Based in Denmark, Theatre Madam Bach is an award-winning company that creates visual theatre for children aged 2 to 6. Their work has toured over 40 countries, placing cultural exchange at the heart of every production. By blending poetic language with immersive soundscapes, they create performances that speak directly to the senses of young children.

In this hands-on masterclass, artists and educators can explore the company’s specific approach to integrating nature and storytelling into performances. Participants will gain a direct look at their creative methods and test advanced techniques through practical exercises.
The session is divided into two distinct parts. First, the company will introduce their professional practice and artistic philosophy. This is followed by an interactive workshop where participants explore storytelling through personal memories and physical objects.

To take part in the practical exercises, please reflect on your earliest memory of nature and bring an object that embodies that specific childhood experience.

Inspired by Matisse’s cut-outs, Language in Art engaged young artists from two classes in a project that enhanced the expression of their mother tongues through artistic language. Together, these classes represented over 30 different languages.

Matisse’s cut-outs emphasised simplicity, directness, and freedom of expression. Using this technique, the project aimed to help young artists connect with and express their mother tongues through art while fostering awareness and curiosity about the rich multilingual context of their peers. They painted and explored the many ways colour can be expressed across different mother tongues. Using familiar objects from nature and everyday life, such as leaves, shells, cats, and glasses, we named them in all the languages spoken in the class. Participants then created their own pieces by combining shapes and words they had learned.
The project aimed to highlight the connection between language and visual aesthetics, bridging the visual and the verbal. Some parents actively participated in the workshops, either in person or by engaging with their children afterwards to learn more about their mother tongues, making this collaborative project even more special.

In 2024, Mother Tongues and ArtsEkta initiated their collaboration for the project “A Journey for Change”, as part of The Shared Island Civic Society Fund, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs. This initiative, aimed at fostering practical North-South cooperation, provides support to civic society and community organisations, enabling them to strengthen existing partnerships, forge new cross-border connections and champion inclusivity and diversity across the island.

The year-long collaboration was between six artists from diverse, migrant and minority ethnic backgrounds. Together they explored themes of resistance and reconciliation in their public work and shared their own experiences of arts practice. 

My Working Space  – The installation consists of video interviews with the six artists, offering personal insights into their creative journey and discussions on the impact of the cross-border exchange. The artists invite viewers to reflect on the complexities of identity, belonging and the power of cultural exchange. Accompanying the videos, each artist has created an interactive, personal workspace installation, offering viewers a glimpse of their creative process. Each table acts as a canvas, inviting attendees to sit and experience the personalities of our artists in moments of rest and reflection.
This installation offers a glimpse into the cross-border collaboration and celebrates the resilience of artists working in diverse communities north and south.