An initiative of the international project Islands of Kinship, Language Matters: Accessible and Inclusive Communication in Art Spaces, a free symposium about accessibility in art institutions focusing particularly on the role of language and communication, will take place at Stroom den Haag in The Netherlands on Friday, June 14.
The program brings together professionals with various specializations; including the visual arts, accessibility and mediation, and crip theory; for workshops, lectures, screenings, performances, artist talks, and the launch of a new publication titled Islands of Kinship: A Collective Manual for Sustainable and Inclusive Art Institutions. This book is a major outcome of the two-year project Islands of Kinship, which connects six mid-scale visual art institutions across Europe, addressing inclusion, kinship, democratic exchange, and sustainable, fair institutional practices.
Program Schedule
Workshop 1: Cripping Communication by Isa Hukka
To Isa Hukka, accessibility is the starting point for humanity, connection, and communication for all types of community well-being. Their methods are rooted in a crip reality and are universally applicable. In their workshop, Cripping Communication, Hukka invites us to rethink accessibility together.
Workshop 2: Paulina Seyfried
Paulina Seyfried’s workshop encourages joint reflection on the power dynamics (of language) in the art field. We will discuss language not just as a barrier, but also in terms of its ambivalent role as an opportunity for social ascension.
15:30–17:00: Artist talks and screening by Alžbeta Bacíková and Sarah van Lamsweerde
Alžběta Bačíková’s presentation will reflect on her audio-visual projects about representing identity in art and issues of accessibility to open a discussion about privilege, focusing on the visibility or amplification of certain voices in artistic production.
Sarah van Lamsweerde will discuss her experimental art practice, which incorporates oral traditions, unfamiliar languages, and underprivileged senses into performances, installations, and publications.
The peak of the June 14 event is the launch of Islands of Kinship: A Collective Manual for Sustainable and Inclusive Art Institutions. The publication is a result of the joint endeavors in Islands of Kinship to address themes of inclusivity and sustainability via collaborative exhibitions, educational and public programs, and co-commissioned artworks — but most importantly, through smaller and larger transformative institutional experiments, aimed both at internal operations as well as external collaboration and communication.
Learn more about the symposium and reserve free tickets.
The international project Islands of Kinship: A Collective Manual for Sustainable and Inclusive Art Institutions is co-financed by the European Union.
