We would like to envite you to the launch of the "Testimonies in Practice" project.

The event will mark the launch of the University of Birmingham-led project “Testimony in Practice”. The project aims to collect memories of the revolutions of 1989 and the life stories of Central and Eastern Europeans living in the UK . Centrala is a project partner and will host final exhibitio in September 2019

This family friendly event will present live music, poetry and performances from various Central and Eastern European countries.
Line Up:
3pm - Welcomes
3:15- 3:25 officail opening and presentation
4 pm - Poetry by Bohdan Piasecki
4:30pm - live music - Maja and Edwin - will present a varied set of traditional Polish songs arranged for violin and viola and two violins.
5.50pm- Karolina Wegrzyn- accordeonist, singer and songwriter will present Polish- Ukraininian folk
6:30- Romanian traditional music

3:00- 6:30 workshops:
'Velvet- underground Revolution'
It wasn’t David Hasselhoff that brought the 1989 revolution to Czechoslovakia, it was Frank Zappa. Or so they say. Zappa was famously linked with the Czech and Slovak dissidents, underground musicians and importantly Václav Havel. He and his music were seen as an epitome of freedom of expression and anti-communist thinking. In this workshop run by artist Tereza Buskova Art, you can express your freedom by creating a collage of photographs featuring icons of the Velvet Revolution and celebrate music’s contribution to the fall of communism.

Wycinanki- Polish traditional Papercut workshop
Centrala will share with you the beauty of the Polish traditional cut-outs called wycinanki and their unique character within the world of paper art and craft. Wycinanki are traditionally cut by hand, without drawing the design first, using sheep-shearing scissors. They are created for decorating the walls and ceiling beams in the cottages.At the beginning of the 19thC designs were cut from ordinary paper shaped as simple geometrical patterns of plants, animals or people. Later when coloured decorative papers became more available, complicated patterns and multi coloured cut-outs made of layers of different colours and shapes emerged.

Martenitsa is traditionally made from white and red string in the form of a bracelet, necklace or two dolls which you can attach to your coat. Martenitsa is usually worn from the first of March until the end of the month or until you see a stork or a blossomed tree. The colours of the martenitsa symbolize the purity of the melting snow and the red setting of the sun, which becomes more intense as spring progresses.
In this workshop Boyana Aleksova Art will show us the traditional way of making martenitsa from srting so that we can welcome spring together, taking the handmade martenitsa home with you to give to your family and friends.

Take home your own unique wycinanki artwork.

Musicians:

Miriam Tohatan and Bogdan Suciu are currently in their final year of studies at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Earlier this year, as part of her final project, Miriam gathered together a repertoire consisting of the most representative Romanian folkloric music. The music evokes simplicity, pastoral scenes of countryside life, colorful sonorities and poetic lyricism.

Maja and Edwin, both from Krakow, studied violin performance at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. They have been playing together in various ensembles since 2014 and both are particularly keen on performing contemporary music and free improvisation. They will present a varied set of traditional Polish songs arranged for violin and viola and two violins.They share an interest in folk and traditional music from around the world.

#CEE #testimoniesinpractice #familyevent #craftsandarts #livemusic #poetry #centralaspace #community

The Event is free bit places need to booked.

*Image: A slogan popular in autumn 1989 described how long it took to destroy communism in Eastern Europe: Poland – 10 years, Hungary – 10 months, GDR – 10 weeks, Czechoslovakia – 10 days