Citizens’ initiatives and community spirit were
\nthis year as well in the focus of major projects aimed at bringing people
\ncloser to culture, but also closer together. Some of them were fostered by the
\nHome-Made Culture non-governmental organisation, which in recent years has
\nspecialised in staging theatre plays in unconventional venues, such as private
\nhomes in apartment buildings. This autumn, 7 different events were staged on 7
\ndifferent evenings in the stairwell of an apartment building. The programme for
\nthe events was chosen with the audience, that is the occupants of the building
\nthemselves. This was part of a broader project called Generator whose aim was
\nto encourage citizens propose activities that would meet their socialising
\nneeds. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
After several attempts, the initiators of the
\nproject found an apartment building in the Crangasi district in Bucharest whose
\noccupants were open to their idea. Cristina Epure, a member of the Home-Made
\nCulture Association, told us how this initiative was received by the people: <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
People were very open at first, which is not
\nsomething you see every day. Before choosing this building, we spoke to the
\npeople, we went from door to door, but most of them were reluctant. It was
\nsomething new to them. Besides, people weren’t exactly close to each other. So
\nthey saw everything new as a potential threat. Not to mention that the
\nstairwell in an apartment building is often a no man’s land. No one claims this
\nspace, but if someone wantsto do something there, all of a sudden
\npeople start claiming ownership of it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Slowly but surely, the stairwell turned into an
\narea that has a little bit to offer to everyone. The organisers staged here
\ntheatre plays, opera shows, origami demonstrations and drawing and collage
\nworkshops. All the events had free
\naccess, and occasionally some of residents would bring a snack. Therefore a
\ncommunity developed around this event and people learned that they can have a
\nreally good time together, even with a limited amount of resources. Cristina
\nEpure again:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Jean-Lorin
\nSterian, who set up our association, is a visionary man who is very familiar
\nwith the art world in Romania. He encouraged people to implement projects with
\na social and educational impact. We didn’t just focus on the artistic element.
\nThe first play we staged, for example, was an educational performance called
\nBad Children featuring Katia Pascariu. We wanted the performances to speak to
\neveryone, both children and adults. The project didn’t last long, but we felt
\nit had an impact. I hope that when people enter the building or take the
\nstairs, they remember these events and realise there is more to do than stay at
\nhome in front of their TVs or computers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
It’s not just educational and socially-engaged
\ntheatre that can encourage community spirit, but also architectural projects.
\nThis is what two young architects have been doing for many years now. Together
\nthey own StudioBasar, and in 2016 they continued working together with the
\nMetropolitan Library in Bucharest. They believe public libraries are among the
\nfew existing resources that can be instrumental to boosting community spirit,
\nwhich is something that has been missing in recent times, architect Alex Axinte
\nfrom StudioBasar told us:
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
I
\nbelieve this is an effect of post-transition, something we’ve lost along the
\nway, and now wonder why our food is tasteless. We don’t know it lacks the salt.
\nThe two of us at StudioBasar, as architects, thought that this is something we
\ncan work on. Architects have to act with the means at their disposal in order
\nto identify whatever remains of community spirit.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
This summer, the architects from StudioBasar
\ntogether with students of architecture and sociology decorated the fa\u00e7ade of
\none of the buildings of the Metropolitan Library located on one of the most
\ncrowded streets in Bucharest so that it may stand out more. Also, they helped
\nopen a new Metropolitan Library branch in the Militari district, an area known
\nfor its large number of apartment buildings built during the communist period.
\nFor the latter project, the inhabitants of the area were also consulted and all
\nsaid they were happy the library on the ground floor of their apartment
\nbuilding would reopen. Alex Axinte told us more:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
We talked with the users of the children’s
\nbranch, which is next door, we talked to the librarians and specialists. We all
\nagreed that the library needs to be expanded for activities, without
\nsacrificing the book storage area. Socialisation associated with cultural
\nactivities is a huge necessity for an area of 300,000 people. The research
\nproject our students put together before the project kicked off shows that
\npeople usually meet each other in supermarkets or in the building. Therefore,
\nthere is an urgent need for venues where people should be able to socialise and
\nthe people are happy a 40-square-meter library will soon open nearby.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Public libraries can fuel community spirit as
\nlong as they are not just associated with reading, Anca Rapeanu, the director
\nof the Metropolitan Library says. Apart from reading clubs, the Metropolitan
\nLibrary also hosts knitting workshops and IT and foreign language classes, all
\nfree of charge, available in the library’s 33 branches in Bucharest. Moreover,
\nlast summer, the Story Caravan was initiated, also in cooperation with Alex
\nAxinte, who provided organisers with a do-it-yourself trailer, which can be
\neasily turned into a multipurpose space. Anca Rapeanu described how a normal
\nday unfolds for the people involved in the project:
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
We wake up at 6 in the morning. We take out
\nthe toys, crayons, markers, balls and puppets from their boxes and put them in
\nthe trailer in such a way as to know where everything is. The caravan then sets
\ninto motion and, once it arrives in the park, the boxes are unloaded, the props
\nare arranged and we start the workshops at 10. These are either do-it-yourself
\nor drawing workshops or outdoor games. At 11 we start playing the skipping rope
\nor the duck hunt. Meanwhile, my colleagues talk to the parents and explain what
\nwe do at the library and with our caravan. At 7 in the evening, we have puppet
\nshows, then a zumba workshop. Late at night we pack everything up and head
\nhome. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The main purpose of the project is to prove
\nthat libraries are first and foremost public spaces and secondly cultural
\nspaces, which is something the organisers hope will become clearer in 2017. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Citizens initiatives and community spirit were this year as well in the focus of major projects aimed at bringing people closer to culture, but also closer together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":142147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42997],"tags":[43587,116464],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-142146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-today","tag-arts-and-community","tag-romania-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n