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.
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. Some of them were fostered by the Home-Made Culture non-governmental organisation, which in recent years has specialised in staging theatre plays in unconventional venues, such as private homes in apartment buildings. This autumn, 7 different events were staged on 7 different evenings in the stairwell of an apartment building. The programme for the events was chosen with the audience, that is the occupants of the building themselves. This was part of a broader project called Generator whose aim was to encourage citizens propose activities that would meet their socialising needs.
After several attempts, the initiators of the project found an apartment building in the Crangasi district in Bucharest whose occupants were open to their idea. Cristina Epure, a member of the Home-Made Culture Association, told us how this initiative was received by the people:
"People were very open at first, which is not something you see every day. Before choosing this building, we spoke to the people, we went from door to door, but most of them were reluctant. It was something new to them. Besides, people weren't exactly close to each other. So they saw everything new as a potential threat. Not to mention that the stairwell in an apartment building is often a no man's land. No one claims this space, but if someone wantsto do something there, all of a sudden people start claiming ownership of it."
Slowly but surely, the stairwell turned into an area that has a little bit to offer to everyone. The organisers staged here theatre plays, opera shows, origami demonstrations and drawing and collage workshops. All the events had free access, and occasionally some of residents would bring a snack. Therefore a community developed around this event and people learned that they can have a really good time together, even with a limited amount of resources. Cristina Epure again:
"Jean-Lorin Sterian, who set up our association, is a visionary man who is very familiar with the art world in Romania. He encouraged people to implement projects with a social and educational impact. We didn't just focus on the artistic element. The first play we staged, for example, was an educational performance called Bad Children featuring Katia Pascariu. We wanted the performances to speak to everyone, both children and adults. The project didn't last long, but we felt it had an impact. I hope that when people enter the building or take the stairs, they remember these events and realise there is more to do than stay at home in front of their TVs or computers."
It's not just educational and socially-engaged
theatre that can encourage community spirit, but also architectural projects.
This is what two young architects have been doing for many years now. Together
they own StudioBasar, and in 2016 they continued working together with the
Metropolitan Library in Bucharest. They believe public libraries are among the
few existing resources that can be instrumental to boosting community spirit,
which is something that has been missing in recent times, architect Alex Axinte
from StudioBasar told us:
"I believe this is an effect of post-transition, something we've lost along the way, and now wonder why our food is tasteless. We don't know it lacks the salt. The two of us at StudioBasar, as architects, thought that this is something we can work on. Architects have to act with the means at their disposal in order to identify whatever remains of community spirit."
This summer, the architects from StudioBasar together with students of architecture and sociology decorated the façade of one of the buildings of the Metropolitan Library located on one of the most crowded streets in Bucharest so that it may stand out more. Also, they helped open a new Metropolitan Library branch in the Militari district, an area known for its large number of apartment buildings built during the communist period. For the latter project, the inhabitants of the area were also consulted and all said they were happy the library on the ground floor of their apartment building would reopen. Alex Axinte told us more:
"We talked with the users of the children's branch, which is next door, we talked to the librarians and specialists. We all agreed that the library needs to be expanded for activities, without sacrificing the book storage area. Socialisation associated with cultural activities is a huge necessity for an area of 300,000 people. The research project our students put together before the project kicked off shows that people usually meet each other in supermarkets or in the building. Therefore, there is an urgent need for venues where people should be able to socialise and the people are happy a 40-square-meter library will soon open nearby."
Public libraries can fuel community spirit as
long as they are not just associated with reading, Anca Rapeanu, the director
of the Metropolitan Library says. Apart from reading clubs, the Metropolitan
Library also hosts knitting workshops and IT and foreign language classes, all
free of charge, available in the library's 33 branches in Bucharest. Moreover,
last summer, the Story Caravan was initiated, also in cooperation with Alex
Axinte, who provided organisers with a do-it-yourself trailer, which can be
easily turned into a multipurpose space. Anca Rapeanu described how a normal
day unfolds for the people involved in the project:
"We wake up at 6 in the morning. We take out the toys, crayons, markers, balls and puppets from their boxes and put them in the trailer in such a way as to know where everything is. The caravan then sets into motion and, once it arrives in the park, the boxes are unloaded, the props are arranged and we start the workshops at 10. These are either do-it-yourself or drawing workshops or outdoor games. At 11 we start playing the skipping rope or the duck hunt. Meanwhile, my colleagues talk to the parents and explain what we do at the library and with our caravan. At 7 in the evening, we have puppet shows, then a zumba workshop. Late at night we pack everything up and head home".
The main purpose of the project is to prove that libraries are first and foremost public spaces and secondly cultural spaces, which is something the organisers hope will become clearer in 2017.
Useful Links
Copyright © . All rights reserved