AFTER BULGARIA'S AMAZING TRIP, THE AMAZING FRIENDS I MADE ALL THE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES I DISCOVERED AND GOT INTRODUCED TO, ALL THE AMAZINGNESS JUST CONTINUED IN MY TRIP TO MAATSRICHT. I GOT INVITED Y MARRES HOUSE OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURE TO MAKE A PERFORMANCE DURING CARNAVAL.  BEFORE BULGARIA I WAS HESITANT ABOUT PERFORMING DURING THE PARADE, BUT NOW I WANTED AND I NEEDED TO BE THERE AND PARTICIPATE IN IT! 
BULGARIA MADE ME REALISE I HAD NO  CONNECTIONS TO THE TRADITIONS IN MY OWN COUNTRY AND HOW I GENUINELY MISSED EVENTS OR CELEBRATIONS WHERE PEOPLE FROM ALL AGE GROUPS COME TOGETHER AND UNITE AND CELEBRATE LIFE ITSELF. MARRES CREATED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS AND EXPLORE THIS EVENT. 
ITS OF COURSE A CHALLENGE FOR AN ARTIST; WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PUT MY ART IN THIS CONTEXT? WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR MY WORK?  HOW WILL IT BE RECEIVED?
THE DAY STARTED GREAT; I GAVE A WORKSHOP TO EXPLORE THE COSTUMES WITH MY FELLOW HUMMELMANIA MEMBERS; IT WAS SO MUCH FUN, WE TALKED ABOUT OFFICE CULTURE AND OUR PERCEPTION OF IT, MADE DIFFERENT, SOMETIMES OUTRAGEOUS, TABLEAUX VIVANTS AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED!
THERE WAS AN INTRODUCTION TO SOME ANSWERS AS  HUMMELMANIA WAS PERFORMED AND WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS BY FELLOW CARNAVAL CELEBRATORS; THIS FOR ME IS A TRUE COMPLIMENT TO SEE THAT THE WORK SPEAKS TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF AN ART CONTEXT WITHIN A WORLD WHERE SO MANY PEOPLE MAKE SUCH EFFORT; I VE SEEN SO MANY BEAUTIFUL COSTUMES TODAY; SWAMP PEOPLE, TREE PEOPLE, DEVILS, ANGELS, A LOVE BOAT AMONG OTHERS, A FANFARE OF ALIENS PLAYING MUSIC.

It has Newman amazing few days being here in Bulgaria! Thanks to the financial support of the centrum beeldende kunst I'm able to travel and research the kukeri tradition and other costume design rituals, it's been more than fabulous!

First days in Sofia were so heartwarming and mind expanding in terms of history and its construction our relationships with the materials around us, and time as a Material.

Now I'm in Pernik and I'm in a weird hotel struma it's called typical hotel but already a good spot to meet with other surva visitors!

Here are some pictures of the trip, you can also follow me on Facebook or Instagram (Mette sterre)