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.