The creators of the “Urban Creatures” project operates in the derelict district of Sofia where the buildings are old, grey, and devastated, remembering the past communist era. They try to revitalize the district and operate through street-art. The first part of the project in the district was to change the appearance of a school which has a problem with vandalism and illegal graffiti. On the building of the school appeared fancy, colourful murals and the pupils received their own wall along with the permission to create their own graffiti on it. In the next step, Polish and Bulgarian artists, with a permission of the residents, created murals on three adjacent blocks of flats. Polish mural ETAM CRU is called “Niespodzianka,” (“Surprise”) and was created in four days’ time, and photos of it are available at the websites of Polish Institute in Sofia, Urban Creatures, and on many worldwide portals that deal with street-art. The commotion captivated the attention of Bulgarian media, and the information about the mural “Niespodzianka,” ETAM CRU appeared on the website of the City Council of Sofia. Jordanka Fandakova, mayor of the city, came there at the end of a project and welcomed Polish guests. She said that: “Art vs. Vandalism should be a motto for all spheres of social life”.
In the interview, ETAM CRU (SAINER and BEZT) said: “The name of the project is “Niespodzianka.” (“Surprise”). We do not plan our projects before hand and nor did we with this one. We saw that place and the idea came to our minds. Grandpa Dobri (a character considered as a Bulgarian saint) was already in neighbourhood, that’s why our project is not connected with the Bulgarian culture and everyday life. We do not like to explain what our projects mean, because by doing this we put people into a monotony of thinking which to the opposite of our art. We would like to let people find the answer, inspiration, thoughts which will mean something to them by themselves. We believe in people and we do not want them to lose their imagination.”
The festival captivated the attention of hundreds of citizens who were watching the works of the artists. It especially interested adolescents and aspirational artists. People were sharing the photos via social networks. Project ETAM CRU in Sofia was give coverage by the best known Facebook pages about “Street Art” (Street Art Utopia, with over 1 million followers; Street Art Poland; Street Art In The United States). The project was made possible with the support of the Polish Institute and the City Council of Sofia, it is a part of the programme for Sofia’s candidature for the “European Cultural Capital 2019.”
The full gallery: Polish Institute in Sofia and Urban Creatures
Photo © Urban Creatures Festival