Timisoara will become a meeting place for specialists, researchers, artists, cultural institution professionals, teachers, students as well as children and teenagers interested in heritage from 7 to 10 October, as part of the 3rd edition of the Why Culture Matters - International Symposium, which takes place at FABER.
The event is organised by the "Prin Banat" Association and this year's edition brings together around 30 guests and workshop facilitators from Romania and eight other European countries: Ukraine, Serbia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Albania, the Republic of Moldova and Belgium, according to a release from the organisers.
This year's edition also marks the launch of a new project by the "Prin Banat" Association: the Cultural Heritage School, a non-formal education and cultural mediation programme to be developed from 2027.
FABER will be a meeting place for heritage research, education, the community and international experiences, with a focus not only on what heritage we preserve, but also on how we understand it, who tells its story and how we can pass it on to future generations.
The programme includes more than 27 presentations, conversations and case studies, along with eight pilot workshops of the Cultural Heritage School and a guided tour aimed at different audiences.
The event focuses on three aspects of heritage, viewed from different, but interconnected perspectives.
The first of these, "Heritage Under Threat," examines the effects that wars, natural disasters, climate change, abandonment, property development pressure and demographic changes can have on cultural heritage. Discussions will tackle documentation and protection methods, emergency preparedness, intervention in the case of affected heritage and recovery methods. One of the central questions is what can be done before the degradation or destruction of a heritage site becomes irreversible.
The second theme, "Heritage Narratives," starts from the question of who tells the stories about the places and communities we choose to preserve in our collective memory. Difficult, contested or forgotten histories will be addressed, as well as the role of cultural mediation and communities in building new relationships with their own heritage.
The third theme, "Heritage Literacy & Education," focuses on education and how people can learn to recognise, understand and protect the heritage around them. The programme explores both formal and non-formal forms of education, as well as participatory practices through which heritage can become relevant to everyday experience.
The eight workshops organised as part of the symposium represent the pilot phase of the project. They aim to test methods through which children, young people and adults can discover heritage through direct experience, observation, exploration and participation.
The history of the Jewish community in the Fabric district will be rediscovered on 10 October through a guided tour led by writer Getta Neumann, daughter of former Chief Rabbi Ernest Neumann, which includes visits to the Fabric Synagogue and the prayer house.
A related event is a screening of the documentary "Boxing with Myself" directed by Andreiana Mihail, on 9 October at 18:00 at the Attic of the Faculty of Arts and Design of the West University of Timisoara. The documentary follows the life and work of artist Ion Grigorescu.
The event is organised as part of Why Culture Matters x Heritage of Timisoara Talks, and admission is free.
The first edition of the event took place in 2022, focusing on "The role of culture, the importance of cultural heritage and interdisciplinary dialogue in the community." The second edition, held in 2024, was held under the slogan "Heritage unites us, the future inspires us."
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