One of our main goals for this year is to bring new community liveliness to the Sofia space of our Fabrika (12 Prof. Nikola Mihaylov Street) with more connecting and nurturing events. To do this, we need your creative impulse as well.

Event proposals related to the following topics are very welcome: intergenerational relationships; villages; socially engaged art and knowledge sharing (community, participatory practices, cultural heritage). Small in size but large in value, we want these events to bring hope and connection.

Examples of events that have taken place so far at our hub include: training sessions; creative and activist workshops; home concerts and screenings; lectures and seminars on the above-mentioned topics; rehearsals for poetry readings and/or other types of musical or performance practices for small groups.

Fill out our event form and we will contact you within a week after filling it to discuss your proposal.

Why is spaces sharing for diverse events and communities important – both in cities and villages?

Places not associated with commercial exchange are not only lacking for senior citizens in Sofia. There is also a shortage of places for teenagers, for civic group meetings, for various humans in need of social support, for whom the municipality not only fails to create social services but also closes the few that exist. Due to the lack of accessibility in the city, spaces for contemporary culture, places for rehearsals or independent projects are disappearing, and newly opened chitalishte (cultural community centers) or voluntary initiatives that have existed for years as informal groups are also being closed. This is a shrinking of our civic space – the shrinking of community spaces is only a consequence of the shrinking of the civic narrative.

The EU recently announced as part of its security strategy the link between culture and its social function and active participation in civic processes. Even the Culture program of EU was merged with that of civic engagement for the next programming period.

There are solutions at the macro level – one of the most obvious is to rethink and update the functions of public spaces, for which we already pay through our taxes, to meet the current needs of our society today. Opening museums, libraries, and community centers to communities has long been a trend around the world, where it is recognized that a strong community connection is its immune system in everyday life, but it pays off strongly during times of crisis in terms of solidarity and community health.

There are also solutions at the micro level. If you have a physical space that you don’t use 100%, you can offer it to any group that you feel is a cause worth supporting – artists, artists working with teenagers or the elderly, a group of elderly people who do not have a pensioners club, volunteers working with soup kitchens, civic initiatives, initiatives connecting generations… Because social isolation is the most toxic disease of modern society and it leads to countless other problems that we all pay for in the end.

Our 10-year-old Baba Residence (and all the people, communities, local organizations, and institutions it connects in villages and towns) is among the nominees for the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee’s Human of the Year award for 2025!

We would like to thank Ivelina Panicharova, whom we haven’t met personally, for the nomination and for the beautifully explained reason for the nomination: “I nominate Baba Residence for the team’s inspiring contribution to the connection between generations and the revival of villages in Bulgaria. They bring young people and artists together in the homes of elderly people, creating a space for the exchange of experience, culture, and humanity. Their initiatives are reviving the village – not only as a place, but as a community and a home.“

All (76 approved proposals out of over 130) meaningful and meaning-creating nominations for Human of the Year 2025 have already been published on the initiative’s website and remain in the hands of the jury.

The awards ceremony will take place on December 10, International Human Rights Day.

Meanwhile, we invite you to grant yourself 7-10 minutes of inspiration and hope, fueled by the power of intergenerational relationships, friendships between cities and villages, and contemporary and traditional culture with the videos made by Kiril Nachev from our artistic residencies in the villages of Lik and Pavolche.

Lyutenitsa making is never just about making lyutenitsa — especially when we combine it with the 10th anniversary of the first Baba Residence (2015, Central Rhodopes, four villages).
We invited residents from all years since the Residence came into being in its various forms (volunteer, social enterpreneurial, artistic, multidisciplinary) and we put together a beautiful reflection on what we have achieved with our rural-urban community and a plan for future rural meetings – because they are necessary for maintaining a community that is actually rare in its shared goals and values.

We combined the occasion with the process of developing a pilot initiative under the framework of a large Interreg project ELEVATE (read more about it below), with which we are considering organizing short expert residencies to resolve specific rural issues, reported by local communities.

To validate the direction with the people we work with and for the prosperity of the villages, we invited representatives of the chitalishte (social-cultural community center), the townhall, and the rural community to the lyutenitsa-making event. We invited them, but in fact we were the guests – our hosts were the community of Oslen Krivodol and the Volunteer House, supported by Kiril Nachev and Nevena Yovcheva from Oslen Fest and local residents.
Mayor Roman Ivanov joined our discussions and took the time to give us a guided tour of the natural surroundings of Oslen, telling us about part of their Roman past. Unfortunately, we also witnessed dried-up or drying-up springs there.

Diana Ivanova from the Razvitie 2022 Chitalishte once again contributed to making our meeting a heartfelt one, through organizing our snacks to be provided by three elderly women from the village.
We received yet another confirmation that we are on the same page when it comes to understanding what decentralization and participatory approach to the “population” (opposite of depopulation) of villages mean!

The bigger picture beyond lyutenitsa

In addition to the one-year production process based on the results of “Baba Residence” 2024 with a creative-tourism focus, this year we also launched another major three-year challenge – our participation in partnership consortium in the ELEVATE project under the Interreg program for the Danube region, together with 17 other partners from 11 countries and 13 associated partners. We are the main representative in Bulgaria.
The main goal of this large consortium is to form strong and lasting cooperation between the public, private, and civil sectors to cultivate more inclusive communities in the respective countries, with a focus on the active participation of older people and people with disabilities in community life. Here we contribute with our “Baba Residence” experience!
Each local initiative in the final stage of the project (end of 2027) will feed into the creation of a collective strategic document containing proposals for policy changes regarding decentralization and the well-being of older people and people with disabilities.

Keep a close eye on us in 2026, when we will take the next step —organizing an expert residency that will feed observations and insights into the above mentioned strategic document.

Project duration: April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2028

Program: Interreg Danube

Lead partner: Heart of Slovenia Development Center

Partner countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Moldova

Total project budget: €2,797,748.00, with approved ERDF funding for DCHS of €227,312.00

What is ELEVATE?

The ELEVATE project is an international project that brings together 17 partners from 11 countries in the Danube region and 13 associated partners. In Bulgaria, we are a main partner. Slovenian partners include the Municipality of Sevnica and the Amabilis Institute for Social Gerontology, while associated partners from Slovenia are the Ministry for a Solidarity Future and ZRC SAZU.

The main objective of the project is to cultivate strong cooperation between the public, private, and civil sectors in order to create more inclusive communities in the respective countries. Particular attention is paid to the active participation of older people and people with disabilities in community life, thereby reducing the pressure on social security systems facing challenges such as ageing, migration and climate change.

As part of the project, together with the partners we will develop solutions for inclusive development through a bottom-up co-creation process with the most affected people – under the motto “nothing about us without us.” Older people and people with disabilities will be actively involved in developing solutions that will improve their access to services and strengthen their participation in society. At the same time, local businesses will contribute to the development of socially responsible programs. The solutions will be piloted in 12 territories in the Danube region, including in Bulgaria in villages that are part of our partner network with Baba Residence.

The project brings together a variety of organizations, companies, and people from vulnerable groups. We will create solutions that will benefit the entire community. Through awareness campaigns and public events, we aim to engage the wider public and encourage inclusive development.

The aim of all partners is to support communities in the Danube region in becoming more sustainable and better prepared for future challenges through the ELEVATE project (multi-level governance for inclusive communities). Creating inclusive and accessible communities is key to a fair transition to a green and digital economy from which no one is excluded.

Project participants will also support the development of sustainable development plans to be used by local communities in the coming years. In this way, we aim to achieve long-term, positive change for all residents of the Danube region.

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Contact: Yoana Stoyanova / communicate@ideasfactorybg.org

This project is made possible by the Interreg Danube Region Program and is co-funded by the European Union.

Cover photo by Yoana Shopova / an artist part of our Baba Residence in 2023 and 2024.

We invite you to take a walk with us through the past IFactory year, illustrated by our faithful al nik (Alexandra Nikolova)! We have divided our achievements into several categories for convenience (we hope) – the international dimension of our work; Baba Residence and its manifestations in the three villages of Deleyna, Koshava, and Yasen; organizational achievements and events; and our social entreprenurial work and yearly donations.

2024 was a busy year, and some of the most important processes for us will reach their climax in June this year!

The artistic and creative-tourism production of Baba Residence 2024 is coming to fruition – the artists are working together with their curator Dima Stefanova to complete the installations and experiences, which celebrate the cultural and natural heritage of the three villages.

One of our favorite moments from last year’s Baba Residence was the creation of the designer flag that the residents (some of whom are designers) in the village of Deleyna made with great gratitude, playfulness, and curiosity and presented to the people of Deleyna at the end of their Residency.

Some other organizational achievements that deserve celebration and a self-pat on the back were:

• Alda Sigurðardóttir and Inga Jónsdóttir from the Gullkistan Center for Creativity represented our joint project “Revitalizing Villages through Creative Activities” at the Harvest Festival – 30 Years of EEA Cooperation in the Icelandic city of Kolaportið. Our village revitalization activities (artistic residencies in six northwestern villages, renovations of six cultural corners in them, countless cultural events, and the EMPATHEAST international forum in Vidin) were selected along with 49 other projects as a good example of fruitful cooperation between Icelandic and EU organizations.

• Expedition of the team and curator of Baba Residence Galina Dimitrova to Iceland, which included an exhibition of the artistic results of the Residence, a press conference in Reykjavik where we presented the project and the cultural-entrepreneurial model developed with Baba Residence.

• We managed to complete the second Access to Culture Index for 2023 (the first was for 2022) – our national representative study on consumption and access to culture in Bulgaria in partnership with the Observatory for the Economy of Culture and the Goethe Institute Bulgaria.

• We wrote the first Baba Residence handbook for organizing an artist residency, which is freely available online and in print.

As in the previous two years, our core team continues to consist of three members. We make no secret of the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a balance between the need and desire to do more together with the villages and communities we work with, and the reduction in the type of funding that can support a stable and well-paid team. Each of us continues to work part-time or full-time +1 or 2 other jobs.

That is why our social entrepreneurship activities with Babina Zadruga (elderly women from villages in the Baba Residence network) were not at their peak this year.

Nevertheless, we managed to contribute with additional income of BGN 5,463 for 27 women from villages in the Northwest and Ihtiman.

We are moving forward in search of more flexible forms of operation this year as well, in order to preserve the main connecting flames that make the existence of our Factory valuable!

Thank you for being with us!

Our fourth event in the series “Right to Culture Laboratory” with the Observatory for the Economics of Culture and the Goethe-Institut Bulgaria will take place on March 19 at 11 a.m. in the event hall of the Goethe-Institut (1 Budapest Street, Sofia)!

The Bulgarian Music Association and Createch Bulgaria are also joining us as partners. This time, the topic is “Financing the Arts, Cultural and Creative Industries in Bulgaria” – a painful topic that hides many loopholes and inconsistencies, but also immeasurable potential that we can achieve together. More specifically, we will discuss the following with the invited guests and attendees:

• Public funding for the arts, cultural and creative industries in the state budget for 2025 and the four-year structural and fiscal plan for the period 2025-2028;
• Opportunities for financing organizations in the arts, cultural and creative industries under the Operational Program “Competitiveness and Innovation in Enterprises” 2021-2027, financial instruments of the Bulgarian Development Bank and the Recovery and Sustainability Plan – through the National Culture Fund;
• European programs and policies for financing the arts, cultural and creative industries.

This series of events is also an approach to raising awareness of the need for a sustainable, timely advocacy network related to the issues of law and access to culture, decentralization, and democratization of cultural resources. The network has already recruited its first permanent candidates.

Come and join us! You can find the Facebook event here. After the event, we will have a recording that we will share on our blog after March 25.

Spring will not slip through our attention this year either. Stop by for traditional martenitsa and tea on February 28 between 5 and 7:30 p.m. at Fabrikata (12 Prof. Nikola Mihaylov St., Sofia)!

As you know, our martenitsas combine our love for this preserved tradition, which draws us nearer to the feeling of awakening nature, with our determination to contribute to the financial well-being of elderly women from northwestern villages (our so-loved Babina Zadruga). Last year (2024), we managed to contribute an additional income of BGN 1,260 in total to the three elderly women who made the martenitsas. Help us exceed this support by choosing martenitsas for your family, friends, and… neighbors.

On February 28, we will welcome spring back with red and white beauties made by our elderly acquaintances from the northwestern and nearby villages – elderly women from Babina Zadruga in the village of Sinagovtsi (Vidin), the village of Chelopek (Vratsa), and the village of Chernoevo (Ihtiman).

What do martenitsa reminds us about the nature of life?

In addition to being a beloved accessory that evokes cheerfulness and joy in all generations, martenitsas are also an intuitive (in our opinion) way to welcome and celebrate the rising spring. Their folkloric essence helps them survive the tests of time and fashion. We recommend Borislava Petkova’s text “On the traditional and ‘patriotic’ martenitsa and the ‘intertwining’ of holidays” (approved by our advisors, the elders of the Ongal Association) for an interesting broad perspective on the topic.

Thank you for helping us contribute to a happier and more dignified way of living in rural areas!

This April, we are looking forward to a second series of co-creation (see a summary of the first one here) and collaboration with our Icelandic friends from the Gullkistan Center for Creativity in the Icelandic village of Laugarvatn!

The official name of our exchange is “Thermoculture: practices for preserving thermal culture as part of cultural heritage,” and in practice we will bring together Bulgarian and Icelandic artists and thermal specialists in the common cause of utilizing the invaluable thermal resource and the cultural practices, related to thermal springs through the means of art and advocacy.

You are probably wondering how this relates to our work so far. Our mission continues to be the fair distribution of resources, knowledge, and democratization through social innovation mediated by culture—through an interdisciplinary approach.

Therefore, as part of the exchange from Bulgaria, we invited three exceptional women — dedicated to the cause of accessibility and preservation of mineral baths and springs—to join us for a week-long expedition from April 7 to 15 in Iceland: Victoria Draganova (Blue Cube Foundation, Swimming Pool; curator and researcher), Virginia Zaharieva (writer, therapist, and activist in the Bulgarian Association for Thermal Heritage), and Raina Moneva (marketing specialist and creator of the SPA Guide platform, which helps people find mineral springs based on the quality of their water).

Victoria Draganova‘s focus in our Icelandic experience will be on the political dimensions and accessibility of mineral springs: “Alongside European cohesion policies that focus on regional development, there are numerous opportunities for investment in tangible and intangible cultural heritage, such as thermal springs. Unfortunately, these investments often open the door to transformations that do not take into account the context of the springs—who uses them, how, and why. Thus, we are witnessing the emergence of new and luxurious spa centers and the absolute neglect of public baths. Is this the only possible approach? And why are these springs so valuable to us? I believe that they hold much more than just healing properties.“

According to Virginia Zaharieva, who conducts therapeutic practices in warm mineral waters, thermal heritage is important not only because it is a potent intersection between cultural and natural heritage, but also because of its therapeutic value: “Warm mineral water is particularly useful for treating prenatal and early trauma. Thermal practices work wonderfully to restore the connection with the body, melt muscle armor, and are particularly effective in working with addictions and stress prevention.” In her words, they also preserve the tradition of calm authenticity, of returning to oneself: “In the bath, a person retreats, engages with their body and soul in a calm, protected atmosphere in harmony with the thermal and cultural tradition created over millennia. In this sense, mineral baths offer authenticity, sought after by locals and highly valued by foreigners.”

Raina Moneva also sees the therapeutic and health benefits of thermal springs as most valuable, as well as the tradition of socializing in this “warm culture,” the opportunity for negotiation, discussion, and debate, “as has been the case since time immemorial in the thermal waters.“

What will happen as part of “Thermoculture: practices for preserving thermal culture as part of cultural heritage”?

We will immerse ourselves in Icelandic and Bulgarian healing waters, documenting our observations and experiences artistically and anthropologically, and we will talk to local spa owners, local people, and thermal researchers. If you are in Iceland between April 7-15, you will have the opportunity to attend our public event there, where we will talk about Bulgaria’s thermal treasures and problems. And if you are in Bulgaria between April 23-30, you can come to an event in Sofia, where our Icelandic guests will share good practices from Iceland, as well as their problems in preserving this natural and cultural heritage that is bubbling with life.

Following our trip to Iceland, four women from Iceland will be visiting us for a week (April 23-30), dedicated to the same topic from a research and artistic perspective – we will tell you more about them in our next news update.

This collaboration and exchange are made possible by the Bilateral Relations Fund under the Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage, and Cooperation Program. The program has identified our partnership over the past two years as a good example of fruitful cooperation between Icelandic and EU organizations.

Dear Fabrikant, come join us on November 11 at 6 p.m. to the Traveler’s Club to immerse ourselves together in the Vlachian treasures of the villages of Deleyna, Koshava, and Yasen, just as our team and the participants (residents) in our residencies this year did while living there!

We unanimously believe that the most valuable local treasures are the local residents and our communication with them—with their lessons in unity, hospitality, humor, and care for their cultural treasures.

Through communicating with them, we also found out:

• what is Vlach dialect;
• Vlach songs and dances;
• architectural heritage and the so-called zhugraveli;
• the amazing Vlach funeral rites.

Our local coordinator from the village of Deleyna, ethnographer and researcher of Vlach culture, Desislava Bozhidarova, further explains about the last mentioned: “Funeral and memorial customs and rituals are the most conservative and have been preserved in their entirety to this day, and this is not a taboo subject for the Vlachs. When the moment of death arrives, the living must ensure that the deceased travels as quickly, easily, and safely as possible along the path that awaits them. This is a long transition, a change of status. The deceased must take their place among their loved ones in the other world, and this must be done without harming the living. Because at the very beginning of the transition, there is the danger of the intermediate space where wandering souls dwell.

To remain in the middle means to remain in chaos. And to prevent this from happening, there are a number of ritual ceremonies and actions that must be performed from the moment of death. A unique and very ancient custom associated with memorial rituals is still preserved today in the Vlach villages. Ora de Pomana is a ritual dance, part of the memorial rites. The custom is performed on the second day of Easter on the meadow at the foot of the Albotin Rock Monastery or at the Sunday horo in the center of the village.”

On November 11, we will tell (and show) you more about all this together with some of our residents from Baba Residence 2024, as well as Desislava Bozhidarova.

This year, the Baba Residence initiative once again landed on the banks of the Danube in the three Vlach villages of Deleyna, Kosava, and Yasen. In addition to living alongside and sharing experiences with the locals, we have an important new collaborative mission — to develop creative tourism experiences based on local culture that will help build a better future for these villages. You will have the opportunity to be among the first to participate in them if you come on the 11th!

We thank the Travelers’ Club for the truly hospitable welcome!

Cover photos – Bogomil Ivanov
Our residency this year was part of the “Development of Tourism in Northwestern Bulgaria and along the Danube River” competition organized by the America for Bulgaria Foundation.

This is our first attempt to map out the scope of Baba Residence’s activities and results over the past nine years. It is a beautiful work by the magical illustrator Eva Markova!

If you want to get an overview of what we have been doing with a bunch of village lovers in villages across almost the whole of Bulgaria up to and including 2023, you can zoom in on the small rectangles and read.

Of course, since then there has been one more Residence and many other untold stories and events, but we keep you updated on them on social media and in our newsletter.

If you happen to know of good ways to visually and interactively compile such a wide range of experiences digitally, please write to us! One such map certainly cannot contain all the micro-magic and rural-urban connections that come true, and their beneficial consequences.

See you soon and enjoy browsing!

Photo – Bozhana Staneva / resident in Baba Residence 2024