Arts Lab 7.0: Loay ElMofty | Month II

This month began with our participation in the Pumpkin Festival, where we documented the event through video and photography and did face painting for the children. The festival brought together people sharing folk food, traditional dances, and cultural performances, including a show from each of our home countries. After the event, we explored Pașcani, discovering its two-level structure divided by a long staircase, before returning to Târgu Frumos. Shortly afterward, we began our On-Arrival Training. It lasted a week and was fully online, which I did not enjoy because I wanted to meet volunteers from other projects, but I accepted it knowing we will have the training again in person in Bucharest. During this week, we learned about ESC policies, volunteer responsibilities, and how to manage our lives during the program. When the training finished, we had four free days, so some of us traveled to Constanța. The city was quiet because of the weather, but swimming in the sea despite the cold gave us a sense of freedom.

When we came back, we focused on preparing our artworks for the Folk Exhibition. I created a documentary about Alex and his folk dance team in Heleșteni. The organization was challenging at first, but eventually everything came together and I completed the film. Together with my friend Andres, I also worked on a short film with children who have visual disabilities, helping them interpret folk characters through their own monologues. Watching the school director react to the final edit made me feel genuinely proud of the kids and how far they had come.

Toward the end of the month, we shifted our attention to the upcoming residency connected to the Jemom Museum. We met online with Cosmina, one of our mentors, who shared stories about Romania’s darker historical periods. These conversations were heavy but inspiring, and they motivated several of us to begin developing a collaborative play that we are currently working on. We also traveled to Iași to apply for our residency cards and visited the Arts University and several galleries. The atmosphere of the university, especially the Photo and Film Department, reminded me of my old school in a very warm way. I met a professor named Andrei there, and we exchanged contacts for potential future collaboration. We ended the month by creating the first framework of our play. Although we still have a lot of work ahead, I feel that we are in a good place creatively, with strong inspiration and motivation guiding us. I will write again next month with updates on how our projects continue to grow.

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