Since 2023, Studio ALTA and artist-activist Marika Smreková have been collaborating to find ways to make performing arts accessible to parents with young children. Through this collaboration, international dialogue, and ongoing reflection, we’ve gradually started transforming our processes to break down barriers present in the arts and society.

Together, we’ve opened doors that were long closed to many. We’ve learned from our mistakes, clarified misunderstandings, and formed new friendships. What we discovered is that the theme of parenting in culture isn’t just about parents and children — it’s about all of us.

The Accessibility Symposium marks a significant milestone in this transformation, and we invite you to join us for three days of sharing our experiences and insights.

How far have we come in a year and a half? What strategies have we used to make our programs accessible? And what could a parent-friendly culture look like?

Due to the renovation of Studio ALTA,  all events are free and take place at  Žižkostel community and cultural centre.
1, nám. Barikád 1520, Žižkov, 130 00 Praha 3, Czechia / tel.  +420 604 588 250 | EVENT REGISTRY
Free babysitting will be available through out the event. / FREE BABYSITTING REGISTRY

PROGRAMME

DAY 1 :: INSTITUTE OF ANXIETY: PUBLIC HEARING ON ACCESSIBLE CULTURE FOR PARENTS & CHILDREN
Tuesday, 01/10/2024, Žižkostel community and cultural centre

Who is culture for? Who benefits from the current set-up of cultural institutions and who are not considered and therefore excluded by these institutions? How can cultural institutions function in a way that is accessible to parents and children and when do they malfunction? What changes do we need to implement and what impact does (in)accessible culture have on our personal lives – our daily actions and the long-term decisions we make? What visions of the functioning of cultural institutions can we even imagine? And why does the need for accessible culture for parents and children concern us all?

The goal of the Public Hearing on Accessible Culture for Parents and Children is to gain insight into the systemic barriers that often stand in the way of accessible culture for children and parents, whether as creators or audiences, and to share the personal experiences of individuals or representatives of organisations who are trying to bring possible solutions. Together with Institute of Anxiety, we invite 45 guests to share their experiences. You will hear many voices mapping the current state of the cultural sector and its accessibility.

Harmonogram (line-up will be announced a week prior the event)
16:00-16:30 check-in
16:30-20:30 Public hearing
20:30-21:30 check-out

The event is organised by Studio ALTA and the Institute of Anxiety (IÚ).

DAY 2 :: DOORS TO ACCESSIBILITY, DISCUSSION & MARIKA SMREKOVÁ: SEEING THE INVISIBLE, PERFORMANCE
Wednesday, 02/10/2024, Žižkostel community and cultural centre

Doors to Accessibility will feature a series of short lectures and discussions, sharing examples of best practices from the Czech Republic and abroad in making culture accessible, alongside a professional meeting and presentation of Studio ALTA’s research. Following this, Marika Smreková: Seeing the Invisible  will present a performance in a collaboration with  Lenka Jabůrková and Matěj Nytra, which will create a shared experience of intergenerational encounters, bringing together diverse communities and groups with different life experiences in a unified space.

14:30-17:00 / DOORS TO ACCESSIBILITY – DISCUSSION

This inspiration-oriented format will offer a deeper insight into the different forms of accessibility for parents from the perspective of cultural organisations, grassroots initiatives or EU grant structures. Along the impulse speeches from our colleagues, we will present our research and practice at Studio ALTA that we have been working on since 1,5 years. Accessibility is becoming an increasingly important topic. We’ll aim to map where we are and what directions  we can take. The format is appropriate for anyone curious about how Parent-Friendly Culture affects them, how we can change the world, or how we navigate the internal transformation of our organisations.

17:30 – 18:30 / MARIKA SMREKOVÁ: SEEING THE INVISIBLE – PERFORMANCE

The material world of tools, surfaces, materials, colours, nature and hands, people, individual ideas and wonders turns into a unique and intuitive one. Our (non)theatre hall becomes a playground for utopia, where no stone will be left unturned… We will meet and get closer to each other. Let’s put our hands to work. We can take a break from expectations, plans, and tasks. What can we learn  about ourselves when we switch our roles? When we return to childhood, grow into adulthood, or become old?
Creative team: Marika Smreková, Lenka Jabůrková and Matěj Nytra. / More info and tickets HERE.

DAY 3 :: TANZ UND ELTERNSCHAFT: SMALL MOVES, TALL MOVES – WORKSHOP & PARENT-FRIENDLY CULTURE PICNIC
Thursday, 03/10/2024, Žižkostel community and cultural centre

Tanz und Elternschaft: Small Moves, Tall Moves is a workshop led by the Berlin-based workgroup “Dance and Parenthood,” exploring dance as a powerful tool for social change.

The Parent-Friendly Culture Picnic serves as a relaxed space for informal sharing of thoughts, experiences, and food. It provides an opportunity to connect and learn more about accessible culture, featuring a series of small performances, interventions, and workshops throughout the event.

14:30-16:00 / TANZ UND ELTERNSCHAFT: SMALL MOVES, TALL MOVES  (Workshop)

Together with you, we would like to set up and play on a movement parkour. This approximately one hour movement course invites children and their grown-ups to experience the theatre space in a new way and to move around in it together. In a game with costumes, light, music and stage design, you can experience the  creativity of your own movements. The course is aimed at people of all ages and focuses on collective action and experience.

Current members: Claudia Garbe, Janne Gregor, JennyHaack, Laura Kassé, Anja Kolmanics, Heike Kuhlmann, Isabel Mohn, Nicole Nigro,Saskia Oidtmann, Linda Scholz, Steffi Sembdner-Erfurt, Diana Thielen, JohanneTimm, Jasna L. Vinovrški, Maria Walser. Founded with in the ZTB e.V., the Ag works self-organised and voluntarily. / More information HERE.

16:00 – 18:00 / PARENT-FRIENDLY CULTURE PICNIC

The Parent-Friendly Culture Picnic is a place where we can spend time together, laze around, relax, play, discuss what interests us. We invite you to join us for some snacks and refreshment, and we’d love if you also bring something to the picnic blanket. During the picnic there will be several small interventions, tarot readings and mini-workshops from our guests and hostesses.

* On October 3, we also recommend visiting the Culture Get-Together conference organised by our colleagues from Nová síť. / More information HERE.