My summer schools

If I had to summarize in a few words, from my perspective, what summer schools are, I would define them as an opportunity to release curiosity for creative and formative purposes, in the midst of people, in a continuous connection with them. Summer schools were the most beautiful experiences of my time as a student, they opened my mind, shaped my practical skills and gave me the opportunity to meet generous people from whom I learned valuable things. They are many... and I am infinitely grateful.

A few years ago, I discovered a map of summer schools all over the country in the newspaper "Batem Bati Iron la Conac! Only one point was marked in the Moldavian area at that time: Țibănești, where craftsmanship, traditional techniques and community spirit blend harmoniously at the Petre P. Carp Manor House.

Țibănești, the place where the "whys" find, one by one, their answer

The School of Traditional Crafts and Experimental Techniques "Batemul ferro la conac!", which takes place every year, integrates the blacksmith's workshop, where participants learn from French companions about the history and techniques of art ironwork, and finally experiment with metalwork at the forge. Small projects are made, from the mundane nail, which is a lot of work if you've never before encountered the forge, hammer and anvil, to decorative objects, which you have the satisfaction of creating from sketch on paper to the final product. Many ironwork craftsmen came to Țibănești and stayed here for at least a year, sharing their knowledge with the students of the commune or the curious who came to the workshop. In addition to the blacksmith's workshop, there are workshops in fresco, traditional plastering, sobărie and pottery. Each of these manages to enhance creativity and challenge the mind to continuous discovery, from simple to complex, experimenting with proportions, pigments, textures. And for two weeks a treasure trove of 'why's' is collected, one by one, to find the answer.

Around the fire, stories are told and memories, friendships and projects are forged, with and for the people, for more than ten years, and the term community, in this place, has a much wider meaning: from the local community, around which the entire effort to revitalize the architectural ensemble in the heart of the village revolves, to the community of those passionate about heritage and authentic experiences. The latter is enriched after each workshop, cultural event or artistic residency. At Țibănești, you find an endless playground, especially for architecture students, where you are free to experiment, make mistakes and find solutions, always as a team. A place of quiet, simple, meaningful and meaningful time.

The Cantacuzino-Pascanu mansion among the bridges of Ștefan cel Mare

The summer school at the Cantacuzino-Pascanu Manor in Ceplenița is an initiative of the National Heritage Institute in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the local administration. The ruined manor house is both a witness to the past and a shred of hope for the people who want this place to be reborn, and with it the local traditions and the few memories that are still alive. A community of cheerful and hard-working people, rooted in a few scattered villages, separated by meadows, hills with vineyards and connected by the winding roads and bridges of Stephen the Great. The first edition of the summer school took place in 2020: two weeks, four workshops and 20 young enthusiasts. The documentation workshop entailed an extensive anthropological, community and archival study, which resulted in the monument's classification file. In parallel, three practical study and securing workshops were carried out. The archaeology workshop, in which the different stages of construction were studied, from the Ureche family to the interventions of the Zarifopol family. The masonry workshop involved the study of openings and the restoration of a brick arch, while the plastering workshop focused on the safety of the original plaster, from its analysis to the determination of the composition of the mortar suitable for marginal insurance, the prioritization of vulnerable areas and their safety.

The first edition of the summer school aimed to bring together specialists and enthusiasts from various fields: architecture, archaeology, anthropology, history, and shortly afterwards the ACOLO Association (Approaching Culture to People, Places and Habits) was born, at the initiative of the participants of the first edition.

Last summer, we met again in Ceplenița for another summer school at the manor house. This time, in addition to the plastering and archaeology workshops, which continued the study on the monument, we tried to integrate into the community and document some of the customs and traditions that few still preserve. We felt the warmth of the people, the attachment to this place and the desire to get involved, the summer school being a bridge between the community and the volunteers, through which we try to promote the area with all its points of interest.

House with wings, Victoria and Marian Zidaru

In Liteni Moară, in the heart of Bucovina, sculptors Victoria and Marian Zidaru want to build a museum and around it a residential space for artists, consisting of a series of small houses with a story. The "House with Wings" is the first experimental space, part of the future ensemble, the construction of which I had the opportunity to take part in 2019. After a project conceived by arh. Alexandra Culescu and arh. Alexandra Mihailciuc, which reinterprets the image of the traditional house, with a steep, shingled roof, the house with its wings, a symbolic element, offers the opportunity to those who will inhabit and enliven this space to open their nest to the outside. In this place, the architecture is a support in the act of creation, in the shade of walnut trees, looking towards the valley with its winding roads, and the natural materials favor the shaping of a minimal space conducive to self-reflection and artistic inspiration.

Cacica, people and salt

Not far from the Art Farm, another initiative for the recovery and valorization of tangible and intangible heritage is being developed. The Cacica: people and salt summer school revolves around the area's ethnic communities and is made up of a series of diverse workshops: tourism promotion, gastronomy, architecture, intangible heritage. Carried out in a relatively short time, less than a week, the 2019 edition had concrete, applied results: products and strategies for tourism promotion, marked and mapped nature walking trails, information materials about the houses of particular architectural value within the saltworks and an exhibition, "Connected Houses", realized in the workshop dedicated to intangible heritage. The latter involved anthropological field research, resulting in three documentary video vignettes, the starting point of the exhibition. The aim was to highlight the ethnic and architectural diversity that has over time defined the community spirit and, implicitly, inter-human links. The result was a harmonious blend of video material, contemporary and archival photographic snapshots, and personal objects from the community, in a journey designed to individualize and bring together the stories of three ladies from three ethnic communities and three houses that make their presence felt in the local landscape.

Each PLACE, be it Țibănești, Liteni, Ceplenița or Cacica, is alive thanks to the COMMUNITY, and the revitalization initiatives that have been integrated over the years in these places have gained significance thanks to the permanent involvement for the benefit of the community.