C3 Students' meeting
in Bulgaria
Students and teachers from Poland, Estonia, Slovakia, Portugal and Latvia visited Dobrich, Bulgaria as part of the planed meetings of “Promoting Art” Erasmus+ project. From 4th to 8th of June all the partner countries and host took part in workshops and study visits.
On 4th of June the guests were welcomed in Dimitar Talev Secondary School where they had a tour in the school thus learning more about the Bulgarian education system and the opportunities that the host school provides for its students. The first workshop that was held was a Bulgarian folk dance lesson with choreographer Aleksander Aleksandrov. In the afternoon the students made their first art installation and learned what are the advantages and difficulties that can occur while making an art installation. The next workshop involved the students into making puppets which outfits were inspired by Bulgarian national costumes. This activity provided the guests with the opportunity to explore their imagination and learn more about traditional Bulgarian clothing.
On 5th of June was the first study visit in the city of Balchik and cape Kaliakra. In Balchik the students and teachers visited The Botanical garden and The Palace which is complex that shows and unique combination of architectural and land shaft that is inspired by multiple regions in Europe and has the influence from several religions. It is a place where famous Bulgarian and foreign artists and writers get inspiration for their works. Every years Balchik holds many en plein air that give young artist and students a chance to paint and promote their art. At cape Kaliakra the guests learned about the history of the region of Dobrich during the middle ages.
On 6th of June all the guests and hosts explored Dobrich and its historical and artistic sites. In the Historical museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Ethnographical house we explored the history of Bulgarian and the region of Dobrich, which is one of the oldest places in Europe that was inhabited and caries the influence of many cultures, tribes and religions. These combinations provides wide base for artist to inspire and reinvent traditions that lasted for centuries. In the Old Dobrich complex for craftsmen we learned about the applied art traditions that are still practiced in Bulgaria usually by families that have generations of craftsmen. At the Art Gallery the students took part of a workshop called “The faces of ProArt” and together their created a beautiful wall art of portraits and self-portraits. In the gallery the guests saw pieces of art by Bulgarian classic and contemporary artists. At the end of the day the students had a party together that established a better bond between the participants and gave another chance for them to improve their Bulgarian dancing.
On 7th of June was the second study visit in Devnya, Beloslav and Varna. The first stop was the museum of mosaics in Devnya. There the students learned about the ancient technique of making and arranging mosaics as well as the Greek myths and legends that inspired the decorations in Devnya. In Beloslav we visited the Museum of glass where we learned who glass is made and we observed a live demonstration of how different glass shapes are made and typical techniques used in glassmaking. In the museum there were various glass household objects and many glass sculptures by Bulgarian sculptures and university students. In Varna we visited the puppet museum which is the only one on the Balkan peninsular and has “retired” puppets as old as 55 years. At the puppet museum students learned about all the different types of puppets used in the last couple of decades, the way and techniques a puppet is moved and how this is one of the most complicated skills taught in theater academies all over the worlds. Beautiful pieces of art by Bulgarian and foreign artists were exhibit at the last visit for the day –The Art Gallery of Varna.
On 8th of June the visiting students and hosts had their last day in Bulgaria. On the last day the students widened their knowledge about Bulgarian folk tradition, especially for national dresses and embroidery. With the things they learned about Bulgarian symbols and fashion the students used this knowledge for inspiration for their last workshop. They took their modern approach and interpreted Bulgarian embroidery into modern street art. Their modern vision skipped the needle and trait and by using paint the student made embroidery in the schoolyard benches. Now all the visitors at Dimitar Talev Secondary School will be welcomed by those beautiful patterns. At the end of the day the headmistress Vesela Stoyanova awarded all the participants with certificates and farewell gifts that will keep their memories for Bulgaria and the people they met there.