Workshop: HERITAGE – Rediscovering Slovak Renaissance Women with Rebeka

This workshop is part of the exhibition programme Portraits of Slovak and Czech Britain, a special event designed for adults with an interest in history, heritage, and historical fashion. Led by Slovak cultural coach, artist, designer, and actor featured in the exhibition Rebeka Jurčacková, the session combines performance, costume, and collaborative creativity to bring Renaissance Slovakia to life. Wearing her handmade reconstruction of a 16th-century gown from Upper Hungary (today’s Slovakia), Rebeka invites participants into an immersive encounter with Slovak Renaissance history, women’s lives, and fashion.

Rebeka is the creator of HERITAGE – Choose Your Innovator, an award-shortlisted project that reimagined Slovak noblewomen through bold colours, concrete poetry, and interactive design. For this workshop, she adapts the concept for a live audience, connecting forgotten Renaissance figures with contemporary conversations on identity, resilience, and belonging – key themes of the exhibition.

Workshop Highlights

• The Countesses’ Stories – a costumed introduction to three influential Slovak noblewomen of the 16th century, explored within the broader Renaissance context. Their overlooked lives of resilience, creativity, and leadership still inspire today.
• Fashion and Identity – discover how collars, lacework, and jewellery symbolised power and status, and how Slovak crafts such as bobbin lacemaking continue to inspire contemporary design. Rebeka’s handmade gown will be central to demonstrating how heritage aesthetics can be reimagined for modern audiences.
• Then and Now – a playful comparison of Renaissance and modern lifestyles: carriage or car, gown or jeans, sword fighting or football? Participants will “vote with their feet” and reflect on shifting values across centuries.
• The Heritage Portrait – a collaborative activity in which participants share words and labels from their own lives, arranged into the outline of a face. This participatory portrait echoes the visual language of HERITAGE and invites reflection on identity and storytelling.

Workshop Aims

• Explore Slovak Renaissance history through the lives and legacies of women.
• Show how historical aesthetics can inspire contemporary fashion and design.
• Connect past and present through dialogue, debate, and visual storytelling.
• Offer a unique blend of cultural education, performance, and collaborative creativity.By the end of the workshop, participants will have encountered Slovak Renaissance history in an engaging, creative way and experienced how heritage can be rediscovered as a living source of inspiration.

The exhibition Portraits of Slovak and Czech Britain (17–22 September) celebrates the stories, culture, and creativity of Slovak and Czech communities in the UK. Through photography, it explores themes of migration, identity, and resilience – sharing powerful portraits and personal journeys across generations.

The workshop is by donation; pay what you can. :)