„Future Folk” brings to the present the values and symbols of the traditional costume
Article published on 15-06-2018
The project Future Folk is an initiative of UNESCO Alumnus Club Association from Bucharest, co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN), The Centre for Youth of Bucharest and the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO.
They also give important support to the project: the Parliamentary Group of the National Minorities from the Chamber of Deputies, Romanian Cultural Institute, National Village Museum Dimitrie Gusti, the Greek Union from Romania, the Lipovan Russian Community from Romania, European Federation of Associations, Centres and Clubs for UNESCO, the Romanian Television, Other Minorities section, the Jewish State Theatre Odeon, Burda România press group.
Future Folk aims to contribute to the revitalization and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage of Romania, adding value through contemporary design to an essential piece - the traditional costume. Not only the Romanian costume, but also traditional costumes specific to the national minorities, maybe less known but equally valuable.
The theme and message of the project perfectly correspond to the slogan of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 - “Our Heritage: Where the Past Meets the Future”. How can today’s youth receive these values that are out of everyday use, how can we preserve this legacy for future generations? These are two questions to which the associations and institutions involved in the Future Folk project are trying to answer.
Carmen Emanuela Popa, PhD in design at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, is the creator of the original cultural product proposed by Future Folk - an avant-garde fashion design collection inspired by the traditional costumes, a collection that will be launched at the Palace of Parliament on June 20th and then will take the form of an itinerant exhibition at the Village Museum in Bucharest, Ploieşti and Tulcea. Attentive to the symbolism and philosophy behind each object, Carmen Emanuela Popa aims to launch an invitation to communication, dialogue and understanding between people through her creations. Actually, this represents the message of the entire project.
The host of the launch event will be Mr. Dragoş Gabriel Zisopol, Quaestor of the Chamber of Deputies, President of the Hellenic Union of Romania, and moderator will be Mrs. Daniela Popescu, President of Alumnus Club for UNESCO. In the opening, actress Maia Morgenstern will hold an extraordinary poetry recital, after which the initiator and partners will talk about "Future Folk", each from the perspective of the institution they represent. Finally, designer Carmen Emanuela Popa will launch through a performance-presentation the fashion design collection created specifically for this project, bearing the same title - "Future Folk".
The exhibition – performance
Future Folk, by itself the result of an intercultural exercise, aims to be a living testimony that diversity is an inexhaustible resource of innovation and creativity in a society where it exists understanding and respect towards the values of each one.
Photos from the launch.