PATCHWORK

Patchwork is a story about the Romanian province Transylvania. The area is inhabited by german speaking Transylvanian Saxons, Romanians, Hungarians and Gypsy tribes. Since the end of communism in 1989 a lot of people - especially the Saxons - moved away and left their houses abandoned. Since then, the Saxon Culture is threatened, in most villages there aren’t any young Transylvanian Saxons left, and on Sundays only a handful of elderly people attend church. But since around 15 years young and ambitious people from all parts of Europe start building up the rural area again. Initiatives and Associations have been created to save the cultural heritage and giving new life to former ghost villages. Also it has come into fashion for people from Bucharest to own a traditional Saxon house in Transylvania and spending vacations there - far away from speed and comfort. In Transylvania, tradition meets innovation, new values are introduced. Nothing is lost, but everything is transformed. A German-Romanian carpenter reuses old materials such as windows, doors and oak beams to create modern furniture or to reinstall them in restored houses. A Saxon girl uses an antique loom to weave carpets with modern or traditional patterns. A Romanian artist lives on his own in an abandoned village which can only be reached by foot and turns the former protestant church into a piece of art. My project shows the cultural mix and heritage in the rural areas of Transylvania and tells the story of these young and brave people. It aims to make people understand that despite what we generally hear about Transylvania („our culture is lost, but what can we do?“), the area is now more alive than ever before. Yes, an era is about to end, but another is just getting started, an era that combines the cultural heritage with new ideas. It’s the story about a change happening right now, and merging so many different cultures which can only be achieved by totally understanding and respecting each other and by working together.