Arts Lab 7.0: Eva Below | Month I

Dear journal, what a month! What a month!

As we say in French: “commençons par le commencement,” let us begin with the beginning.

Aaaalright, so, I left Strasbourg, FR, and arrived in Targu Frumos after spending a few days in Vienna, AT, and Brasov, RO. I wanted to travel green and took only buses and trains (no plane taken here, yippee). I figured I could as well make some stops on the way. This slow transition from home to travelling allowed me to settle easily in my new place as it was a progressive process. I was the first to arrive and got the chance to welcome everyone, discovering each new face with exaltation and happiness.

The first week was quite slow and allowed the few of us that were already there to meet the local volunteers. They are truly amazing young people, motivated and eager to help. I feel very blessed to have them around. Then some more people came, and we were eleven artists for a while: Oliwia, Annalisa, Andres, Kerem, Monica, Marah, Aya, Salma, Anes, Loay, and me. There are also Mihaela, the boss lady (1), and Mircea, her assistant and our anchor in the community.

Things then got faster and faster. In the second week, we got to know each other better and planned the upcoming visit to the French Institute and imagined folklore-themed workshops for the local schools.

The third week started with us going to the French Institute in Iași to share with teenagers our favorite childhood book. Then we started giving the workshops in the schools. We call them residencies. By residencies, we mean going by teams of two artists and having 12h with a group of children or teenagers. That week, we went three times and spent 2h with them each time. By the end of the week, half of the residency was already gone. Monica and I worked with teenagers with fewer opportunities and/or differently abled in a school named Trinitas. We imagined a residency about folklore creatures: through different mediums and inspired by Romanian animals and folklore creatures, each participant created their own creature.

The next week was dedicated to Folcloristica, a festival and competition about local Folklore. This year, it was held in Helesteni, a village within a 20-minute drive from Targu. We spent Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday there and Thursday and Saturday in Targu editing, preparing, and planning. On Wednesday, we were welcomed by the community with such warmth and dedication that we were all stunned. I spent the day collecting little objects I later used to make a postcard. On Friday, we headed to a primary school in Helesteni to give 20-minute workshops to the children. After researching some traditional costumes of Romania and all the countries of the Arts Lab volunteers, I suggested the children try to create the traditional costume of their imaginary country. After that, we met some other children in a communal centre and headed towards the village’s concert hall, where children folklore groups performed, as well as us. Each artist presented something from their country on stage. It feels strange for me to represent the whole French nation (I am not big on nationalism myself). So I reflected on what I like in French culture: French music. I sang “La Vie en Rose” by Edith Piaf, wearing my traditional regional Alsatian bow. On Sunday, there was the competition between different villages: the main Folcloristica event. We were part of the jury and graded the groups based, among other criteria, on their dances, their stage presence, their costumes, and their food. The community was once again amazingly welcoming. This is also the time when Mohamed arrived. 

This week we are back at Trinitas school to finish our workshop on the creatures. We go again three times and spend 2h with them each time. They are now creating the costumes of their characters.

Overall, these past weeks I felt very grateful and, quite frankly, astonished. I felt so inspired and grateful for the warmth and dedication of the local community and volunteers. I was so joyous and excited about arriving and welcoming new colleagues and faces. In Helesteni, I really felt I formed a connection with the children and the school community. On the other hand, the work in the Trinitas school proved to be quite challenging. It did not click between us and the group. I am proud we tried a lot of different approaches and ended up with final results. But human-wise, it did not work. Still, I am thrilled to have collaborated with Monica during the workshop and with the whole team during the festival activities. I think we are all starting to become a close group.

What I have learned so far is to stay open to everything that will come my way. I believe it is important to have a gradual transition for settling into a new environment. I still have to find my routine to take care of myself. The local volunteers’ energy and kindness inspire me to do so. Their presence really enhances our experience here. Blending their local folklore with our international artistic perspectives brings out a truly powerful creative energy. Through our active participation in Folcloristica, I got insights into Romanian traditions and started to get a grasp of them from the inside. Community engagement and collaboration definitely enrich cultural projects and festivals.

From now on, I feel ready to tackle my personal artwork. Ideas are starting to pop into my head. I plan to further explore integrating personal elements with the themes of the upcoming residencies. I will keep reflecting on my role as a cultural representative and find ways to share authentic, meaningful aspects of French and Alsatian culture. Finally, I just want to have fun and enjoy myself. I am excited!

(1) Boss lady = an inspiring being, in reference to the French-Congolese artist Theodora who calls one so.

This monthly report was written by Eva Below, our French volunteer taking part in a seven-month Arts Lab 7.0 mobility, co-funded by the European Union under the European Solidarity Corps.