October 2018 – by Ramona Ilieș from Timișoara Penitentiary, Romania
As we have accustomed the Timisoara public ever since the Plai Festival began, every year, since 2006, the Timișoara Penitentiary is present with the most unusual activities in the so pleasant atmosphere of the Bănățean Village Museum.
The event is part of the Timișoara Penitentiary’s range of projects to normalize the relationship between detainees and the community. It also supports the development of prosocial, autonomous and responsible behaviours in the community by detainees and provides the experience of being in the midst of artists from all corners of the world being unprecedented.
Under the name of ‘Art and Culture among the bars’, the cultural and artistic program prepared by the Timișoara Penitentiary at the 13th Edition of the Plai Festival 2018, consisted of the following workshops:
- Tattoo workshop (Henna tattoos and Face Painting)
- Creative Workshop ‘We share dreams’ in collaboration with Livia Mateias
- Workshop ‘We read and create stories‘ in collaboration with the ArtLitTim Bastion Association
- Musical workshop (we learn musical notes)
- Creative workshop with ‘decoupage’ technique (cutting of napkins)
Throughout the festival, at the Timisoara Penitentiary stand, the exhibition of works (drawings, paintings, objects made by quilling technique) that was carried out by detainees in the penitentiary within the manual empowerment circle, was greatly admired.
