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The official
opening of the „Tradition and Post-modernism” Summer Workshops -2002
First
lectures: Augustin Ioan and His Eminency Archbisop Hrisostomos.
The
lecturers from Sweden, Goran Andersson and
Gunar Alvemik in a coffe timeout. Lucia
Rato and Mariana Stanescu presenting the new ecological techniques used in
restoration of the cutural and historical herritage.
Practical
demonstration course in restoration field by Roxana Radvan si Suzana Dan from
National Institute for Optoelectronics Bucharest.
Luiza
Barcan at the courses.
Sunday,
visiting the wooden church in Danicei village. |
The „Tradition and Post-modernism” Summer Workshops –
2002
For two years at the Bujoreni
Village Museum, the four editions of the symposium “Tradition and
post-modernism” have brought together important artists and men of culture in
the attempt of questioning the opposition between traditional and contemporary
cultural forms. Each edition focused on one particular theme. In chronological
order, they were as follows: The
wood (2000), Sacred Art/ Religious Art (2000), Craftsmanship and
Initiation (2001), Symbols, Communication, Media (2001). Thus we
have created a very firmly marked working background. The symposiums always had
three sections, which represent in fact three modes of approaching the proposed
themes: one theoretically section, consisting of scientific lecture
sessions, one section of applications, i.e. the organization of small
creation camps, craftsmanship demonstrations, live performances, and one
illustrative section, consisting of the traditional and contemporary art
exhibitions within the Village Museum at Bujoreni. Few research trips in Valcea
County have been also organized as part of each biannual cultural
gathering.
The course and results of
such symposiums have been reflected in the issues of the Ianus magazine, publication
of the HAR Foundation. The field research activity has resulted in the series
of six monographs, which focused on the wooden churches of Gramesti, Marita,
Copaceni-Racovita, Ciungetu, Malaia and Brezoi.
In 2000, with the support of
the EUROART Program, we created the Pilot-Center called “Tradition and
Post-modernism” at Bujoreny, the very location of the Village Museum. The
partnership between the HAR Foundation and the Valcea County Museum has been
thus consolidated, and consequently enabling the extension of the
background-program as one complex long-term manifestation.
In 2002, the European
Commission for education and Culture in Brussels have appreciated the activity
of the HAR Foundation, by nominating the “Tradition and Post-modernism Summer
Workshops program among the winners of the project auction as part of the
international program Culture 2000. Among the co-organizers of this
ample program we count: The Valcea
County Museum, Timmerdraget – Centre for Loghouse Construction, Torsta –
Sweden, Resource Group Integrator – Italy, whereas our partners are: the
Bucharest University for Architecture and Urban Planning “Ion Mincu”, the
Bucharest Art University, the F.D.S.C.
–Romania, The Orthodox Study Center if California – U.S.A., the National
Opto-electrical Engineering Institute of Bucharest, the Ramnicu Valcea City
Hall, the Valcea County Museum, the Romanian Artists Union – Valcea branch and
the Ariel Theater in Valcea.
The “Tradition and
Post-modernism” Summer Workshops are an extension of the program “Tradition and
Post-modernism” in that that we transformed the biannual lecturing sessions in
a summer school, at which students and masters in architecture, arts, history
and theology have been invited to participate.
The lectures presented by
some of the most important professors and specialists in these fields, have as
main issue the anthropology of the sacred and of the human inhabitance, other
contiguous scientific domains as well as the new techniques and methods used
for the preservation of artifacts of the historical-cultural patrimony. Some of
the main themes are listed below:
- general issues related to
the organization and functioning of traditional societies; power and hierarchy
within traditional societies;
- sacred within traditional
dogmas – sacred place, sacred image, consecration rituals;
- sacred and religious in contemporary arts and architecture;
- inherent and additional
symbols of sacred constructions;
-general issues regarding
some of the contiguous scientific disciplines (archeology/history, traditional
dogmas/theology, ethnology);
- ethic issues related to
the restoration and preservation of the historic and cultural inheritance;
- ecological techniques and
safe modes of patrimony artifact preservation.
The edition 2002 of the
summer workshops had also one section of application, which structured on three
objectives:
a) The design and
construction of a wooden church for a community made of approximately 20-30
families, using traditional and contemporary techniques.
b) The design and
construction of a pilot-social house for four persons (3-4 rooms and annexes)
using both traditional and modern techniques and materials.
c) One creation camp
(painting, sculpture, graving, calligraphy, decorative arts).
On August 2, 2002, at the
Bujoreni Village Museum took place the opening of the “Tradition and
Post-modernism” Summer Workshops in the presence of Mr. Iulian Comanescu,
president of the Valcea County Counsel, Mr.Gheorghe Deaconu, director of the
Valcea County Department for Culture and National Patrimony, Mr. Eugen Deca,
director of the Valcea County Museum, and of the Romanian and foreign guests,
reporters and other numerous audience.
During the first week, some
of the most important foreign men of culture attended at Bujoreni in order to
lecture on a complex and sometimes original thematic. Among them, were His
Eminence The Archbishop Hrisostomos form the California Center of Orthodox
Tradition Studies – U.S.A., the professors Göran Andersson, program manager
with the Timmerdraget Traditional Construction Center in Torsta – Sweden and his
younger colleague, the professor Gunnar Almevik, general manager of the Dacapo
Mariestad Art and Crafts School– Sweden, the doctor Lucia Ratto, researcher
with the Institute Resource Group Integrator of Genoa – Italy. Lectures
and demonstrations were also presented by the arh. dr. Augustin Ioan, professor
at the Bucharest University for Architecture and Urban Planning, the prof. dr.
Anca Manolescu with the Bucharest Village Museum, dr. Roxana Radvan form the Bucharest
National Opto-electrical engineering Institute, the ethnologist Mihai Camilar
with the Bucovina Folkloric Traditions Museum in Gura Humorului, Mariana Stanescu,
chemist – restaurateur at the Bucharest Village Museum and the craftsman Vasile
Pop for the construction and restoration company “Taina lemnului”(in
translation the secrets of wood) form Desesti, Maramures.
All demonstrative
applications of the first school week were very complex; this is why, special
devices were brought to Bujoreni on this particular occasion. The first
exemplifications – the ecologic restoration using the VELOXY method, were
performed by dr. Lucia Ratto from Italy and her collaborator, Mariana Stanescu.
In order to get familiar with the non-toxic restoration techniques, few
restaurateurs from the Bucharest, Craiova and Sibiu Village museums were
invited to participate at these summer Workshops. The use of the VELOXY method
was applied during our summer demonstrations, for the treatment of some items
made of cloth, paper or parchment.
|
The
artists at work: Dumitru Gorzo, Suzana Dan, Mircea Nechita, Valeriu
Pantilimon and Alexandru Matei. |
Another modern restoration
method experimented by the researchers with the Opto-electrical engineering
Institute was presented by dr. Roxana Radvan – the patrimony artifacts
investigation, diagnosis and restoration laser technique. The scientist also
presented an original laser-cleaning device of high accuracy, as a result of
the Eureka E2094 project coordinated by Romania.
Also within the series of
applications we include the presentation of Vasile Pop, who came from Maramures
with some scale models and items to prove the preservation of the traditional
construction techniques in the architecture of wood. Displayed on the porch of
the 18th
century school, where the all lectures took place, these samples of traditional
wood combinations and tiles for different regions of the country raised the
interest of both Romanian and foreign participants, and enabled an active
exchange of ideas and information.
After a week of dialogue,
the first Sunday we took a documentation trip in the Valcea county, based on an
itinerary proposed by Ligia Rizea, consultant on patrimony issue with the
Valcea County Department for Culture and national Patrimony.Thus on our way south
to Dragasani, we visited for the first time another series of wooden churches
located on the southern region of the county: Sutesti, Pietroasa,
Mrenesti-Creteni, Popesti-Ursi.
At the Sutesti church we
noticed with regret the mutilation state of being of a monument, whose identity
was completely annulled in the absence of knowledge and of a prior research
study.
As if in compensation we
then discovered the beautiful church of Mrenesti-Creteni, which needs a quickly
intervention so that it could be saved from irreversible degradation. This is
one of the reasons for which we included it among the scopes of the next
edition of our program, so that it could be changed from Creteni to the Valcea
Village Museum.
At Popesti-Ursi, our
surprise was twice as big: the monument-church impressed us all by its
architecture and decorative elements. Then, a burial that was taking place
there, at the village cemetery, became an opportunity especially for our
foreign guests to perform an ethnologic study on the field, because the ancient
and pre-Christian customs completed the Ortodox ritual of this passing event.
After that, we went to Gramesti, in order to show to our participants one of
the biggest and oldest wooden churches within the area of the Valcea county;
one true architectural masterpiece, a model for the other churches within the
same area, made up of the same material. The terminus stage of our trip was the
Maldarasti mansion, where we visited the museum – tower and the stone church of
the 18-century.
We must not forget to
mention the fact that, every evening, after the dinner at the Village Museum’s
inn, both students and professors were leaving for the town, in groups, and
continued their discussions on the terrace of the restaurants Supca or Capela
(Chapel) – depending on their accommodation location. Everything was spiced
with wine or beer, depending on their tastes and the outside temperature.
Whereas the ceremonial maestro for all the time we spent there was the
professor Serban Anghelescu.
The beginning of the second
lecturing week was marked by the moment of changing turns. It was timeto say
good- bye to our foreign guests, with regret on both sides, since the days
spent in Valcea had a certain
signification in their minds and souls, as they used to say. But we did not
have time to feel sorry for so long, because it was the turn of the other
invited professors, many of them being older collaborators of our program, to
take the floor: prof. univ. dr. Radu Florescu, prof. dr. serban Anghelescu,
with the Village Museum of Bucharest, prof. dr. Silviu Lupascu with the
Bucharest University, prof. dr. Valentin Ilie and the arh. prof. Catalin
Berescu with the Bucharest University for Architecture and Urban Planning“Ion
Mincu”, the art critic Luiza Barcan, prof. Sorin Olteanu with the Bucharest
Institute of Archeology “Vasile
Pârvan”, prof. Florin Mihailescu and prof. Alexandru Nancu the Bucharest
University for Architecture and Urban Planning “Ion Mincu”.
Once completed, the first stage
of the program, meaning the closing of the summer school, we said good-bye to
our participating students and professors; this time our souls were richer
since as always happened on such occasions, especially at Bujoreni, deep
friendships started to take shape. The beauty of the natural scenery, the
hospitality of our hosts and the diversity of this manifestation, always brings
together those for whom our program means the approach of some common issues
and concerns.
The second phase of the
Summer Workshops did not mean a resuming of the activities, but a continuation
thereof, since during the two lecturing weeks, Alexandru Nancu and the
architects Agustin Ioan and Catalin Berescu set the last details related to the
two buildings ready to take shape: the social house and the church, whereas the
carpenters of the Museum started to work on the wood, the material used for
those two edifices.
During the second phase of
the program, we included also the creation camp dedicated to the realization of
icons and religious items for the wooden church. An important contribution to
the realization thereof, had Gheorghe Dican and the restaurateurs Laurentiu
Margineanu and Constantin tanea. The participating artists were: Suzana Dan,
Mihai Coman, Gabriel Chituc, Dumitru Gorzo, Mircea Nechita, Valeriu
Pantilimon, Alexandru Radvan, Virgil Scripcariu, Toma Gabor, Catalin Udrea and
Adriana Scripcariu.
In order to stand by our
habit of organizing a show during the program Tradition and Post-modernism, we
included in the second part of the Workshops, an theater stage, which was in
fact an open workshop directed by the actress Viorica Vatamanu – professor at
the «Ion Luca Caragiale» Theatre and Cinematography University in Bucharest
with the young artists form the Ariel Theater in Râmnicu Vâlcea. This
theatre performance stage, which was in fact an innovative communication
experiment, was concluded with an improvisation performance followed by a
reading memento of a fragment of the play “Dammed for doubting” by Tirso de
Molina, a Spanish dramaturge-monk of the 18th century, not very much
known in our country. The porch of one house stood for support for the
theatrical exercises coordinated by Viorica Vatamanu, whereas the performance,
which took place in a house garden, had a numerous audience which gathered
there for that particular event.
All this time, Alexandru
Nancu together with the workers (Bogdan Bâjbâiac, Dumitru Dinca, Marian Stroe,
Emil Vlasceanu, Silviu Berindei) and specialists (Marcel Stoian, Lucian Marinescu)
form the Village Museum started to raise, first the house, then the church,
after the wooden module that represented the support for each of the two
buildings, had been displayed at the entrance. Some students in architecture
form Ramnicu Valcea also participated to the first phase of the works, this way
performing their summer application program.
Construction works fully
continued also after the closing of the creation camp. Day after day, they
added another element, shaping the image of the wooden house and church, which
today, as we speak stand still within the scenery of the Valcea Village Museum.
A very touching moment was when the workers reached on the roof of the house;
on such occasion tradition says to stop working and place there, on the roof,
some token to the goods: a towel, a bottle of wine and a bunch of basil. There
are other rituals connected to the foundation of the house. It is said that on
the corners of the house, people have to burry coins for welfare, whereas one
rooster must be sacrificed and spread the blood on the foundation, since people
believe that in order to last, any construction demands for its blood
sacrifice. Such a sacrifice used to be once a human being, as stated by a
common legend of the Balkan area: the one of Manole the mason. The
pre-Christian tradition includes also the customs of walling a human in the
wall of a future house, gesture whose consequence is the death of that person.
These are ritual sacrifices, which we, the modern people cannot accept any longer.
But a tragic event reminded us of such ancient beliefs. Due to a car crash, one
of the young people who used to work on the building site died: Iulian
Matei. Should we have sacrificed that
rooster instead and avoid thus a human sacrifice? We will never find the answer
to that question. May God rest his soul and receive his sacrifice!
|
Building the
modules. Rising on the foundation of the first module and making the modular
structuring of the house ground-floor. Assembling the roof
Assembling the
first modules. Building the tower and the structure of the nave roof. Finissing the roof. |
The works at the wooden church had not started before the priest
Laurentiu Bozdoc hallowed the place and put a cross on the future altar location.
Then the works on the house and church continued simultaneously, using the same
modern and traditional techniques. In order to fit it in to the ambiance of the
village museum, the social pilot-house made of wood at costs much lesser than
those applied by the National Agency for House Buildings, was covered with pine
clipboard. Just as the house, the church took the shape as intended by the
architects. It totally complies with the traditional configuration of any
religious location, but it was built with modern techniques, its aspect
reminding use of the past, but being very well integrated into the present. The
innovative elements did nothing to spoil the Byzantine canon common for every
religious building.
The opening on the occasion of the official closing of the
“Tradition and Post-modernism” -2002 program, took place on November 30 this
year, on the Andrei Saint’s Day. Everybody present, partners, authorities, and
journalists, appreciated with one consensus, our achievement. The journalists
were present here also, as they did on other occasions during this program.
This event was fully media-broadcast. The activity of the HAR foundation, one
of the main two Romanian applicants to the program Culture 2000, is now
officially acknowledged, many persons and institutions being eager to use as
models, the buildings we created at Bujoreni. We inaugurated for the public the
social house, which shall become the patrimony of the Valcea Village Museum and
serve as the headquarters of the Center “Tradition and Post-modernism” –
institution created by the HAR Foundation and the Valcea County Museum in 2000.
The next was the church, which was conceived so that it could be disassembled
and donated in 2003 to a poor community in Romania. On such an occasion it’s hallowing
shall take place. Until then, adorned with the artifacts created by the young
artists, it may be visited at the Valcea Village Museum, serving as an
aesthetic model and as a replica of representation the traditional canon within
modern circumstances.
Luiza BARCAN
art critic
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