Babies, Group of bronze sculptures in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic
Babies is a group of bronze sculptures by Czech artist David Černý, showing crawling toddlers placed at two sites in Prague: on the surface of the Žižkov Television Tower and on Kampa Island in Malá Strana. The figures on the tower climb vertically up the outer wall, while those on Kampa crawl along the ground and can be seen up close.
The sculptures were first installed in 2000 for an arts festival in Prague and were originally meant to be temporary. They proved so popular with the public that they were left in place permanently.
Instead of faces, each baby has a barcode-like pattern, giving them an unsettling, technological look. Visitors who walk close enough to the ones on Kampa Island notice this detail right away.
The figures on Kampa Island are easy to reach on foot and stand in the open air, so no ticket is needed. Visiting in the morning gives more space to walk around them and take in the details without large crowds.
The newer versions of the sculptures are far heavier than the originals, with each one weighing around 800 kilograms. Despite their soft, toddler-like appearance, they are cast from solid bronze.
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