Bridging Horizons: An Artistic Journey from Bodø to Maramureș

Project Lead: Romanian Association of Contemporary Art (ARAC)
Project Partner: STIFTELSEN NORDLANDSMUSEET
Time Period: 01.11.2024 – 28.02.2025
Locations: Bucharest, Băița (Romania), Săcel (Maramures, Romania), Bodø (Norway)

Bridging Horizons: An Artistic Journey from Bodø to Maramureș is an ambitious cultural initiative aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Romania and Norway through textile art, both traditional and contemporary. The initiative promotes knowledge exchange, artistic collaboration, and sustainability in textile creation, emphasizing intercultural dialogue and the preservation of traditions.

Main Activities:

• Workshops and Study Visits: Artists from Romania and Norway will share techniques on natural dyeing, conservation methods, and elements of Norwegian and Sami textile art. Participants will explore local traditions through visits to museums and cultural sites.
• Exhibitions and Conferences: Two textile art exhibitions will take place at the Bodø Museum (Norway) and ARAC (Romania), launched with public conferences encouraging dialogue between artists and communities.
• Awareness on Sustainability: Through conferences and public events, the project highlights the importance of eco-friendly practices in textile art.

Impact and Results:

• Development of participants’ artistic and cultural skills.
• Increased visibility of both contemporary and traditional textile art.
• Establishment of long-term bilateral cultural partnerships.

Timeline of Events:

December 1-15 – Norway Residency: Study visits to Bodø City Museum, temporary changed into the Sámi Museum as part of Bodo’s named the European Capital of Culture 2024, Bodø Art Gallery, Tromsø Polar Museum, Tromsø Kunstforening – Tromsø Center for Contemporary Art, Svolvaer Kunstforening, Leknes, Lofoten Islands, Lofoten Wool Factory, and an art sustainability workshop. 

December 15-22 – Romania Residency: Study visits to Anca Poterașu Gallery in Bucharest for two natural dyeing workshops for traditional textile artworks, the Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum, the Textile Museum in Băița, Hunedoara, the local artisan workshops in Săcel, Maramureș and the Merry Cemetery of Săpânța.

A series of two workshops were held by expert Irina Petroviciu at Anca Poterașu Gallery. The first one served as a theoretical introduction, where Irina brought the attendees an upcoming book on the topic and wrapped the workshop with a quick demonstration of dyeing with turmeric and berries. The second workshop further developed the topics discussed in the first, adding new dyeing techniques and additional pigments for a variety of colours and textures.

January 11-26 – Bodø Exhibition

The Bodø exhibition was organised on the second floor of the Bymuseet in the heart of the city. It featured artworks from Megan Dominescu and Linn Rebekka Amo and highlighted the relationship between the two cultures and the results of the cultural exchange. The Sami culture, central to the conceptual approaches of both artists, stems from the Sami people – the only recognized indigenous people in Europe. They always made their tools and sewn their clothes, from materials found in nature: roots, birch bark, skins, tendons, reindeer antlers, and more.

February 3 – March 30 – Bucharest Exhibition – A Journey to the Center of the Earth: Opening, discussion about textile art and the residency program and guided tours on February 13th.

more details about the exhibition: https://www.ancapoterasu.com/expozitii/a-journey-to-the-center-of-the-earth/

This bilateral initiative is financed with the support of EEA and Norway Grants 2014 – 2021 through the National Fund for Bilateral Relations within the RO-CULTURE Programme

Inițiativă bilaterală finanțată prin Granturile SEE și Norvegiene – Fondul Național Bilateral în cadrul Programului RO-CULTURA