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Revitalizing Villages through Creative Activities with Baba Residence Contemporary community art from 6 Bulgarian villages

This pocket book was created by: Ideas Factory Association, Yoana Stoyanova and designer Alexandra Nikolova (Ål Nik). It collects the treasures from the 1-month artistic stay (or mission, as one of our residents calls it) of 16 artists in 6 Northwest villages in Bulgaria. Their curators are Galina Dimitrova-Dimova and Victoria Draganova. The main partners in this adventure are Vidin Fund Chitalishta, Icelandic Center for creativity Gullkistan. and the local rural community centres: Chitalishte „Science - 1925“ Sinagovtsi, „Light - 1927“ Deleyna, „Awareness 1928“ Koshava, „Lighthouse - 1930“ Pavolche, „Science - 1919“ Lik and „Prosperity - 2022“ Oslen Krivodol. All photos are authors‘ or residents‘ own, or by Ideas Factory Association and Kiril Nachev. The artistic results of the 16 artists’ stay in the villages Deleyna, Sinagovtsi, Koshava, Pavolche, Lik and Oslen Krivodol are part of the international forum EMPATHEAST (10 - 12.11, Vidin) with the theme Geography of abandonment / revitalization.

The project „Revitalizing villages through Creative Activities“, of which EMPATHEAST and the artistic Baba Residence in 2023 are part, is implemented with financial support provided by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the EEA Financial Mechanism. The main objective of the project is to contribute to the creation of a sustainable cultural enterprise model addressing the depopulation of villages through access to culture in villages.

What brought 16 contemporary artists in these villages? In fact, in 6 villages in the Northwest (the poorest region in Bulgaria and EU) and for 1 full month in May and August 2023. They lived in local homes as locals, socialised and created, reshaping the notion that living in a village must necessarily lead to lack of access to culture. They tickled their own and the collective imagination about the use of forgotten or abandoned public spaces, volunteered in the daily priorities of the local community, organised creative workshops with the elderly and children in the village, organized discussions, screenings and simple occasions to be present together. We believe and we have seen in practice that all that we co-create with the artists and the local community in the villages is an incentive to connect with the place, the local culture and the people outside the consumerist mindset. And as one of our residents in Pavolche village this year, Nicola Zambelli (photographer and director), summed up: „I think it is our responsibility as artists to work with communities, especially in remote areas, where we can contribute by highlighting the importance of those things that are neglected or forgotten - to preserve their memory, to create a new meaning to shared activities.“ In this small book, you can explore a possible decentralized future and some of the artists who are creating it.

Content

What emerged from the meeting between contemporary artists with local culture in 6 villages for 1 month? DELEYNA 4 Elena Stoycheva / „I need more flowers“ - installation with objects, fragments of stories and photos with the theme of belonging Sarah Craycraft / „The Fountains of Deleyna“ - audio-visual exhibition related to the 7 fountains of the village Stoyan Kostadinov / a stand-up musical performance with personal stories, stories about the relationship of the youth with the village and the role of the artist in the village SINAGOVTSI 10 Mirela Karadzhova / „ONE|NNESS“ - a film about the power of art to unite people / „Welcome to Sinagovtsi“ - a mural by the bus stop in the village Theodora Lilas / 2 original songs created together with local people KOSHAVA 14 Antoaneta Quick / „Koshava stays“ - a song ode with a video inspired by local people and folklore Evgeni Mladenov / „The Two-Legged Jackals“ - surreal comic collages inspired by stories of Koshava youth / „Koshava from a Bird‘s Eye View“ - an exhibition of photos of Koshava „from above“ Iliyana Grigorova / Photo album with photos from the past and present of Koshava / The bus stop as a photo studio - a series of portraits of local people taken in the transformed bus stop Joint project „Koshava Stop“ - renovation and creative painting of the stop with traditional Wallachian design fragments from the village

PAVOLCHE 22 Maria Makedonska / Escape Room „Escape to yourself: a room for returning“ / „post-traumatic stress of artisits after residencies“ - a short film about the inner transformation of the artist from our artist residency Mirela Karadzhova / „From Baba to Baba to Baba“ - an audiovisual installation about the relationship between generations Nicola Zambelli / „Rituals - Something about Love“ - a multimedia exhibition composed of photographs, video installation and objects Nicola & Maria / DAMORE - an artistic film inspired by local rituals and imbued with the vital energy of the forest OSLEN KRIVODOL 29 Aneta Mankovska / „Dress for not dressing“ - an unconventional dress made from local materials and traditional objects / „Oslen typography“ - a playful „font“ made with objects from the village Vasil Kostadinov / Handmade book (guide) with people, places, and experiences from the village Monika Igarenska / „The Shelf of Oslen“ - a new sculptural interpretation of authentic village life utensils LIK 35 Victoria Velcheva / „Invisible Labour“ - short documentary about women‘s work in the village Dimitar Yordanov / Musical (re)presentation - in search of the connection between Bulgarian folk music, Yoga Sutras and Exupery‘s The Little Prince Yoana Shopova / „The Second Life of Folk Songs“ - an EP of electric guitar music inspired by the songs of Lik village / „Herbarium of Memories“ - a songbook from Lik and a CD of recordings by local people, accompanied by a herbarium Mirela Karadzhova / Poetic mural near the community centre with fragments of the village history and stories from the village 3

DELEYNA Elena Stoycheva „I need more flowers“ - installation with objects, fragments of stories and photos with the theme of belonging Flowers calm me. They spring up wild in May around the village, waist-high grasses. They hide the cemetery from view. They wrap themselves around the rusty closed gates of abandoned houses and they distract with their sweet blossoms. A fragrant camouflage of roses and lilies grows in grandmothers‘ yards, the herbs in the fields are medicinal. I collect herbaria of the colors of care - a plate of mellows, a jar of honey, a blue jubilee cup, a catalog titled „Amore.“ Sometimes the gates close for me. Apparently that was my choice, too, without realizing it. I long for the undanced traditional dances, the embroidered shirts, the genuine love. What does it mean to belong? When and how does that happen in a village new to you? After three years of vibrantly connecting with the village of Deleyna and its people, after holidays and mornings, photos and grape pickers together, I ask myself: to belong and be free - is it possible?

About the artist Elena Stoycheva (1981, Sofia) works in the field of documentary, cultural heritage and socially engaged art. Her projects are based in remote places and villages, where she explores social issues, human relationships and also love. She has immersed herself in local communities with Baba Residence initiative in 2015, 2020 and 2023, and until recently was part of the team of Ideas Factory Association. She studied Architecture in Berlin and worked as a project manager for participatory workshops in Vienna. She returned to Bulgaria in 2019 and started studying filmmaking at the NBU to use film as a mode of expression. Now she develops her own artistic projects.

DELEYNA Sara Craycraft „The Fountains of Deleyna“ - audio-visual exhibition about the 8 village fountains Eight water sources. Six undrained, one drained, one capped. „The Fountains of Deleyna“ invites us to sit with the water sources of a community at the Serbian-Bulgarian border, to contemplate the social, commemorative, ecological and biological role of water and water sources in village life. What does a fountain see? What do we see when we really stop to admire the fountain? Through different photographic perspectives, each fountain is presented as an object of village‘s present, a monument to its losses and a host of bees, children, stray dogs and thirsty grandmothers.

About the artist Sarah Craycraft is a folklorist, writer, and teacher, a small-town girl living in a big city. She is the director of the undergraduate program and a professor in the Department of Folklore and Mythology at Harvard University.

DELEYNA Stoyan Kostadinov Stand-up musical performance

An original stand-up with live music, weaving personal stories of Stoyan and the local people from the village Deleyna, stories about the relationship of young people with the village and the supposed roles of an artist, living in a peripheral village.

About the artist Stoyan creates music (mostly with guitar), writing and theatre. He has been involved in Playback Theatre for 3 years as musician and stage actor, which brought him back to the performing arts. He participates as a musician in performances for original theatre and creates music for them.

SINAGOVTSI Mirela Karadzhova „ONEness“ - film about the power of art to unite and “Welcome to Sinagovtsi” - mural by Mirela by the bus stop The film „ONEness“ was created by Mirela Karadzhova during her creative mission in the village of Sinagovtsi, Vidin region within the framework of „Baba Residence“. The video narrative illustrates the power of art to unite communities, to bring life to neglected spaces and to revive the spirit of a place. It also explores the idea of motherhood in the life of the visual artist, who skillfully juggles the responsibilities of „visual artist and mother 24/7“. A strong believer in the miracle that a shared idea and effort can create, Mirela embarks on this adventure, finding herself in the right place and among the right people. With a joint effort, in ten days, what the people of the village have been longing for years happens. The abandoned wall next to the village‘s main square, a transit point for passers-by from all over Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania, is reborn, and with colour and pride welcomes „Welcome to Sinagovtsi“. The film was screened in the community centres in the villages of Sinagovci, Chelopek and Lik, as well as in the village of Rajdavica as part of the Rajdavica Film Fest. The film is to be presented in Beziers, France.

About the artist Mirela Karadzhova is a multidisciplinary visual artist. She was born in Burgas. Since 2019 she lives in Beziers, France. Since 2022 she is a member of the French Association of Artistic Professions „Maison des Artistes“. She graduated in Visual Arts, Graphic Design at New Bulgarian University in Sofia. As part of the Erasmus University exchange, she spent a semester at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nancy, France. She then completed a Master‘s degree in Public Relations of Art Organizations at the Academy of Arts in Plovdiv. For several years she led a nomadic lifestyle living a nomadic life, participating in numerous volunteer humanitarian, environmental, social and artistic projects (France, England, Bulgaria, Greece, Crete, Nepal, Netherlands) until 2019 when she settled in France where she currently lives and works.

SINAGOVTSI Theodora Lilas Original musical repertoire created with local elderly and children Theodora Lilas spent the majority of her residency with guitar in hand, singing with local talent and anyone else willing to sing their heart out. Theodora teaches workshops in throat singing, singing with children, and one of her causes is to remind people that singing and music, besides being a professional pursuit, is an enduring thread of connection and exploration.

About the artist Theodora is a non-professional music enthusiast, composer and poet. She has spent the last 3 years in Mexico and has a deep interest in the therapeutic dimensions of art with a focus on music and singing.

KOSHAVA Antoaneta Quick „Koshava stays“ - a song ode inspired by local people and folklore Inspired by the time she spent in Koshava, the stories of local people, the local folklore and the local jokes she accidentally heard, Antoaneta wrote a song about the village. As well as being an ode to the place in which she expresses her personal impressions and observations, she hopes that the people who have become part of her life in Koshava will recognise the song as their own. There is also a video to go with the song, which apart from local landscapes, also captures her favourite moments from the village life with well-known Koshava characters.

About the artist Antoaneta is a multidisciplinary artist, art manager of Little bird gallery and a curator from Sofia. She likes to experiment and mix different types of art and techniques. Recently she has been working mainly with assemblages, collages and installations, combining natural elements with found objects. She writes stories, poetry, songs, and creates music.

KOSHAVA Evgeni Mladenov „Two-legged jackals“ - surreal comic collages inspired by stories of Koshava

Already in the first week of the residency a local Grandpa warns Evgeni that he must beware of the two-legged jackals. Thus the idea was born to make a series of surreal comic collages inspired by the stories of a group of young people from Koshava. The collages are 7 in number, each recreating a different scene of life in the village.

„Koshava from birds eye“ - exhibition with photos from „above“ Evgeni also presents a series of photos of Koshava and the Danube with a photo drone. We will see them from a point of view unknown to the locals, which lifts us at least a little above the everyday stuff and reminds us and the locals how beautiful a place Kosava is.

About the artist Evgeni is a photographer from Sofia. He graduated in journalism and Mass Communications at the American University in Blagoevgrad. He is interested in photography of abandoned places and analogue and digital collages. He organizes various art exhibitions and events in abandoned places. His guiding idea is to rethink the phenomenon of abandoned space, and to give it a new chance to be preserved and once again perform a useful function for people.

KOSHAVA Iliyana Grigorova - Photo album from the past and present of Koshava A photo album containing photographs from the past and present representing Koshava. Photobook - authors of the photos are the inhabitants of the village and me. A mixture of perspectives. The village as a dream.

The bus stop as a photo studio - series of portraits shot in the newly renovated bus stop The bus stop - a place where people arrive and leave, like a glimpse, a memory, a moment. A place full of emotions. Iliyana transformed the bus stop in the village of Koshava into a photo studio. People came to take pictures with objects that were given to her during my 1-month stay there. The purpose of this event was to have fun, to represent the people of the village who accompanied her during her residency Together we captured the summer and the fun moments.

About the artist Her secondary education was filled with drawing, sculpture and graphic design. During her studies at the University of Sunderland Iliyana began to explore alternative photographic techniques. Three years filled with concepts around the theme of the impact of the environment on the human psyche. After completing my BA, her artistic direction descended into visual art. The theme of the environment and its preservation plays major role in her creative process. During the last 2 years Iliyana has been leading workshops on Cyanotype with the aim of promoting „slow“ photography. Lately she has been interested in making collages from found objects as well as from original photographs. She tries to combine her skills with different techniques such as monotype, cyanotype, stencils and illustration. Her work is a mixture of processes.

KOSHAVA Collaborative project „Koshava bus stop“ - renovation and painting the village bus stop with local design architectural elements The artists Iliyana, Evgeni and Antoaneta in Koshava after cleaning, priming and painting the bus stop, drew the ornaments taken from the interiors of local houses. Antoaneta painted the inscription „Koshava bus stop“. This creative gesture prompted the dream and the actual transformation of the bus stop into another possible place for art and community gatherings.

PAVOLCHE Maria Makedonska „post-traumatic stress after residencies in artists“ - a short documentary about the inner transformation of artists after the residency post-traumatic stress after residencies in artists. UNscientific. no thesis. A short film about a group of artists who embark on the adventure of a month-long residency in the Bulgarian countryside. What excited them at the beginning and what tormented them at the end. And in the middle - some things they can‘t forget. Because what you change, changes you. Synopsis First we meet online. We meet and it‘s a bit weird. What do you have in common with these strangers? Then we stay together for a month. Still strangers among other strangers. And it‘s a little scary. Then we create a story together that changes everything. And it‘s wonderful. And at the end we leave and we feel like strangers to ourselves because some part of us seems to be missing. And it really is.

PAVOLCHE Maria Makedonska Escape room „Escape to Yourself: a Room for Returning“ This project is about the roots of the village of Pavolche and the people who bring it to life. It is for the generations, for those who have lived here for a long time and for those who will continue to live. In this project there is a kindergarten, in this kindergarten there is a room, and in this room there are many memories. In order to find the path of memories in the homecoming room, you need to find out more about the people of the village, and what your path is that goes from here. The room can be visited in the Kindergarten building in Pavolche.

About the artist Maria Makedonska is an author of short stories, poetry and short films. Her bibliography so far includes the poetry collection „Tremorio“, the short story collection „Tender Men“ and the book „They, the Wind“. In Maria‘s short films you can often meet strange characters who draw you into their world. Some are documentaries, some are pure fantasy, but they are always a game. During her participation in Baba Residence in the village of Pavolce, she partnered with director Nicolas Zambelli to create a film that is a visual poetry about the rituals, life and demons of creation.

PAVOLCHE Mirela Karadzhova „From Baba to Baba to Baba“ - audio-visual installation „If one does not even know one‘s grandmother, no doubt he had one.“ Mirela Karadzhova‘s audio-visual installation „From Grandmother to Grandmother to Grandmother“ explores the relationship between generations, which takes different forms in different people‘s lives. The visual artist considers the grandmother as a phenomenon, as a collective image, as an important formative factor. Mirela provokes different people to verbally illustrate the image of their grandmothers or themselves from the position of a grandmother. The amplitude that can be observed within 5 generations is staggering. If current grandmothers talk about how their grandmothers influenced their entire lives, bequeathing them knowledge and skills for an entire livelihood, their grandchildren excitedly share how their favorite thing was their grandmother giving them money for the PlayStation.

PAVOLCHE Nicola Zambelli „Rituals - Something about Love“ - multimedia exhibition „Rituals - Something about Love“ is a multimedia exhibition of Nicola Zambelli, composed of photographs, video installation and objects. It invites reflection on the flow of time as a universal condition of human experience, characterised by two opposing feelings: pain and love.

About the artist Nicola Zambelli (1981) is an Italian director of documentaries, reportages and art videos. He studied hermeneutic philosophy with a thesis on the narrative of personal identity in comparison between philosophy, photography and documentary film. He then obtained a master‘s degree in documentary film at the IED in Milan. He is active in directing, photography and cinematography. He is one of the founders of SMK Factory, an independent production company with which he has created several documentaries that have been awarded at international festivals and presented worldwide. SMK is the creator of the independent distribution platform OpenDDB, a multilingual digital portal inspired by the open source philosophy that supports documentary and independent culture through video-on-demand and out-of-theater distribution. The company collaborates with cultural associations and independent cinemas.

PAVOLCHE Nicola & Maria DAMORE - artistic film, inspired by local rituals and imbued with the energy of the forest Nicola Zambelli, a filmmaker from Italy, and Maria Makedonska, a writer from Bulgaria, together created a film inspired by rituals and imbued with the vital energy of the forest. This is where new beginnings are born, and we question the cycle of energy and love that turns the wheel of our lives. Synopsis In Northern Bulgaria, in the middle of the Balkan Mountains, a group of old women wait for the rain. The rain will come in the form of a young girl dressed in white. And the women will care for her as they care for the memories of youth that always return from the past until the world wakes up. A visual poem that will keep us from the cold of winter.

OSLEN KRIVODOL Aneta Mankovska „Dress for not dressing“ - unconventional dress, made from local materials and traditional objects „Oslen Typography“ - playful “font”, made of views and objects Aneta weaves elements of everyday objects that have impressed her during her walks through the village and her meetings with local people into the „not-dress“. Materials: authentic burlap found in the old school, yarn and thread from local women, print on paper and fabric. „Oslen Typography“ is based on photographs of various sites taken in the village. It is a playful „typeface“ found in the details of the photographs. For each „letter“ there is a short story.

About the artist Aneta Mankovska works in the field of applied arts, experimenting with materials and techniques. She runs creative workshops and willingly takes part in various interesting projects, thus provoking herself.

OSLEN KRIVODOL Vasil Kostadinov Handmade book with people, places and experiences from the village The handmade book (unusual guide) invites anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the magical world of the village on an adventure. It brings together people, places, and experiences from Oslen Krivodol and aims to introduce the reader to the cultural, historical, and natural attractions of the area in an interactive way. English and Spanish translations are included in the print edition. It aims to make this kind of guide accessible to all visitors to the village.

About the artist Vasil Kostadinov is a geographer by education and works as a tour guide in his hometown Sofia.

OSLEN KRIVODOL Monika Igarenska „The Shelf of Oslen“ new sculptural interpreation of authentic village life utensils This is a project focused on our roots and Bulgarian genes, which we inherit from our ancestors, pass through us and are transformed and developed through the contribution of each generation in the families and continue to live in the present and future of our people. Following the maxim, „The beauty of matter follows the spirit that creates it,“ Monica recreates the process of immortality through prints of our ancestors‘ utensils, symbolizing human bodies whose contents, invisible to the eye, touch, fill and spiritualize the matter that becomes the carrier of our spirituality through the ages. The use of paper, herbs and hay from the fragrant meadows of Oslen has allowed her to create a material resembling adobe. Its natural beauty, along with its warmth, comfort, strength, durability and its ability to be 100% recycled and reborn from the ashes has always perfectly portrayed the qualities of us Bulgarians. Monika has arranged all this on a village shelf with objects of specific people from Oslen Krivodol, who are the heirs and co-creators of the Bulgarian clan.

About the artist Monika was born in Mezdra. 2000 - Graduated from the National Academy of Art „Nikolay Pavlovich“ Sofia, specialty „Sculpture“. In 2007 she became a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. Participates in a number of national and regional exhibitions, biennials and symposia. Works in the field of monumental sculpture, small sculpture and relief in stone, metal and wood. She also experiments in drawing and techniques such as collage and papier mache. She is the author of the Monument to the Revolutionaries of Macedonia, Belomorje and Adrianople, Sofia. Co-author of the monuments of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Vratsa, and Diado Yotso, Iskar Gorge. Her sculptures are owned by the Art Galleries in Vratsa and Montana, municipalities and private individuals.

LIK Victoria Velcheva „Invisible labour“ - a documentary about women’s labour in the village A documentary on the admiration and issues of women‘s work. Viktoria was inspired by the women she met in the village of Lik and their continuous work that is the pillar and true engine of these societies. After retirement in a rural family, the only work left is housework and care work, which is not at all small, and is expected to be done only by women, who often have a minimum pension. because of the unpaid caring and emotional labour. Indeed, gender inequality is mainly visible when it comes to the invisible work that is done in the home, alongside that in the economic sphere. Through my film, I want to show exactly this and emphasise women‘s emotional labour, the understanding of ‚male‘ and ‚female‘ work and the role of women, which the world seems to predetermine and legislation to accentuate. The film also illustrates the difficulties that come with the depopulation of villages and entire regions in Bulgaria.

About the artist Victoria is from Veliko Tarnovo and as an artist she has been involved in cinema for quite a while and this is one of her first projects. As a person she cannot separate her creativity from the problems she sees around her. For her it is extremely important to create socially engaged art, to tell people‘s stories and to show the reality that is often overlooked. She has found her fullest creative expression in creating documenties. She is an activist and is interested and involved in women‘s rights, animal rights and she‘s working with people with disabilities.

LIK Dimitar Yordanov Musical (re)presentation – in search ofconnections between Bulgarian folk music, the Yoga Sutras and Exupery’s Little Prince Dimitar presents a summary of his idea in which he examines the relationship between Bulgarian folk music, the Yoga Sutras and Exupery‘s The Little Prince. The (re)presentation is accompanied by a performance of Bulgarian folk and wedding music on the kaval.

About the artist Dimitar Yordanov or better known as „Dimi plays the kaval“ is a long-time street musician, performing mostly Bulgarian folk and wedding music. He is the founder of the project „Dimi plays the kaval“, aimed at preserving authentic Bulgarian folk music.

LIK Yoana Shopova „The Second Life of Folk Songs“ - an EP of electric guitar music, inspired by the songs of Lik village „Herbarium of Memories“ - a songbook from Lik and a CD of recording by local people, accompanied by a herbarium The first part of Yoana‘s project is a short EP of music that focuses on electric guitar, inspired by the songs of Lik village. This is „The Second Life of Folk Songs.“ The second part of her project is a songbook with songs from Lik and its accompanying CD of recordings by local people. What is special about this project is that the folk songs are also included and decorated with a herbarium, which has a symbolic meaning - just like flowers are herbarized, they live forever, so the recording and study of Bulgarian folklore herbarize the knowledge of the grandmothers and preserve it for future generations. This is a „Herbarium of memories“.

About the artist Yoana Anastasova Shopova is a guitarist from Sofia. She started playing music in her teens and the first instrument she turned to was the acoustic guitar. Later she started studying classical music, and in parallel she founded her first rock bands. She made her debut on stage with original music as the guitarist of her first successful band Collapsing Meteors. Yoana is currently developing her own independent project HalluciJAMia and preparing the first music album she took part in, the album of her last band Eudaimonia.

LIK Mirela Karadzhova Poetic mural, painted on a wall near the Cultural center (Chitalishte) „Science - 1919“ “Once upon a time there was a sacred land. In the beginning there was only stone. It held within it the secrets of all Genesis. One beautiful day the first manifestation of Life happened. Water gushed out of the stone. Many springs were born from the sacred earth and began to water the stone. Thus the first greenery appeared. Vineyards dotted the Earth. The vines needed to feel useful and asked someone to take care of them. This inspired God to create humans. In this way, people would take care of the vines and the vines would repay them with their harvest. To show their gratitude to God, Life and Abundance, the people created embroidery and began to incorporate it into their household items, clothing and furnishings. God was pleased and made them another great gift. He sowed the whole earth with lime trees. Their blossoms spread a sweet fragrance. And so the people became like the flowers of the lime tree. Some let the wind carry them away, others stayed within the village limits, but all knew that the root of the lime trees was one. That root that had worked its way into the stone and reached the spring. A golden thread, connecting heaven and earth, showed the way of the lime blossoms that were ending their life‘s journey. This thread made sure that people always had room in their heart for those whom the wind had carried away.“

„The village was once full of young people, but we had not seen such a thing we hadn’t!“ - granny Milka from Deleyna village about the artists’exhibition and the newly renovated cultural space in Deleyna