsa Vančátová, Kateřina Vídenová, Antonín a Josef Vranka, Milada Wlazelová, Diviš, Eda, František, Jeroným, Laura & Sofie, Ludvík, Mara, Marie, Pavel, Petr, Vivien.


The project Centre for Art and Ecology at UMPRUM has received support from the EEA Grants 2014-2021 under the Culture Programme.

The project is realized with the support of the City of Prague and Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.