DOXYGEN: Bel McLaughlin

A fresh cultural emulsion: part exhibition, part workshop, part experiment. And, above all, fresh oxygen.

DOXYGEN consists of lectures, creative workshops, discussions, and everything in between. Contemporary art, contemporary phenomena, contemporary personalities, and the contemporary moment. Evening gatherings at DOX where you can ponder questions as well as answers – your own and those of others.

The exhibition Point of View 3: Balance presents a dense collection of works by young artists who express themselves on the theme of the balance between technology and biology. The authors of the exhibition have created a space where it is possible to dream, learn, and play. After going on an in-depth tour and experiencing the exhibition, you can look forward to Microsensing – a workshop or, if you prefer, interactive performance, a collective collaboration presented by Bel McLaughlin. McLaughlin is originally from Michigan (US) but currently lives in Rotterdam (NL). Their work ranges from performance art to abstract tattooing, costume design, and making improvised musical instruments. Microsensing will
offer participants the opportunity to delve into microscopic worlds. A microscope is an optical instrument that allows us to examine things that remain hidden to the naked eye. It is used across scientific and medical fields, but it can also be a tool of delight, wonder, fascination, desire, and art. The workshop will attempt to challenge these established ideas and open up a discussion about constructed opposites such as visible/invisible, harmful/protective, or human/alien. Based on the principles of queer ecology, we will expand the concept of the microscopic to the level of sensory and sonar perception. Microsensing can help us develop sensitivity and a feeling of belonging.

The programme will begin with a guided tour of the exhibition Point of View 3: Balance with its curators, Tereza Dvořáková and Karolína Voleská. After Bel McLaughlin’s workshop, you can join in on the creation of an artistic mind map about the topic and enjoy a low-key afterparty at the DOX café.

YOUTH FOR THEMSELVES: The DOXYGEN Programming Board

Martina Čapková is a student in the master’s programme History of Modern European Culture, where she focuses primarily on the visual culture of contemporary history in a European context. She joined the DOXYGEN programme because she not only enjoys creating but also organising and being there at the birth of something new. She believes that art has the ability to bring people together and that cultural programmes for young people make more sense when they are created by young people – they are more authentic, natural, and appealing to her generation.

Martin Černík is a twenty-one-year-old social sciences student and a barista at the DOX café who has a passion for organising various events. He sees DOX as a place that truly transcends the spirit of a mere gallery, and he would like to prove this to his peers with the accompanying events of DOXYGEN, of which he is a part of the programming team.

Anna Knězová studies arts management at the University of Economics in Prague. She works as a custodian at DOX, assists with family programmes, and also teaches English. She would like to continue working in galleries in the future, which is why she considers creating the programme for DOX to be a great experience.

Monika Smiešková studies arts management, with a focus on multimedia communications. Alongside her studies, she has tried her hand at dozens of different roles across the cultural, artistic, non-profit, business, and academic spheres. She is currently the head of marketing for the Discover Summer Academy, where she encounters topics that have resonated with her since secondary school: informal education and support for young people. These are things that Monika also achieves while co-creating accompanying programmes for young people at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art.