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PLACEMENT REPORT BULGARIA 2004

The first skill I undertook was making cowbells. I was shocked to find that there are only two professional makers in the whole of Bulgaria. Our master told us of his worries that his traditional skill may be forgotten in the future. I found this extremely interesting, as I didn't expect to be doing anything of this nature. There is definitely a need for strong arms in order to work the metal. I do metal work as part of my jewellery module at college, so I was already familiar with some techniques used, such as using moulds to shape the metal.

We then moved on to weaving belts. The first was a technique where we used numbered cards and coloured threads. Nicki and I had to work as team to produce our belts, which wasn't a problem as we both have interests in fashion and accessories.

We then started another technique, which was more like plaiting than weaving, however I was pleased with both outcomes. The loom in the weaving workshop was still used to produce bags and carpets. Originally they used twisted goats hair in different shades to create patterns, as opposed to the brightly coloured threads and strings we used. It would have been nice to work with the original materials as well.

Both of these skills took place in Etra in a working museum, where there was many more traditional crafts to view, such as woodcarving, jewellery making and pottery. It was like stepping into another era walking down to this placement, with the cobbled narrow street, beamed buildings, wooden sheds, grinding stones and water mills.

Our next work placement was in Chiprovsky. Where we started by learning how to dye using natural sources. From these workshops, we produced sheets of samples, showing colours created from the dying experiments. Our second task was to learn traditional loom weaving. This town was renowned for its skilled carpet making. Every house would have a loom set up and girls were taught from a young age. We set up the loom from scratch working in pairs to attach the warp threads. We were guided step by step all the through, in order to produce a bag to a high standard. The technique, although relaxing, it became tiresome due to the repetitiveness. However I would definitely like to try this again. The end result was a small colourful bag.

The Bulgarian culture seems much more relaxed, however they appear to have set ways and lifestyles. They believe in keeping old traditions going. We had four young girl dressed in traditional Clothing, sing traditional songs, all of which were telling a story of events which happened in their town. We socialized with people of our age during evenings, some of which spoke fluent English and many knew basics, however there was always a language barrier, especially when shopping.

Learning in Bulgaria has opened my mind; as to how much we take things for granted in our country. Bulgarians carry on these skills to make a living, but I found their skills aren't really appreciated in their own country, which is why everyone we worked with was more than willing to share their skills with us, which I am very grateful for. Our accommodation was satisfactory and of the four places we stayed we were provided with three meals a day in two, and even had a taster of traditional foods. I think the placement would have been just as beneficial if we were to stay in Etra for the duration, as there were many other skills there I would've liked to have learnt, although admittedly travelling around the country did give us a wider view of Bulgaria. I am still interested in having a career in the fashion industry, and skills learnt, such as, belt weaving will be used in my college work. I also want to go to university in Milan, so I can broaden my cultural experiences in different countries, which hopefully reflect in work I produce. Overall, the placement in Bulgaria was an amazing experience. I have learnt many new skills and facts from a country, of which beforehand, I truthfully didn't know where it was on a map.

By Cheryl McDougall

 

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