Call for Papers | 60 Years of PQ as a Meeting Place of Scenographic Worlds (Online Symposium)

Prague Quadrennial announces an open call for papers for the international symposium: 60 Years of PQ as a Meeting Place of Scenographic Worlds. Taking place in September, 2025, the symposium is one of the first activities of the PQ60 programme. The programme aims to critically explore PQ as a global cultural phenomenon since its founding in 1967 and to present it in its transformations and contexts to the professional community and the wider public. Some activities of PQ60 will also be incorporated into the programme of the 16th Prague Quadrennial, which will take place in June 2027.
 

Online Symposium: 60 Years of PQ as a Meeting Place of Scenographic Worlds

"The aim of PQ60 is not only to recognize PQ’s continuous existence but also to reflect critically on its role as a platform for scenography worldwide. Ultimately, a more complex knowledge and understanding of our own history should help us chart PQ’s possible future paths."
- Barbora Příhodová, Artistic Director of Prague Quadrennial

As one of the first activities of PQ60, Prague Quadrennial organizes an international online symposium. This symposium intends to open the discussion about PQ as a unique global phenomenon by foregrounding the local histories, national and regional contributions, and international collaborations that have shaped its identity since its beginnings. The symposium would like to explore PQ’s role in three main areas:

1. developments of performance design, scenography and performance space;
2. exhibiting and curating performance design, scenography, and performance space;
3. and PQ’s role as a platform for cultural diplomacy and exchange (particularly in the context of the Cold War).

Formats
Brief contributions that open discussion through concrete historic case studies. Contributions can take one of the following formats:

• Individual papers (15 minutes)
• Flash Talks (8-10 minutes)

How to submit
Between May 5 and 31, a submit form will be available at https://pq.cz/projects/pq60/ . Please use the form to submit a description of your talk (max 250 words), a short bio (max 50 words), a title and an indication of the chosen format.

Important Dates

The symposium will be held in English. Contributions by presenters with a limited command of English are encouragded; in curating the program, PQ will do their best to accommodate your proposals and specific needs. Questions should be directed to call@pq.cz.


Learn more at:

• www.pq.cz
• www.pq.cz/projects/PQ60
• Open Call

Symposium Programme Team

• Barbora Příhodová, PhD., is Artistic Director of PQ. She is a theatre historian with specialization in performance design and scenography. She has collaborated with PQ in various roles since 2008.
• Anna Hejmová, PhD., is curator, researcher and author in the field of visual culture, theatre photography and theatre architecture. She is a member of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and PQ Archive Specialist.
• Pavel Drábek, PhD., has been a programme curator with the PQ since 2017. He is Professor of Drama and Theatre Practice at the University of Hull (UK) and visiting professor at Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (CZ) and Charles University (CZ).

About Prague Quadrennial (PQ) 

Prague Quadrennial (PQ) is the largest international event in the field of scenography, performance design and space. PQ aims to create opportunities for the presentation of contemporary scenography and performance space, to map and support innovative work in this field and to provide an inclusive space for dialogue between professionals, students and the wider public. The Prague Quadrennial was founded in 1967 in Prague and has been held every four years without interruption. At each of its editions, participants from an expanding number of countries and regions, often exceeding 80, gather in Prague. Today, PQ combines elements of both an exhibition and a live arts festival, and its programme typically includes hundreds of exhibitions, installations, performances, workshops, and professional discussions.

11,000 accredited visitors actively participated in the 15th PQ in 2023, and the performance and accompanying programme in the public space reached over fifty thousand spectators. In between its editions, PQ functions as a continuous platform that creates opportunities for international exchange in the field of scenography through special projects, artist residencies, symposia, and publications. The 16th edition of the Prague Quadrennial will take place in June 2027.
PQ is initiated by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and organized by the Arts and Theatre Institute.