« Keeping the disappearing crafts »: the artist Boris Delchev, who restores a school in the village of Relyovo
Guided by the desire to convey the accumulated experience, as well as to fill the lack of practical education in the fields of arts and crafts in Bulgaria, he decides to create a modern Renaissance Bottega – a place for training and joint work between young talents and well -established masters.
| « A space where knowledge, practice and thinking are inextricably linked, » he said during the presentation of his project at the French Institute. |
Special guests of the event were designer Christian Lubuten, part of the World Monuments Fund, the famous French decorators Michel Charier and Joseph Ashkar and the entrepreneur Alan Sangines-Craus, whose castle in Ireland the Delchev team have restored. Later, they joined a discussion on « World experience in preserving cultural monuments » to tell more about their expertise and experience in restoring architecture monuments.
Boris Delchev graduated from the Boz-Ar National Academy of Arts in Paris, after which he founded the studio « Vrai Faux Design ». With his international team of artists and craftsmen, he has implemented a number of restoration and decorative projects in Paris, New York, London, and his clients include names such as Gerand Ermes, Christian Lubuten, Thierry Mugler and Philip Stark.
Excessively abstract curricula and the shortage of experienced professionals are just part of the reasons for the birth of his idea of creating a place where young talents can learn and work side by side with established masters from his team and with leading experts from around the world.
| « Our goal is to train a new generation of young artists and craftsmen from Bulgaria and abroad to our high standards, combining traditional techniques and a modern approach. This will preserve the disappearing arts and crafts and will respond to the new challenges in the field of world cultural heritage, » said Boris Delchev. |
Philip, who helped « Notre Dame » resurrect and tattoo her on her heart
According to him, Bulgaria is a country with long traditions in the field of artistic crafts, which, however, do not always manage to survive among the vicissitudes of time, so it is important for him to continue to develop. « Only in this way can new creative horizons be discovered and make sense of the environment we inhabit, » the artist added. The idea of equality between the artist, the craftsman and the transformation of the objects of everyday life into artistic works is important to him. Ecological and social sustainability are also among its main priorities.
Delchev showed footage from the school, which was built in 1922 with the efforts of all residents of the village so that their children could receive education. It stopped functioning in 1985, when the village began to depopulate, but from 2021, when it managed to buy it, it hoped it would open its doors again and convey to the next generation « the inexplicable pleasure of drawing, modeling and casting. »
| Because as he said before, « Children wouldn’t even ask us why we do it. » |
« Monuments ambulance »: How Romanian volunteers save the forgotten cultural heritage
There will be various ateliers of painting, sculpture, ceramics, layout, restoration, library, a separate storage room for all materials, as well as universal spaces for different workshops, including performance and modern dance. « You may be wondering what the modern dance and performance of the archaicism of crafts in our vision have.
During the discussion, decorator Michel Charier explained that restoring historical sites often means restoring realities. « But it is important to know how to keep in touch with what has been done before, with the creators, with the architects, with the cultures that, if after a while, no restoration is made, disappear. So the aspect of restoration of things that have been there is respect for humans and humanity, » he added.
For the decorator Joseph Ashkar, the younger generation is more sensitive to the past, to its preservation, to the preservation of the lines of time. Asked how his love for this profession was born, he replied that she was born of the love of beauty, to beautiful buildings, beautiful sculptures, beautiful painting, but also from curiosity. It is the main engine in the restoration.
Designer Christian Lubuten, known for the iconic red soles of the shoes he creates, also said he had a special connection with crafts. « My job is mostly craftsmanship, this is the first thing. But my father was a master of furniture, so he worked with a tree and therefore he was a craftsman. So I was always immersed in this work where details are very important. »
The artist Boris Delchev ages Louis XV wallpapers for a museum in Paris
He explained that the border between craftsmen and artists should be broken, that they are part of a community. « What is the difference between a sculpture whose artist is unknown, and a sculpture that is signed and is quite beautiful, just because it is signed? There is no one, it’s just a status, » the designer said.
At the final, Boris Delchev sent his message to everyone – to try to imagine the future while strolling through Sofia with traces of past eras on it, and « how can we do something to ensure that this city will keep its soul. »
