The Institute of Anxiety’s First Public Audience

Speaking about anxiety in our society does not mean enlarging it, but on the contrary, making it bearable and moving towards eliminating its cause. 

The Institute of Anxiety announces that it is initiating its activity and that it will be glad if it becomes a place where things can be said aloud, even those we usually keep to ourselves. Thus, instead of delivering a speech itself, and because it aims to speak in your voice, on the evening of its opening to the public, the institute has gathered several friends, fellow citizens both known and unknown, to meet and attempt to talk about the areas in which anxiety accumulates. For this great first day, the institute has invited guests with whom it would be glad, in the future, to spend time, collaborate, just hang out, solve problems, but also propose visions for how to turn anxiety into a constructive energy that can force changes. It has assembled this audience of intimates, so that they can try, without mentioning the word anxiety, to localize its occurrence in their professions, areas of interest, or other activities. To speak of anxiety, after all, need not be anxious; this is how the institute would like to step forth into the world. And, because the Institute of Anxiety is very young (and still rather shy), it cannot yet know many people, animals, plants, products of nature, minerals, and other entities. As such, it asks all who would wish to share and work on something with it to come by foot or other means of transport to this, its first debut in society, wish it much strength, drink a couple of glasses of wine, and clean a few plates. After all, sharing is both its function and its pleasure activity.

The project is realized with the support of the City of Prague and Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.