The residency of Marika Smerkova took place across three periods: February, June, and July 2024, at Studio ALTA in Prague. In her own words, Marika reflects on these residencies:

“What determines a person’s worth and social hierarchy? Is the experience of an old man, a new mother, and an infant equally valuable to society? What can we learn about ourselves when we switch roles? When we return to childhood, do we grow into adulthood, or do we grow old?”

During these three residencies at Studio ALTA, Marika, along with co-authors and artists Lenka Jaburkova and Matej Nytra, has been developing the artistic project Seeing the Invisible, which will culminate in a participatory and performative format focused on intergenerational meetings at the Žižkostel Community Centre in Prague.

Participants in the open rehearsals during the July residency week spanned different age groups each day. Through a process of trial and error, the team learned how to structure the final performance to allow the intergenerational group to immerse themselves in true playful freedom. By stopping directive instructions and instead non-verbally guiding participants into an over-designed space with their eyes closed, the participants gradually began to engage their senses and lose any shyness about public participation. Once they untied their eyes, they started to interact with the diverse materials in the space without any prior guidance. Soon, age-divided groups and individuals spontaneously began to interact, sharing the play and communication zones they had created.

The performance Seeing the Invisible will incorporate practices from ecological, non-verbal, sound, and object theatre. The essence of the work was the collection and convergence of themes and inspirations drawn from a broad spectrum of participants, both in age and nationality. This was achieved through dialogues in the streets of Prague and creative open rehearsals held for interested participants at different stages of preparation.

Photo credits: Lenka Jabůrková, Simona Rybova

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