A happening presented under the banner of Students for Open Culture! works with a simple yet precise metaphor for both self-censorship and direct censorship of culture in Slovakia. It shows how constant cultural unrest disrupts the possibility of living in a dignified and peaceful environment. An identity that cannot be shaken off becomes a burden – a permanent attachment to conflict and to the struggle for the sustainability of the state, humanity, and tradition.

In a busy public area, two performers traditionally welcome passers-by with bread and salt – though with a typically Slovak paradox. Anyone who wishes to take a piece must wait until the bread is “approved” by state officials. Well, is there any other way to decide who is qualified to receive and consume art? Bread marked by a censorship intervention ultimately returns to the hands of the public – as a symbol of a culture that is controlled, restricted, and increasingly less free.

BRAT and $ALT premiered at Theatre Night 2024 alongside a documentary about the Velvet Revolution of ’89. It was later performed in the cultural space T3 and during a benefit concert for DRAMA QUEER at the Pink Whale.