On November 7, the Visual Studies Center from Bucharest will launch “9 Audio-Visual Monographs” – a project that offers a fresh look at nine villages in Romania: Șomartin, Titești, Slătioara, Brădetu, Jupânești, Șotrile, Bisoca, Rogojeni, and Jurilovca. Through cultural activities and personal stories, the project explores these communities in an immersive and creative way. The event, beginning at 6:00 PM at the Visual Studies Center, will present an interactive audio-visual exhibition that brings elements of the project to life.
A diverse team of 16 individuals, including lawyers, ecologists, artists, writers, architects, and cultural managers, some from rural areas and others recently relocated, has created an in-depth look at the trend of moving from cities to villages. These monographs feature audio interviews, photos, notes, maps, ecological insights, and fictional or biographical texts. The project also organised village gatherings (șezători) with music, storytelling, dialect readings, historical discussions, and tastings of local foods, bringing new energy to the communities.
“We started this project at a critical moment of generational change. It’s a bit late, but fortunately, it’s not the only project addressing this topic. Our approach focuses on people experiencing this transition personally, up close, on the ground. These are people moving from urban areas back to rural life—a national trend that is big enough to shift mindsets. This return to the village comes as old homes fall into disrepair and the last elders, who hold the knowledge of rural life, near the end of their journey, making way for younger generations who often work in nearby factories, corporate offices, or even online,” said Cătălin Rulea, one of the project’s initiators.
The project also led to the creation of nine unique libraries in these villages, each filled with books that celebrate rural values, as well as personalized audio-visual monographs for each community. An online archive of stories and interviews for each village will be available at www.centruldestudiivizuale.ro.
The monographs are also published in a volume titled “9 Audio-Visual Monographs” now available in local libraries.
“This volume invites readers into the complex world of returning to the village and reimagining rural life through these nine cases, which we call audio-visual (A/V) monographs. It’s a bold approach, as there are inevitable tensions. Those expecting traditional, comprehensive monographs will be surprised. Instead, we’ve used ethnographic and self-reflective methods that blend various audio-visual techniques, capturing each village through focused experiences, creative activities, and personal stories,” added Alexandru Bălășescu, an anthropologist on the project.
“9 Audio-Visual Monographs” is a project by the Cărturești Foundation, in partnership with the Visual Studies Center (CSV) and co-financed by AFCN.