When: 28-30 September 2018
Where: Margina & Zorani
The first edition of Moving Fireplaces Fest took place between September 28 and 30, 2018, in the villages of Margina and Zorani (Timiş county), situated at a distance of about 100 km from Timişoara. These two villages were chosen especially because of to the existing tourist dynamics generated by the Margina Tourist Information Center and Margina Commune Hall, partners of the project in 2018. The festival program included: theatre performances, folk music , exhibition of fishes made of glass, short movies screenings and cine-concerts, creative workshops for children, mural painting, horse-drawn carriage rides, local products fair.
ANOTHER HAPPY DAY. The play was inspired by the real story of the peasant Serafin Oproni from the village of Zorani, who in the 1950s adopted his own granddaughter to avoid collectivization. The story was found during the field research phase of Moving Fireplaces project, in January 2018, from Mrs. Rodica Codrea (born Oproni). During the festival, “ANOTHER HAPPY DAY” was played in the courtyard of the house of Zorani where Serafin Oproni lived. The story is considered a special example of a moving fireplace, Mrs. Codrea moving from the edge of the village where she lived with her biological parents in the center of the village in her uncle Serafin Oproni’s home. The play, written and directed by Andrei Ursu, is the original production of Solidart Association, staged in the framework of the Moving Fireplaces 2018 development.
THE JOURNEY. In folk music rhythms and led by a surprise character, the festival participants went together from Margina to Zorani at the “ANOTHER HAPPY DAY” theatre show. There were several stops on the way, where travelers could pull their souls and listen to the stories of the community. The folk music was provided by Mambo Syria, a folk music marching band from Darvari, Mehedinți county.
MURAL ART. From September 26-30, 2018, artists Paula Duţă and Stefan Orion painted a wall of the Margina House of Culture. Choosing the stork as a central element was not at all accidental, the bird symbolizing both migration and return to the roots.
TRAVELLING SOUND OVER THE VILLAGE. The French artist Hinterheim (musician Sylvain Bardy) was in Margina and Zorani between 19-30 September 2018, during which he recorded and filmed the villages and locals. The result of those days was revealed on the evening of the last day of the Moving Fireplaces Fest, consisting of projections of images from the villages of Margina and Zorani, accompanied by a sound installation.
GLASS FISHES EXHIBITION. 30-40 years ago, you could find a glass fish in almost every house. It was one of the most popular decorative objects, usually exhibited in the living room, on top of the TV. Although its popularity has fallen sharply in 1990, one can still found glass fishes in some houses; or, more recently, in the private collection of a Timisoara antiquarian, who has collected over 400 copies up until now. About 150 glass fishes were exhibited at the Moving Fireplaces Fest, in the courtyard of Ion Clopoţel’s (1892-1986) house, a well-known Romanian journalist.
MIORIŢA. One of the most famous Romanian ballads was staged by the independent theatre company Auăleu from Timişoara in 2017. Theater play, show or black metal concert – the theatrical adaptation of the Auăleu’s “MIORIȚA is a bit of each, and the masks masterfully made by Aura Bălănescu delighted the viewers who came to see the show at the Moving Fireplaces Fest.
WORKSHOPS. The Moving Fireplaces team had prepared various workshops (paper, work in the field, string art) and puppet theater for the small ones. A fair of local products and horse-drawn cart rides were provided by the Margina Tourist Information Center, partner of the festival.
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