MEMORIES, PLACE AND MOMENTS OF PRESENCE - 2026

COMMUNITY ART PROJECT

“It is hard to slow down to the pace where it is possible to explore one’s mind.”

Writings, Agnes Martin

GOALS:

- working together and co- creation of an artistic work

- increasing the well-being of the participants

WHY?

1. I intended to work with a group of women to facilitate and experiment the relationships created in the group- solidarity, stories, connections

2. I was interested in actions through which you can tell stories without words – through the textile fibers

3. I was interested to give some parts from what I have learnt and experimented myself in the last couple of years

4. I intended to reflect on and test the impact on well being of hand stitching

5. in our town there are very few cultural activities

6. on the other hand people are confronting lots of economic and social hardships - specific to a small town – a ski resort in the winter that is rather in decline for the last couple of years.

FOR WHOM?

- for a group of women living in a context which offers very few cultural opportunities

I did not choose a specific age group first of all because I thought there will not be many who will trust to work with me on the one hand, and because I was interested to put together women form different generations.

HOW? - format and artistic dimension

- a series of 16 workshops, weekly, for a period of 4 months (from June to September 2026)- a long enough period in order for participants to be able to both learn and create together, establish connections and change to some extent their state of well-being

All the sessions were 1,5 to 2 hours, based on slow-stitching – developing a gradual learning process that involves individual work, as well as collaborative work.

All the exercises and works were revolving around memory, place and presence.

STRUCTURE AND CONTEXT

• the project has been funded by the Cluj Cultural Center - as a response for its open call Art, Health and Well-being- part of the Culture and Health Platform, 2026

• partnership with the local cultural center – “Carmen Sylva” Cultural Center and the local coffee shop – Tucano Coffee Nicaragua

Andreea : “ Thank you that you care for each one of us. (…) I observe how many lessons I learn from these other activities, different than my studies – such as the embroidery workshop. The feeling of community, our work together, our talk together, the appreciation of all of our works, the warm way to give feed-back...make me feel that I am healing my soul. “

Genoveva: “ what an ancient joy – a group of ladies that meet to weave stories from words, but not less with the needle and the colored thread… Such a stillness and contentment, and an occasion of sharing!”

Viorica: “ I am living a second youth. I never thought that , at 72 years old, I will start stitching by hand.It is true indeed that I used to watch my mother embroidering with the sewing machine. I even helped her a couple of times (…) Yet, today, together with a couple of ladies and young and enthusiastic girls, we are learning embroidery techniques, admire old embroidered pieces and share memories.
It is beautiful, I feel so good such as an empty place in my soul is filling, an emptiness that appeared the last couple of years. I feel an invigorating energy, a pleasure to do something different, to give my heart something it did not ever had.”

Lidia: “ thank you for lessons, inspiration, patience and because you succeeded to bring back and revive what is the best from ourselves.”