Proposals for the Czech presentation at PQ end on June 15

Prague - In mid-June, the deadline ends for interested parties to submit their proposals for the concept and implementation of the Czech presentation at the Prague Quadrennial (PQ). The twelfth edition of this largest international exhibition dedicated to scenography and theater architecture will take place in June 2011. The selection process was announced in March by the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Arts Institute - Theater Institute in Prague.
    However, it is still unclear where this event, which has more than a forty-year tradition, will be held. The left wing of the Industrial Palace was destroyed by fire last autumn. According to PQ director Pavla Petrova, a decision on the venue should be made by the end of the year. The possibility of holding the exhibition elsewhere, for example in industrial spaces, is also being explored.
    PQ will traditionally be divided into three main sections: countries and regions, architecture section, and student section. "Participants in the selection process can submit a project that includes all three or just some of them; the project must include both artistic concepts and organizational solutions," said the festival spokesperson Silvie Marková to ČTK.
    The submitted proposals should present innovative projects, artists, and experts in the field of scenography (set, costume, lighting, and sound design) and theatrical architecture. The emphasis will be on the context of current trends in theater, dance, and opera, as well as in other visual and cultural fields working with stage action in a broader sense. The artistic concept for PQ 2011 and the conditions for registration can be found at www.pq.cz.
    The upcoming edition of the Prague Quadrennial aims to bring the work of theatrical visual artists from around the world closer to the general public. The organizers are preparing a number of program points designed for a wide audience in addition to purely expert content.
    "We want to include a broader range of visual disciplines and genres connected with stage action and monitor current trends in contemporary performing arts," said the artistic director of PQ, Sodja Lotkerová. This is why there has also been a change in the official name to the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space and an expansion of the international team of curators, commissioners, and experts for individual sections and projects. The general commissioner is Slovak scenographer Boris Kudlička.
    The largest of the program sections will be the Countries and Regions Section. The curatorial concepts for national exhibitions should present all scenographic disciplines: set, costume, lighting, and sound design and the connections between them. Just like in previous years, significant space will be dedicated to students from art schools. Their presentation will include not only exhibitions but also Scenofest - an educational project primarily comprising workshops and performances.
    Three exhibition competition sections of the Prague Quadrennial, in which participating countries and artists can win the main award of the Golden Triga and other awards, will be supplemented by programs in the streets of Prague. There will also be a program for children.
    The commissioner for the architecture section has been appointed New Zealand architect and scenographer Dorita Hannah. The curator for sound design is Steven Brown from the United Kingdom. Simona Rybáková is the curator for the costume project Extreme Materials. Scenofest will be led by American professor of lighting design Cindy Limauro. German director and theater scholar Thea Brejzek has been appointed curator of theory, and scenographer and director Tomáš Žižka has been commissioned to lead a project focused on African theater. The author of the visual concept will be artist and performer Krištof Kintera, with Šimon Caban as the exhibition architect.