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The network of representatives of the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) abroad marks also this year's Universal Day of Ia (Romanian Blouse), through a series of events presented online, on the Facebook pages of organizers and partners, the ICR informs.
* The Accademia di Romania in Rome proposes stories with Sanziene (good goddesses celebrated on 24 June), old music and Romanian identity in fashion design.
The program of 24th of June will include the presentation of the story "Sanziene, my sisters" by Sanziana Popescu, in Romanian and Italian, in the reading of the author and translator Sara Salone, a recital performed by the Imago Mundi ensemble and the premiere presentation of the short film "Sanziene. Celebration and clothing", by Iulia Goroneanu. The projects are organized by the Accademia di Romania in Rome, with the patronage of the Romanian Embassy in Italy and in collaboration with Creart - The Creation, Art and Tradition Center of Bucharest and the Cultural Association "Isvor" of Bucharest.
* Romanian Cultural Institute "Mihai Eminescu" from Chisinau awards for the most beautiful Romanian blouses in Bessarabia.
The ICR representative in Chisinau will award three prizes in a competition dedicated to the traditional Romanian blouses and shirts from Bessarabia, held between 24 June and 4 July, 2020, in partnership with the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History of the Republic of Moldova. Three recent creations will be awarded, among those entered, selected by representatives of the House of the Folk Costume "Casa Cristea" and of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History in Chisinau.
* The Romanian Cultural Institute in London presents modern creations inspired by the folk traditional clothing.
This year, the programme will feature the premiere of a film explaining the constituent elements of the Romnaian blouse, made in partnership with the Romanian Peasant Museum, a live conversation with the fashion designer Adrian Oianu, whose collections are inspired by the folk costume, a presentation of Ioana Corduneanu, from the Association "Sewn Signs", and in the evening, ICR London will host, online, the award ceremony of the winners of the contest "British capital of the Romanian Ia" , in the presence of the Romanian Ambassador to London, Dan Mihalache, and Andreea Tanasescu, founder of the community "La Blouse Roumaine". The events are organized in partnership with the Romanian Peasant Museum and the Romanian Embassy in the UK.
* The Romanian Cultural Institute "Dimitrie Cantemir" in Istanbul highlights Romanian heritage on Ia Day.
The project "Universal Day of Ia, celebrated in Istanbul", consisting of the presentation of objects of Romanian cultural heritage, will take place from 24 to 26 June. Photographs of the heritage elements (sleeve embroidered blouse, veil and ornament of beads, embellished buckles) will be distributed, made available by the Romanian Peasant Museum (MTR), accompanied by a short description in Turkish.
* The Romanian Cultural Institute in Lisbon presents the symbolism of the Romanian blouse, as an identity landmark.
A series of videos made exclusively for the Universal Day of Ia, by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Lisbon and the Romanian Embassy in the Portuguese Republic, in partnership with the National Village Museum "Dimitrie Gusti" of Bucharest, will include a presentation of the symbolism and ways of achieving it, supported by the director of the National Village Museum, Paula Popoiu, archival images, as well as an evocation of some of the most representative events dedicated to the Romanian folk costume in recent years in Portugal.
* The Romanian Cultural Institute in Madrid exhibits Romanian Ia, symbol of tradition and modernity.
The presentation of the exhibition "The ethnographic collection Marius Matei" is the project of the representation in Spain that marks the Universal Day of Ia on 24th of June. There will be presented 21 unique pieces of the private ethnographic collection "Marius Matei" (Giroc, Timis County), which highlight the exceptional fund of folk costumes from the southwestern Banat area: fashion ensembles and gold and silver ornaments worn by women on holidays, dating back to the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
* The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York organizes a dialogue with the initiator of the movement "La Blouse Roumaine".
Andreea Tanasescu, cultural entrepreneur, founder of the community "La Blouse Roumaine", dedicated to the promotion in the world of Romanian Ia, will dialogue online, in English, with the director of ICR New York, Dorian Branea, on "Romanian culture as an online strategy", in the series of conferences "Leon Feraru".
* The Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris proposes jazz music inspired by Romanian folklore.
Pianist Ramona Horvath will perform on Wednesday at the invitation of the ICR representative in France to mark the Universal Day of Ia. The singer chose two pieces from her repertoire, Mahala and La Hora, jazz variations inspired by Romanian folklore. The project will put into value both the Romanian traditional clothes through the clothing choice of the piano player, and the Romanian traditional music, by reinterpreting it in a modern key.
* The Romanian Institute of Culture and Humanistic Research in Venice presents stories from the workshop of a weaver and photos of the Transylvanian costumes.
Elena Pascu, a weaver from the village of Malancrav, Sibiu County, will present the things she has in the works, highlighting the tailoring and decorative elements of the traditional women's blouses in the Sibiu area, the Tarnave and the Brasov area, as well as other accessories specific to the traditional Romanian costumes in the center of the country. The short film brings to the attention of viewers practical aspects of the process of preparing the canvas that is about to become Ie. Also presented will be photos of the Romanian folk costumes of Transylvania - Maramures, Valea Muresului and Valea Gurghiului -, made by Roxana Mihaly, currently a "Nicolae Iorga" bursar, professional photographer. Promotional partner: Consulate General of Romania in Trieste.
* On the occasion of the Universal Day of Ia, the ICR representative in Poland will promote an exhibition dedicated to the traditional Romanian costumes, comprising 27 clothing artifacts from the collection of the Romanian Peasant Museum and is part of an exhibition brand Google Arts & Culture, We Wear Culture, dedicated to fashion and style. The pieces presented in the MNTR exhibition are accompanied by a soundtrack from the collection "Ethnophonie" of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant: doina (Romanian folk lyric creation) and hora songs, twirls, and the dance called brana (a peasant dance to which players grab, behind their backs, with their hands to their neighbours' arms).
* Also, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv promoted the campaign run by the community "La Blouse Roumaine" on the occasion of the Universal Day of Ia, launching to all Israelis with Romanian roots or Romanian lovers the invitation to participate in the creation of an online exhibition, and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm presented an episode of the series of online tours #calatorimdeacasa (wetravelfromhome), with the theme of Romanian traditional blouse, in partnership with Experience Transylvania.
"The story of the Romanian Blouse is a millennial one, having a very old history. The origin of this item cannot be determined exactly, instead the symbols arranged on it are found on the ceramic vessels of the Cucuteni, a culture ancient for six millennia. In the past, the blouse had more than an aesthetic significance, it was full of magical symbols designed to protect the bearer from evil spirits or charms", says ethnographer Marius Matei, collaborator of ICR Madrid in the realization of this year's project. Among the painters who reproduced the Ia in their works are Henri Matisse, Nicolae Tonitza, Camil Ressu or Ion Theodorescu-Sion. On the catwalks of fashion houses, the Romanian Blouse has inspired famous creators such as Yves Saint Laurent (who, in 1981, launched a collection inspired by the painting La blouse Roumaine), Jean-Paul Gaultier, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera or Prada.
