The creative camp in Câtcãu was realized as part of an assistance program for the elderly. The intention was to use art to recreate aspects of elderly people’s lives. The aim was to create a traveling exhibition to draw attention to this situation and, with the funds raised, establish programs for the elderly where art could be used as a means of healing or relief. The program was sponsored by Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium-Netherlands, Academia de Arte Ion Andreescu, Cluj.
Program coordinators: Rodica Barcan, Virgil Rus.
While the events of 1989 did not have a significant impact on my everyday life, things were about to change with my participation in this first collective project at the creative camp in Câtcãu. I was in my very first year at university when I was invited by Médecins Sans Frontières, Belgium, to take part in this project. This experience caught me completely off guard. In the 1990s, immediately after the regime change, visiting such a place for the elderly would have been a challenge for anyone. A retirement home, a hospital, and a house for the mentally ill all at once, this place left a strong imprint on my perception: death became a leitmotif in my face, not so much because of its frequency but because of its banality. This accumulation of experiences in such a short period would question my entire previous life.
