Arts Lab 7.0: Salma Hussein | Month V - She said, “Time flies after Christmas,” and she was right!

After the Christmas holiday, I feel like everything is passing so fast, and time flies just like Mihaela said. The Rroma Museum was the first activity after the vacation, and I already feel how it ended so quickly, like a dream. The good thing is that the memories are not forgotten and they will live with me forever. Maybe you want to know more? Let’s go!

Facts: My Rroma personal artwork had a lot of struggles and it changed several times during that period. As usual, time and materials were the obstacles. At first, I wanted to do a children’s comic book, but then I didn’t find the right materials to do it perfectly, so I switched to making a clay board game. Then, thank God we have the best weather ever in Târgu Frumos, because the clay didn’t dry at the right time due to the cold and humidity, so I switched again to the comic book idea but on a canvas. This time, it was a painting inspired by the children’s paintings during the residency. At first, I wanted to do something for them, but when everything went wrong, I told myself that it could be inspired by them, so it would be easier to reach them. And this is what I did, and it was the right idea for me. I created a comic story using their paintings and then drew it in frames like a Mickey Mouse magazine, and it was more than perfect!

The exhibition preparations this time were so difficult because almost no one finished their personal artwork on time, and we were running just to accomplish everything before the exhibition day. This put us under a lot of pressure and stress because I guess all of us are perfectionists. Try to convince an artist to just do whatever is possible and convenient for the time they have, and you’ll see how they panic and swear that this is not what they really want. But thank God we had a lot of ping pong and juggling speed time, this is how we survived here!

As much as I love every exhibition we did, because it’s part of us and our memories and legacy here, for me this was my least favorite one because of the lack of organization and how far the interactive part was from the personal artwork. A lot of people didn’t see the artworks and just went directly to the interactive part. So maybe next time I would love to combine my personal artwork with my interactive part again.

Findings: It’s safe to say that the Cucuteni residency was my favorite residency out of all of them. I learn so much every time from my partner, and I can see the difference even in my personality and in how I handle my work differently with every new partner. But with Aya and Loay, it was so special because the three of us are from Egypt, and it was so fun and connecting to do something together. Especially since the three of us don’t come from the same background, it was different and familiar at the same time.

Joking together in Arabic with our inside jokes, preparing the plan together, having our road trips back and forth every day for five days, Aya making us coffee in the morning because me and Loay always wake up late, everything this time was so warm, cozy, and familiar, yet inspiring. I learned a lot from them, and each one of us has a different working style, so it was a spicy combination for me, for them, and even for the youth. They complimented us a lot on our combination and how we handled the workshop and inspired them. I know for sure they just saw our hearts and how we really loved each other and loved and cared about them.

Even the school and the youth were so special, something beyond anything I ever imagined I would experience. Even though I count myself as a very lucky person in residencies and I always get the best kids, they were extremely special, inspiring, and dedicated.

I also found a Kinder Egg this month in my Secret Santa envelope, and it made me so happy because I really love the surprise and the toy inside Kinder Eggs. I’m really grateful to this person, whom I don’t know, and if you are reading this now: a big thank you and lots of hugs!

Feelings: I guess belonging is the right word to describe my feelings this month. I feel that I belong here with these people more than ever. During the Portuguese night, I got to know two of the best girls ever, Cristina and Cristiana. We talked for like five minutes, and it felt like we had known each other for years. We danced, made inside jokes already, and bonded like best friends.

After that, I went to spend a day with Cristina in Iași and had a girls’ sleepover at her house. It was a therapeutic time for me. We discussed a lot of things like religions, beliefs, relationships, and our future plans, even how we journal, express our emotions, and see the world in general. It was a special day, and I really felt like I belong here, with her, with these people, and in this project more than ever.

Something really cute also happened this month, and it really moved me and touched my heart. Annalisa asked for my help with improvisation games for her Italian night. I was so happy creating games for her with an Italian twist, and I felt that I really have value in helping my friends. I know everyone will say, “Yeah, you have value no matter what,” but being Egyptian comes with a feeling that you’re responsible for everyone. You have to help, even strangers, and always be there, and this is how I define myself: being useful for people.

Future: I’m so excited about the emotions personal artwork, and I really want to discover a new way to express my vision and ideas this time, maybe a new craft or a different approach. I want to get to know more people and be more open and flexible to change. I want to express my ideas more during the Bucharest trip, open myself to accept and approach more opportunities, and definitely visit a lot of thrift shops in Budapest and make many memories with my friends.

This monthly report was written by Salma Hussein, 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.