Thursday, December 14, 2017

In Slovakia

 I am returning today with some final posts on the Ottawa Welcomes The World embassy series. This time I am featuring Slovakia's turn, which took place at Lansdowne Park on the first day of October.


Inside the Horticulture Building, traditional clothing, crafts, and a wealth of information on the country and its history were on display. Slovakia peacefully partitioned from the Czech Republic after the Cold War, a stark contrast to what was going on in the former Yugoslavia at the time, and today the country is part of the European Union.


These are photographs done by Jaroslav Horency, who's been photographing in his homeland since the 1970s. These are all to be found in a village called Cicmany in northern Slovakia, each home decorated in unique ways characteristic of local culture.


This was art of a different kind, a mixture of photography and acrylic that was dazzling to see. It's called Party In The 21st Century- party in this case is a Slovak word, the singular being parta, referring to a traditional headband often worn at a wedding. A pair of photographers collaborated with a painter, ethnographers, models, and a make up artist for these, and the results were richly imaginative, dream-like, and vivid.


On stage, a group of young women were performing a traditional dance.

25 comments:

  1. This is certainly an informative program. I admit I know very little about Slovakia.

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  2. I hope to get to Slovakia some day. Even more, with your photos.

    Janis
    GDP

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  3. @Kay: I would love to visit there.

    @Francisco: thank you.

    @Marianne: yes, I got to many of these events.

    @Janis: me too.

    @Tom: indeed.

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  4. It's always interesting to see the fashion style and customs of other countries William, the photo/painting art is fabulous, incroyably clever concept!

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  5. A very colorfull and informative event again.


    About yesterday's text on the stone, that was written in the Frisian language.
    Translated it means: don’t wait untill the storm is over, learn to dance in the rain. :-)

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  6. I like that outfit in the second photo!

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  7. The Slovaks have a rich culture of dance and costumes...very colorful.

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  8. It would be fun to watch the dancers!

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  9. I like their traditional clothes, they are very beautiful. Looks like a great exhibit and very informative.

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  10. This has been a very informative cultural event. Great coverage!

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  11. @Grace: I thought so!

    @Jan: thanks! It didn't occur to me to think of Frisian.

    @Sharon: it certainly stands out.

    @Red: definitely!

    @Regine: I agree.

    @RedPat: it was!

    @Jenny: thanks!

    @Bill: I enjoyed this one.

    @Christine: thank you.

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  12. Fascinating post and photos!

    Happy Weekend to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  13. Very interesting. It isn't a country that is often in the news. Their art is something to stand and linger while studying the effects of that technique.

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  14. Having spent some time in Slovakia this past summer, I can say that this exhibit definitely represented the country very well. It is beautiful there!

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  15. Such wonderful costumes/dresses. The colours are lovely.

    All the best Jan

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  16. This is a neat way to experience different cultures.

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  17. I'm further behind in blog reading than I thought!

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  18. @Carol: thanks!

    @Mari: I'd love to visit.

    @Lois: you're lucky!

    @Jan: I agree!

    @Jennifer: it is.

    @Nancy: indeed!

    @Klara: that they are.

    @Norma: that happens!

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