We have the pleasure to inform You that the second edition of the project will take place between Nov. 31^st and Dec.2^nd 2001 in Gardzienice and Lublin. The project is widely ranged – we invited to participate in it the outstanding creators from Ukraine and Poland – professional and traditional musicians (this time also from USA and Canada), painters, actors, singers, directors and writers.

Artistic events will have an intellectual frame thanks to the participation of scholars from both countries who will lead the lectures on the history and symbolism of the Ukrainian ikon.

This year we have managed to enrich our festival with the additional cultural field - the film. Our special guest will be the outstanding director, the spiritual father of the Ukrainian "poetic film" - Jurij Ilienko. During a few days' review we will present the most important pieces of his artistic work.. The review will be crowned with the director's meeting with audience. Jurij Ilienko will also lead the master-class for the students of Academy for Theatre Practices and other Polish theatre academies.

Icons, procession banners and "the Lord's Table equipment" come from the collection of the Castle Museum in Łańcut. Among others we will present two unique icons of XVIc. (Archangel Michael, Baptism in Jordan) restored after numerous re-paintings, which preserved the original artistic design and impressive range of colours.

The exhibition will be accompanied by LECTURES:

Led by Jarosław Giemza (Poland) - the director of the Castle Museum in Łańcut, the outstanding specialist on the subject and the author of numerous publications.

Led by Myroslav Otkovycz (Ukraine) - the director of the State Centre for Monuments Conservation in Lviv.

THE FILMS' REVIEW

MEETING WITH AUDIENCE

THE MASTER-CLASS FOR THE STUDENTS OF THEATRE ACADEMIES

Jurij Ilienko is the spiritual father of the Ukrainian "poetic film". This unique trend was abolished under the communist regime therefore remained practically unknown for the European audience, but despite political obstacles Ilienko's films have become the source of inspiration for the following generations of directors. We will present the most important pieces of Ilienko's artistic work.

We believe that our review will reveal for our audience the new qualities of the European cinematography.

<KiNetic theatre> is a dance theatre form Kiev. Their performances were rewarded on several international festivals - in Russia, Germany, Egypt and other countries.

Serhij Marczenko - actor, mime and dancer is the theatre's chief and director. He also practised the Japanese butoh dance (Tadashi Endo was his master) and co-operated as a clown with the famous Canadian theatre "Cirque du Soleil"

Taras ProKhasko is a young writer from Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine). Critics, journalists and readers have proclaimed him to be one of the most interesting figures of the contemporary Ukrainian literature.

The promotion of his new book will be led by well known and highly appreciated Polish writer Andrzej Stasiuk.

Marjana Sadowska is an actress, singer and musician. She was born in Lviv. For three years she had been working with the Kurbas Theatre (Lviv). Then in the years 1991 – 2000 she worked for The Centre for Theatre Practices “Gardzienice”. There she participated in the following performances: “The life of Avvakum”, “Carmina Burana”, “Metamorphoses”, “Gardzienice Cosmos”. She was one of the leaders of the musical work in the theatre. This year she has spent in New York (given an artistic grant) where she has been giving numerous concerts and confronting her previous musical experience in co-operation with American artists. This work resulted in publishing her first solo CD “Songs I learnt in Ukraine”

She hasn’t learnt her songs from books. Each one comes from a particular person. Some of these people – the singers from Poltava and Polissi - are the guests of our festival. It would be important to notice that Marjana Sadowska does not imitate the way of singing old songs, but – working in dialog with tradition – she creates her own interpretations.

The group is conducted by Halyna Popko who not only remembers old songs and rituals, but also knows how to pass her knowledge – she teaches precisely the lines of particular voices, the specific timbre of singing and the unique ornaments. Every singer from her group (which consists of the following generations of the villagers) has to pass this “school” before she finds her own individual way of singing in the polyphonic choir. This kind of polyphony exists only in Kriachkivka.

In Polissi region the oldest rituals originating in the pagan times have been preserved till now. The calling songs, which are often direct applying to natural powers, are almost shouts. Their form can be associated to incantations and trance songs. Another type existing in the region: the simple songs – are the ballads and originate in the epic tradition. Such songs we will listen to during the Polissi singers’ concert.

Alexis Kochan is a Canadian singer, teacher and producer. With her group she works on the traditional Ukrainian music. She joins pre-Christian ritual songs with the medieval and contemporary ways of singing. She finds new creative opportunities on the edge of tradition and the present time and where the globality meets with a particular culture. Presently she co-operates with Richard Moody – violinist, guitarist and vocalist and with Julian Kytasty – bandurist and singer whose family comes from Ukraine. In his family the instrumental traditions have been passing through the following generations. Looking for traditional ways of playing he was travelling through Ukraine where he had a chance to learn from the old masters. The co-operation of these three musicians resulted in publishing a CD “Prairie Nights and Peacock Feathers”.

The author of the exhibition is Magda Kamola – a candidate for a doctor’s degree in the European College of Polish and Ukrainian Universities, the many years’ worker of the Ecological UNESCO Club and the organiser of numerous ethnographic expeditions to Ukraine. Her photographic passion resulted in gathering the unique documentation of the material and spiritual culture of the Ukrainians – also these living in Poland.

The exhibition will comprise the photos of village landscapes, sacral architecture and human faces.

All the events of the festival are open.

We heartily invite You to participate in it.

Organisers:

Marcin Jan Mrowca-leader of the project

Marjana Sadovska-the program consultant

Agata Zyglewska

Monika Kubat

Magda Kamola

Centre for Theatre Practices “Gardzienice”