We Took the Senses on a Journey.

The exhibition presented the work of sixteen participants of an activation program at Bělušice Prison, which, through creative approaches, opened the theme of freedom within an environment of confinement. The project was developed as part of the activities of the Institute of Unfreedom.

Authors:
David, Jiří Šrámek, Lejzr, Luboš, Lukáš, Marián, Michal, Mimijára, Miro Pele Cicko, Ota, Pan Míra, Peterson, Peťa, Ráďa, Richard Hošek

It began with several questions: Can a person be free even behind bars? What actually defines freedom?
From these reflections came the concept of the Freedom Trainer – a series of activities focused on “exercising” the senses in an environment where most stimuli are restricted.

The program addressed all the senses – touch, smell, hearing, sight, taste, imagination, and even the sense of humor. Within the exhibition, tangible outcomes of the participants’ work emerged. For touch, they created “piškoty” (a slang word for prison bars) they crafted themselves. Sight was represented by photographs taken with disposable cameras, capturing beauty in places where it is usually overlooked. Taste and smell were combined in the activity Masterchef without knives and plates, which worked within the limitations of the prison setting. Hearing was represented by audio recordings of an imaginary trip and an imaginary meal. Imagination culminated in the video The Place I Want to Be, in which the authors symbolically transported themselves to their desired places with the help of props, objects, and their own sounds.

Throughout the program, leftover and found materials were used. The emphasis was on creativity without the need for professional tools or shopping – showing that one can create with whatever is at hand.

At the end of June, the exhibition Are We There Yet? opened at Šaloun’s Villa in Prague, presenting the results of the six-week activation program. The project was initiated by artist Lenka Tyrpeklová in collaboration with performer and facilitator Daniela Voráčková. Both brought different approaches to the program, which together shaped the framework for both the process and the exhibition.

In this case, process and outcome carried equal weight. The opportunity for imprisoned participants to see their work exhibited in a gallery proved to be essential. Equally important were the discussions with the public about the impacts of the entire program.

The exhibition was the culmination of an intensive process that responded both to the prison environment and to the personal experiences of the participants. The aim was to enable various forms of creation and self-expression – with minimal resources but maximum commitment. The exhibition also included participants’ personal journals with texts, poems, sketches, stories, and visual notes.