Video Documentaries
Monographs
"The footprint of flora is the matrix upon which the cultures of the world have been built, the fabric that unites them."
— Ioana, Antropoflora
ANTROPOFLORA explores the symbiotic relationship between humans and plants.
VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES – rituals still practiced in the present day (Băbăluda – The Green Man, Sânzienele – Midsummer’s Night) / interviews with biodiversity and rare plant specialists / ecologists / permaculture farmers / villagers discussing nature spirits and magical customs (The Forest Maiden, fairies and evil spirits, Saint Andrew’s night) / anthropologists / representatives of gene banks / traditional seed-keeping peasants / urban activists and their initiatives to protect urban nature.
MONOGRAPHS – an archive of ethnobotanical folklore documented by past researchers. We emphasize ritualistic, ceremonial, mythological forms and discuss the influence of these beliefs and customs on the culture as a whole. Among the studied plants: poppy, mandrake, hemp, wormwood, lady’s bedstraw, St. John’s Wort.
Rituals and beliefs
Rituals preserve beliefs and visions about reality that would otherwise evaporate.
The same happens with all the knowledge transmitted orally, which, once the generational thread is interrupted, disappears. They are present manifestations of an entire bygone world, and even if the conceptual fabric that dressed the ritual is no longer as clear in the minds of those who practice it, the belief in its effect remains. Furthermore, rituals are usually an occasion to celebrate for the entire community; for the villagers in Buru, the day of Băbăluda (link catre Băbăluzii) is akin to New Year’s Eve, and the residents of Moisei, where we documented the ritual of Sânziene (Midsummer Night) , recount that in the past, people would gather for the torchlight dance with food and drink, celebrating until morning.