July 2009
Update from Bulgaria…
GOATMILK MEETS GOATCHEESE
The Goatmilk festival in Bela Rechka, Bulgaria meets the Goatcheese festival in Undredal, Norway. By a strange coincidence, these two festivals take place at the two poles in Europe in small villages with around 80 inhabitants and much more goats. Diana Ivanova, Raycho Stanev and Radmila Mladenova from the New Culture Foundation will travel to the Scandanavian festival 29 July - 2 August. You’ll find some images posted here…
Meanwhile in Bela Rechka, there is a 10 day photographic workshop by Iranian-Canadian Babak Salari in August - there are just a few palces left and the deadline for application is 31 July. All the info is in the New Culture web site at http://novakultura.org/en/
Finally, the New Culture Foundation has published a new book called JUST DO IT: A RAKIA HOUSE. 9 volunteers from 5 countries restorеd the rakia house in Bela Rechka in May 2008. Radmila Mladenova collected their stories and experiences and the book tells that with photography. The design was made by Raycho Stanev. This is the first social project of New Culture Foundation in the village. The Rakia house has become since a very creative social and meeting place especialy during the Goatmilk festival.
Update on Laundry Bursary Artists
Jo Loki and Simret Cheema-Innis have posted some thoughts on their recent visit to Hania to see the Mobile Laboratory work with young people in association with the project partner there, the Etz Hayyim Synagogue, and to pursue their own project. View their thoughts in the Exchanges section…
Views from Bela Recka
Some new material posted in the Exchanges section by Gregor Mirwa from Berlin and Sofie Klemetzen from Bergen, who share their personal views on what they encountered in Bulgaria.
New Links to Bela Rechka
Simon Walker, one of the Laundry bursary artists, participated in the Goatmilk Festival - along with Sandra Hall from Friction Arts. Friction are hosting a special evening in Birmingham on Saturday 25th July with one of the artists associated with the Bulgarian festival, Babak Salari.
Exploring Beeston
As part of an International Week, Laundry held a Creative Laboratory at Hunslet Moor primary school in Beeston, Leeds. Described in the New York Times as ‘a grim northern neighborhood’ in the aftermath of the 2005 London bombings, the area has struggled with negative associations. Narinder Gill, Head Teacher: ‘Since this time, the school has worked hard to promote tolerance and the importance of working and learning as a community. These values form part of our key goals for this project and the school’s curriculum as a whole. This type of project highlights the sense of community pride shared by many and reflects the positive elements of our children’s immediate environment.’
The main aim of the creative laboratory here was to explore the local area with the children – and use a range of media to share their ideas of what they valued, liked and would change. From this pilot activity, we will plan an expanded artist residency for the Spring 2010 term.
We began with a series of exploratory walks, each lasting about an hour, with the children as local guides. They were asked to record a series of observation, with notes, photographs, drawings, in response to a series of questions - for example: What do you find beautiful? What do you find ugly? Describe some of the sounds you hear around you? What annoys you? What do you enjoy? - and to ask these questions (and others of their own devising) to random people they met on the street.
What fragments from the past would they notice, what modern aspects would they point out? The faded lettering on the brick wall of a corner shop at Sunbeam Place, which told us of its past as a draper shop (today it is a repair shop for washing machines), or the new bridge over the M621 - the deck suspended from a 42m high pylon – which takes walkers and cyclists to Morrisons supermarket or the sports fields beyond. We also asked the children to think about the heritage of the future – “what kind of objects would you collect in a Museum of Beeston?” - and bring in an object of personal significance to put on display.
Meanwhile, working with teacher Petra Rajchel, the children from Year 6 built and decorated a structure in the library area, which acted as a ‘frame’ to show material produced – drawings, personal maps, text, photos, objects. We also set up a photo portrait studio, and the children made portraits of each other. Petra said to us: ‘This project has given our children a meaningful context in which to explore their own and other people’s attitudes to the place in which they live and are educated. It has provided them with a wealth of opportunities to design, communicate, co-operate, express themselves, think creatively, investigate, negotiate and lead. It has also nurtured a sense of belonging and belief in their capabilities. And of course, it was great, great fun.’
By mapping their routes and using printing techniques to record their thoughts and feelings, they were able to contribute to the installation in the school library. The material was then shown back on the Friday afternoon as part of a Fair Trade event for parents.
The children also produced a book of poems, based on a series of lessons on the topic of human rights, which was presented as part of the event.
Participants: Kamilia Aboud, Zak Ahmed, Anika Akthar, Saahil Ali, Nikolas Balazova, Simona Balazova, Conner Barker, Ogun Bas, Shelbie Connolly, Robyn Cuthbertson, Robyn Cuthbertson, Tamanna Fatima, Jordan Faulkiner, Demi-Joe Flynn, Negin Ghazani, Jordon Green, James Greenwood, Arif Islam, Rianne Kumar Bansal, Latifa Messiouri, Farhan Miah, Ishaq Miah, Shazia Miah, Jake Milner, Sallie Osborne, Tahmida Rahman, Chelsie Sanderson, Ashley Smith Barron, Dominic Thomas.
Thanks to Head Teacher, Narinder Gill, Deputy Head David Prince - and Dave the Caretaker.
Young People’s Guide to Hania
Work is progressing on a web site to show the work undertaken during the Creative Lab in Hania. Sneak preview of the ‘look and feel’ above… Using cound, video, visuals combined with googlemaps, the site will provide a guide to Hania, both past and present, mediated by the young people themselves.
Borderland Foundation Summer Programme
