Festival of European Culture T4EU | Workshops in Cieszyn

Dorota Prysak, PhD; Pedagogy

Psychodrama is a method thanks to which a person has a chance to experience a variety of states and ways of being and gain a new level of awareness of themselves, others and the world. Because all of this is done in action, there is an accumulation of energy and spontaneity. Psychodrama is a particularly valuable experience that allows you to look at the world from a different perspective; it is about assuming the role of someone else, perhaps a person we find challenging to cope with or whom we have not understood so far. This is usually the beginning of a change in our experience and often also in this relationship. It is achieved by gaining a direct insight into the subjective and limited perception of others, thus, broadening the perspective with a new, more objective understanding. Psychodrama also has a training value that allows us to practice something completely new, get into a role, or try out a reaction. Thanks to this, it equips us with new tools and shapes the attitude of spontaneous actions.

Anna Janczak; Special School Complex No. 4 in Sosnowiec

‘Teatr pod Czwórką’ of the Special School Complex No. 4 in Sosnowiec was founded in 2014 on the initiative of teachers for whom theatre is not only a form of therapy, but a real artistic event and an area of creative exploration. The theatre is made up of students, graduates and teachers of the school. The theatre group is the winner of many awards, distinctions in national and provincial reviews and theatre presentations of the work of people with disabilities. It is also successful in theatre reviews, competing with the works of able-bodied people.

The performances that are created are based on the conventions of movement theatre, pantomime, shadow theatre and black light theatre. Movement and spatial memory play a big role in them. In the functioning of people with disabilities, an important role is played by activities that contribute to the comprehensive development of their personality, the development of interests and the acquisition of social skills. The space that favours the development of artistic, movement and musical expression is the theatre, which also has an integrative function. Theatre classes shape the personality, unload accumulated emotions and sharpen all the senses of students with disabilities. Introducing students to the world of art through theatre classes provides them with many benefits, intellectual development enriching their world with new content, expands vocabulary, develops logical thinking, trains memory and attention, eliminates shyness and fear. It is the starting point for activating all psychic spheres.

The theatrical project ‘Theatre opens the world to us’ is realised in the convention of the black light theatre.

„For a man who cannot speak,
art is a language in itself.
For those who have difficulty understanding
art emerges from the depths of their soul.
For a man who has difficulties
organised action, art
it comes down to linking together,
thoughts, shapes and colours into one whole.
For those who have never known
satisfaction with your achievements
art unexpectedly proves that
that they might succeed”.

Eliaz Katz „Freedom to Create”

Paulina Poczęta, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof.; Institute of Fine Arts

‘CREATURE’ – workshops for transforming your clothes and creating a new one from the old with a large dose of creativity, decomposition, lack of inhibitions and basic and unique techniques of sewing work with fabric. On the basis of the prepared materials and tools, you will be able to change your wardrobe or make a completely new one, including accessories and decorations. There will be a sewing machine, the technique of dry felting directly on the fabric (clothing) with the use of appropriate needles, making original pompoms, applying metal elements, reflective tapes and paints using made templates. All this in order to show the possibility of an expressive and individual approach to old clothes in the direction of creatively standing out from the crowd or artistic repair of already slightly worn and damaged pieces of clothing.

Katarzyna Handzlik-Bąk, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof.; Institute of Fine Arts

Workshops of applied arts is the time devoted to creating your own unique utility subject of art. We will transform a simple porcelain mug into a ‘real work of art’. A handmade decoration will be not only a lasting keepsake but also a scientific and artistic experience.

Katarzyna Pyka, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof.; Andżelika Zajdlic

The workshop will start with a short presentation of the Stained Glass workshop and art glass. Then there will be a demonstration of cutting and breaking glass, after which the participants will practice this skill themselves. They will also see how to heat glass in a microwave oven and single-handedly make a fused glass mosaic, which they will be able to pick up the next day.

Marek Głowacki, PhD; Studio for Comics, Narrative Art, Layout and Publishing Graphics

The Studio for Comics, Narrative Art, Layout and Publishing Graphics invites you to conceptual workshops, concept art – developing a character design in the form of illustrations. Workshops preceded by an introduction – a presentation on character creation based on the character’s distinctive features and roles. As part of the task, participants will design their own hero based on prepared materials, i.e. black marker, fineliners, A3 pads/sheets. Form of implementation: drawing workshops.

Adam Czech, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof.

We invite you to a unique flat printing workshop, specifically a lithography workshop, and all this made on T-shirts! We will make individual T-shirts by getting to know the workshop graphics; you will prepare your own matrix – a stone; then, we will make a drawing, subject it to acid etching, apply paint and squeeze unique T-shirts under the press! You can use photos from your phone gallery.

Jolanta Herma-Pasińska, PhD

We invite you to art workshops, during which you will learn the technique of creating ceramics by imprinting in plaster forms. You will be able to decorate the plates or bowls made in this way by scratching original patterns on a clay surface coloured with engobe (dyed clay). The works made during the workshops will be later covered with transparent glaze, fired in a ceramic kiln and sent back to the authors.

Natalia Pawlus, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof.

We invite you to art workshops where, step by step, you will make graphics in the relief printing technique – linocut. You will learn tools, specialised chisels that will allow you to extract forms, textures and shapes from a flat linoleum matrix. The printing ink will allow you to print the works, and it will turn out after the implementation of your ideas whether you will use a graphic press or print by hand. Afterwards, you will take the finished matrix with you as a souvenir from which you will still be able to print; it might be used for many prints on paper or fabric.

Socio-political poster design workshop; Stefan Lechwar, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof.

A lecture on social and political posters and workshops during which you will talk about the topics that annoy you the most in the modern world using traditional, manual workshop techniques. A poster is a simple and meaningful graphic form of expression. That’s 1000 words in one picture. Let’s do that!

Marta Klepek, MA

Workshops are organised for students from abroad. The aim of the workshop is to make students of different cultures aware of the importance of the natural environment we live in and the role of movement in nature. Regardless of where we come from and where we currently are, we must take care of the environment we operate in. Nature connects us and makes us one giant organism. The movement that we will experience during the workshop will be a symbol of the movement of nature. We will recall the most important words about the environment, and with the help of the body, we will present how nature works. We will touch nature directly and metaphysically. There will also be fun and laughter.

Prof. Krzysztof Kula, Artur Janasik, Przemysław Obarski

Ewa Tomaszewska, PhD

Individual, team or pairs exercises that are based on drama exercises focused on stimulating creative thinking. They are about triggering, controlling, and understanding one’s body, exploring and controlling one’s vocal and sound abilities, as well as sparking imagination allowing for solving unexpected problems in a quick and out-of-the-box manner. Creative spaces touch the content: body – movement, word – movement, word – sound and human – object. Everything will conclude with a bit of movement improvisation.

Ewa Kozik

The simulation game ‘Stand on my shoes and try to survive’ allows you to look at the problem of exclusion in a multifaceted way. Participants will not only learn about the theory of exclusion but will also have the opportunity to take part in exercises aimed at raising awareness of the social and cultural consequences faced by excluded people. The game is an opportunity to discuss together the issue of tolerance, human rights, and the culture of inclusion.

Student Association of Cultural Animators; Anastasiya Perechyna, Milena Żuber, Barbara Herisz, Aleksandra Kowalczyk

We start the meeting by welcoming the group, saying a few words about ecology and handmade paper. Participants—divided into groups of 3 to 5 people—sit at designated stations; each group has a set of materials. Participants start by cutting old notebooks into small pieces. Then, they put them in a water container and leave them to pre-soften. The groups then grind the paper into a thick pulp. A handful of the pulp is placed in a box of water, fished into a mould and drained with a sponge onto a paper towel or cotton cloth. The cloth with the paper is hung on a string to dry or in a linocut and silkscreen studio on a paper dryer.

Wojciech Osuchowski, PhD, Assoc. Prof.; Justyna Stefanczyk, PhD; (26-28.04.2023) – start on 26.04 at 10.30 a.m. (UTC+2) – finish at sunrise 28.04;

Game Jam is a workshop-like event where participants work in teams and create video games. They include representatives of various fields related to game development – designers, graphic designers, sound engineers, programmers, etc. The duration of the workshop is usually several dozen hours. Gam Jam ends with preparing a presentation of the game projects (e.g. a video clip). Project development will continue with the aim of creating ready-made, fully playable games of Transform4Europe.

Paulina Poczęta, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof.; Institute of Fine Arts; 26.04, all day long

EGOsystem exhibition of clothes, accessories, unique fabric and objects. Haute couture from the ragtex and prêt à porter to the psychiatrist, that is how to make fashion without fear, rags and complexes. Works by Paulina Poczęta ‘PaPo’ and students.

Grand opening of Krystyna Pasterczyk’s sculpture; no limit of participants; around 1.15 – 2 p.m.

No limit of participants – 26.04, all day long.

University of Alicante; 11.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.; no limit of participants.