The Park of Culture and Sighs is coming to an end, culminating in the KO General Assembly, a discussion, and concerts.
Over the more than two months of the Park of Culture and Sighs, in collaboration with members of the Cultural Workers’ Union, the team of the Galéria Jána Koniarka, and other guests, we organized a range of performances, discussions, support groups, and workshops aimed at stimulating collective imagination, supporting one another, learning, and practicing care. At the same time, we sought to build momentum for collaboration in improving our (not only working) conditions.
The program was created on the basis of an open call to KO members. The intention was not only to provide space for the collective (and for those beyond it), but also—through sharing even limited resources—to attempt to materialize a form of solidarity-based structure. Now we have the opportunity to reflect together on whether and how we are succeeding, and how we might do things better.
We invite you to the final events of the Park of Culture and Sighs—let’s recharge our energy to the max together!
16:00 – 18:00 KO GENERAL ASSEMBLY
After meeting online, we gather in person for the first time!
The General Assembly is the highest body of the union organization, composed of all KO members. During the Assembly, we collectively decide and vote on matters such as the union’s activities for the upcoming period, finances, membership fees, and the distribution of roles. Your participation is therefore essential. Let’s shape the identity and agenda of the Cultural Workers’ Union together!
The General Assembly is open to KO members only and closed to the public. However, we look forward to celebrating together with everyone at the closing party and concerts afterward.
Cultural workers of all countries, unite!
CONCERTS & CLOSING CELEBRATION
18:30 – Timotej Fedor: Emigration Songs
Concert introduced by a discussion between Ivana Rumanová and Timotej Fedor
Mass emigration from the territory of present-day Slovakia, whose roots reach back to the late 19th century, represents one of the most significant migration movements in our modern history. Destination countries in North and South America became sites of cultural encounter, where the rural identity of emigrants confronted the unfamiliar world of modern industrial society.
The emigrant song thus became a witness to its time. Its lyrics encode not only the existential hardships of working in mines and factories, but also the psychological dimensions of mobility: uprootedness, anonymity in an urban—foreign—environment, and the trauma of long-term separation. The discussion and concert offer insight into these life stories through musical interpretation, revealing the indelible mark of emigration in the nation’s collective memory.
19:45 – SZČO & DOHODÁRKA
In a world premiere, the new rap duo SZČO & DOHODÁRKA takes the stage. Their raw lyrics quote from disadvantageous contracts in the cultural sector and speak to the frustration of navigating slovensko.sk and communicating with social and health insurance authorities.
How many times do you have to update your eID client? Have you already gone to cancel your trade license? Does your fee depend on the project budget rather than the work performed? Or is a “good feeling” reward enough?
We don’t have solutions—we’re in the same boat. But we do have beats.
Music for everyone who loves creating and hates bureaucracy.
The project partner of the Park of Culture and Sighs is KON-RAD spol. s r.o.
