Câte-n lună și-n mansardă Cultural Association announces the conclusion of its second project dedicated to Romanian and Ukrainian adolescents over the past year and a half. “Eyes on the City” wraps up after seven months of activities dedicated to exploring the city of Bucharest and the adolescents’ relationship with it through the lens of art.
“Eyes on the City” naturally extended the efforts initiated by Câte-n lună și-n mansardă Association in 2022 through the first cultural project aimed at adolescents from Ukraine, titled “Open Museums Open Hearts.”
From the start, “Eyes on the City” engaged 50 project beneficiaries, adolescents who participated in various activities over seven months, fostering cultural dialogue between young people from Romania and Ukraine. Six guided tours took place, led by experts from different fields of education and the arts. A historian, a visual artist, an anthropologist, a writer, a director, and a museum educator guided the young participants through various historical areas of Bucharest.
In the project’s second stage, “Eyes on the City” encouraged Romanian and Ukrainian adolescents to creatively express their relationship with Bucharest. The “Tourist in My City” workshops, led by director Eliza Zdru, and the “Animate the City” workshops, supported by artist Laura Pop, equipped the youth with the theoretical and technical skills needed to create their own vlogs and animation episodes.
“Eyes on the City” was also present at the 2023 Street Delivery urban culture festival, where, alongside artists Irina Cangeopol and Iryna Stepanova, the youth discovered the creative energy that such events bring. The festival aimed to give back the streets to residents by restricting car access to Arthur Verona Street. During the three days of the festival, participants in “Eyes on the City” workshops and volunteers joining the project had the opportunity to explore this aspect of the city, focusing on the idea of things, deeds, and projects that bring positive change. Some of the works created during “Eyes on the City” workshops were exhibited at the project’s booth during the festival as part of a participatory exhibition.
The project’s final exhibition features photographs taken by Romanian and Ukrainian youth who participated in a guided photography tour of central Bucharest. Until November 9, Seneca AntiCafe will display photographs of architectural details, old houses often overlooked in the daily rush, spontaneously appearing animals, and a Bucharest that may not have been noticed in this way before.
Câte-n lună și în mansardă Association will continue its efforts to culturally integrate the community of young people from Ukraine, contributing to reducing social disparities caused by their country of origin, spoken language, or social status.
The “Eyes on the City” project is carried out by Câte-n lună și-n mansardă Association and funded through the Civic Effectiveness program developed by the FDSC – Foundation for Civil Society Development in partnership with RAF – Romanian American Foundation.