Join us for a weekend of Romanian traditions and crafts at the Horniman Museum, occasioned by the opening of "Revisiting Romania: Dress and Identity", a major exhibition celebrating the ancient, sophisticated art of Romanian traditional outwear and fabrics.
Special guests: Ovidiu Lipan Ţăndărică and the world famous 10 Prăjini Brass Band.
Featured artists: Ioana Ieronim, Fiona Sampson, Mihaela Bădescu, Paul Buţă, Daniel Leş, Irina Sârbu, Matt Bacon, Vasile Cozma, Paul Moylan and Bogdan Văcărescu.
Programme:
Revisiting Romania
Friday, 3 oct, 6.30pm, Balcony Hall Gallery
This truly traditional weekend celebrating Romanian culture is launched with the opening of "Revisiting Romania. Dress and Identity", the largest exhibition of Romanian folk costumes ever to be presented in the UK, as well as "Portraits of London", a gallery of images portraying Romanians in London, presented by Ion Paciu.
Palpable Passion
Saturday 4 oct, 1-4pm & Sunday 5 oct, 1-4pm, Bandstand Terrace
Every household object in the village was manufactured with remarkable mastery, which was gained after long years of patient apprenticeship. Craftsmen Daniel Leş, Mihaela Bădescu and Paul Buţă demonstrate how pots, icons and folk masks come to life from the humblest materials.
Shooting Evanescence
Saturday 4 oct, 1-3pm & Sunday 5 oct, 1-3pm, Gardens Pavilion
The Romanian village is one of the last surviving traditional cultures in Europe. Throughout the years, as this way of life was slowly disappearing, passionate film-makers have saved it from inexorable oblivion. Documentary films: "Off the Beaten Track" (Dieter Auner, 2011), "The Curse of the Hedgehog" (Dumitru Budrala, 2004) and "Vrancea, the land where history meets legend" (Radu Tora, 2010).
Diversity as it Tastes
Saturday 4 oct, 3.30-5.30pm & Sunday 5 oct, 1-5.30pm, Bandstand Terrace
The richness and variety of Romanian cuisine, owing its diversity to its openness to and inclusion of different tastes, techniques and dishes from surrounding countries, remains one of the most attractive elements of Romanian traditional culture. There's a history in every bite and Ileana Artisan, Maestro Deli and Cornelius Restaurant are ready to prove just that.
Transcripts of Rural Bliss
Sunday 5 oct, 2-2.45 & 3.15-4pm, The Conservatory
The archaic world is a world soaked in poetry and, perhaps, it is poetry itself. Like many other poets before them, Ioana Ieronim and Fiona Sampson have marveled at the simple, barely noticeable wonders of rustic life, where they have found a bounty of poetic inspiration. The two poets will examine the notion of tradition, punctuating their conversation with readings from their works.
Singing Hilltop
Saturday 4 oct, 4-5.30pm & Sunday 5 oct, 4-5.30pm, Bandstand Terrace
In the beautiful gardens of the Horniman Museum, high up on the hill overlooking the Thames and Canary Wharf, we shall end our Romanian weekend in the Romanian folk music's explosion of energy and optimism. Don't miss Ovidiu Lipan Ţăndărică & 10 Prăjini Brass Band (Sat), and Irina Sârbu, Matt Bacon, Vasile Cozma, Paul Moylan and Bogdan Văcărescu (Sun).
Where: Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 3PQ
When: 3-5 October 2014, 1-8.30pm
Free entry, but please confirm your attendance at office@icr-london.co.uk.
