The Prague Quadrennial 2023 as a site for intergenerational opportunity

This ‘In Conversation’ essay arises from the opportunities for connection and ongoing collaboration during the international Prague Quadrennial 2023 (PQ23) Festival of Performance Design and Space, nurtured after the event on either side of the Atlantic. The text is based on the interviews held by the author with Czech costume designer Simona Rybáková focused on two performances attended by the author during the Prague Quadrennial 2023 programme: Eastern Bloc (an independent production presented at the performance space Divadlo X10) and A Bouquet (presented on the main stage of the National Theatre in Prague), both with costumes co-/designed by Rybáková. In the interview Rybáková shares some unique insights into her creative collaborative practice which is informed by both local contexts and international perspectives. This dialogic text represents the fruitfulness of interactions between emerging and established designers. The connection forged through the interview process is as relevant to intergenerational exchange as the interview itself and confirms the value offered to early career designers within the frame of international encounters.