Schedule of the microevents

11:00 OPENING of the exhibition at the abandoned school with the art pieces of all participants

11:00 – 23:45 POP-UP exhibition of the painter Elena Nazarova in Deleyna’s public spaces

13:00 – 14:30 SHARED MEAL with the culinary specialties of Deleyna village – at the school’s yard

19:00 – 20:30 DOCUMENTARY PERFORMANCE – at the theatre hall of the community center

21:00 DANCING at the village square

Get in contact in case you would like to stay over at the village. The artists are ready to help by organising your stay at local hosts in need, for a symbolic fee. They have also discovered a suitable camping space in the village.

What are we searching for through this residence and what issues does it outline?

During the last 3 weeks in Deleyna, seven Bulgarian and four foreign artists (through online participation) were searching for a working formula for a contemporary living village, nurtured by an access to culture and art. They were trying to “rehabilitate the muscle of public imagination, which nowadays is not able to imagine the village in a modern way ,” as Yanina Taneva from the Factory summarizes.

“We cannot substitute for public policy, which, sadly, is absent – adds Yanina Taneva. – The trends in the villages are irreversible and this is clear from а well known national strategy, written in 2007. Therefore, in order to stop or at least slow down the ones that still can be reversed, lots of common effort is needed. In the villages, there are several main problems: lack of democracy, because people cannot vote for their mayor, in case there are less than 250 people in the village; lack of public health services, no access to education or culture. We believe that education and culture are the foundation that is needed for change. And when the traditional Bulgarian village comes together with the young people from the city, who are carrying a different type of knowledge and culture with them, new solutions and new ways can be born. Welcome to the village of Deleyna this Saturday to experience the results of the artists and the Northwestern Bulgarian village, which exists in the bubble of social and cultural monotony.