Immersive exhibition 18.10-15.11.2024 @RAM, 37 Elisabeta Blvd., Bucharest –
Opening: Friday, 18.10.2024, 18:30-23:00 / Closing: Friday, 15.11.2024, 18:30-23:00
<<People have seen her, they’ve heard her, many followed her sinister trail only to be led astray, wandering through ravines and thorns all night, regaining their senses just at dawn, more dead than alive. Some she silenced, some she crippled, and with others, she had amorous relations. To many, she appears as a charming woman with hair reaching the ground and as tall as three fences, sometimes with hooves in place of feet, or even as a white mare. Of course, she can change her form at will, turning into a blue flame that spreads across the field or taking the guise of her lovers’ beloved, inviting them to bed. And the Forest Maiden has a bewitched garden with all the world’s plants, medicinal ones with magical powers, carefully planted in layers, and all the people of Maramureș know precisely where her garden is, for it has a hidden spot at the base of each proud mountain.>>
These are living legends, tales passed down by those who heard them from others, as well as stories testified by those who lived through them. This seems like a parallel plane of reality, influenced by the power of collective belief, yet the interference is real – the Forest Maiden has a physical presence, and encounters with her leave visible marks.
We invite you into an artistic installation that recreates the atmosphere and perceptual dimension of a reality where the Forest Maiden lives, immersing you in that consciousness state defined by the belief that everything is alive.
Artists:
Ioana Cîrlig – photography
Aural Eye – multimedia installation
Maria Balabaș & Mihai Balabaș – sound installation
BIOMA – botanical illustrations
Tudor Chiliman / naturalgoritm – organic installation
Ioana Cotulbea & Sanda Veber – video documentary
FOREST MAIDEN. THE MAGIC DIMENSION. V1 is an archival and field research project in Maramureș, focusing on this mythological figure and the extended family of supernatural spirits that live between worlds – one foot on earth, the other in realms of magic. This is the first episode in a series of projects exploring the magical dimension by documenting the manifestations, legends, beliefs, and superstitions that reflect the mysterious aspect of life, the one that we cannot contain in our familiar four dimensions.
The entire documentation will unfold over the coming period on ANTROPOFLORA channels—antropoflora.com / FB / Instagram / YouTube—including a monograph of the Forest Maiden, monographs on three types of ferns integral to the research on magical thinking, articles, documentary films produced during field research across seven villages in Maramureș, and interviews with ethnologists.
Book and archival research: Ilinca Micu, Oana Cristina Verdier (Of Rites and Plants), Gina Săndulescu, Ioana Gabriela Cherciu.
Field research: Ioana Cotulbea – video documentation, Sanda Veber – editing.
Project Team: Ioana Cotulbea – coordinator/curator, Aural Eye – visual identity, Claudia Falutoiu – financial manager, Maria Mora – project manager, Cosmin Tănase – web developer, Mihai Barabancea – video art clip
Poster Artwork: Aural Eye / Photo: Ioana Cîrlig / Model: Georgiana Zamfir
FOREST MAIDEN. THE MAGIC DIMENSION. V1 is a cultural project co-financed by the National Cultural Fund Administration.
Partners: Muzeul ASTRA, Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român, Romanian Art Movement, Muzeul Popular de Etnografie și Artă Populară Maramureș, Primăria Moisei, Radio România Cultural, ISCOADA, Scena9, IQads, Balkan Art Scene, Asociația Macaia, Plastic Art Performance Collective, Asociația Developing Art, Urban Lab, Asociația FOC, Asociația Minimorum, De Rituri și Plante
Thank you Pamfil Bilțiu, Elena Drăgan, Pepe Budai, Asociația Montană Moisei, Cabana Țapului Groșii Țibleșului, Adrian Marandici, Romelia Călin, Vlad Mihăescu, Alexandru Sîrghi, Mirela Cotulbea, Gigi Cotulbea, Mercedesa, Păpușa, Denis Alain Zaharia.
The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the project’s content or for how its results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.
Project developed by ANTROPOFLORA – a research and documentation platform exploring the human-nature relationship from an anthropological perspective, addressing its cultural manifestations through legends, myths, rituals, and customs.
www.antropoflora.com