The Great Land of Small

A three-part series (July 18, August 29, September 15) of creative workshops for children aged 9 to 14 that will help children find a distinctive way to think about art and exhibitions, find confidence in expressing their own opinions, and discover ways to influence the world around them. Admission is free of charge.

Building on the themes of the biennale exhibition, children will experiment with various ways to capture and share their thoughts, opinions, dreams, and ideas – from audio recordings to newspaper contributions to drawings. All materials and equipment will be available on-site. Participants will be guided through the project by artist Eva Koťátková, artist and member of the Mothers Artlovers collective Bára Šimková, DJ, musician, and journalist Mary C, theater director and dramaturg Magda Stojowska, and poet, educator, and illustrator Tadeáš Polák. 

The program will be in Czech and is free of charge for all 
All equipment and information will be provided to the children on-site
Parents’ participation during the workshop is not necessary 
We encourage children to attend all three sessions 
It is also possible to participate in only one of the three dates
You can book your spot at www.matterof.art/cz/registrace

What stories and events are reported in the newspapers, and which ones never appear there?  What would we add to or remove from the newspaper to match what is really happening in the world? Or would we have to completely cut them up and put them back together again? What name would we give them? And would we compose them from texts and pictures on paper or rather from found objects, traces, and living people who would tell the stories? What if newspapers brought news of what was happening in the world not through text but through smell? What if newspapers were blank paper that anyone and everyone could use to write their own report, their own news story? And what if there was an editorial office, a place we could create together, where we could gather and see what reports others have brought? Can only adults create newspapers? And why shouldn’t children have more say in what happens in the world? There is no such thing as objective news. We can only get a more comprehensive view if we give space to a wide range of voices, including (or especially) those that are not often heard. That’s why we invite you to share your news with us, bring us your reports on places, people, and non-people big and small, your coverage of events that you think are important and that others should know about.

The event is part of the project Art Space Unlimited, which is co-financed by the European Union and supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

What is it like to be a ghost for a while? Why do we sometimes want to dance in a glittery costume and other times dream of becoming invisible or even turning into a horse at night? Why is it important to stand up for someone, and why is it just as important to have your safe place? How do we notice the inequalities in our immediate surroundings, and how do we break out of our bubbles and learn about others through games like Mafia or soccer with people instead of a ball? Why is it sometimes good to break the rules and play hide and seek in an exhibition? What does it take to make Spider-Man a profession in the modern world, and why does the sea we’ve never been to have a salty color? How does the river react when we play it a tune on whatever we have nearby at the moment? Will our message in a bottle find someone in the world for whom it will be important? What can we do about the wars we know about, even though they are happening far away? What about the things that appear in our dreams?

The newspaper is available in our online bookstore.

Children’s newspapers give a voice to those we often think we know well and feel the need to control. They disrupt traditional hierarchies about who should listen to whom and who should learn from whom and whether the only goal for a child should be to become a normalized adult as soon as possible. They suggest that we should listen to children, take their suggestions, visions, and feelings seriously, and not artificially isolate them from the problems and challenges of the contemporary world – because we can only face them together. Recommended for children and adults.

We are exploring the exhibition of the Biennale Matter of Art 2024 and establishing the editorial office Great Land of Small, where we create sounds and images. We set out with recorders to capture our own impressions and those of visitors in the form of a 'mini report'.