In Romania, the lăutari form a distinct category of musicians. They are usually Roma (Gypsies) and perform on command in events such as weddings, christenings and political fairs. They tend to insist on the professional aspects of their practice, often presenting it as a kind of emotion making craft. Concepts such as “cleverness”, “cunning” and “slyness” are essential to their understanding of musical efficiency. Ranging from global attitudes to precise musical features, these notions outline a paradigm where music is less a form of communication than a “technology of enchantment”. Starting from the Romanian ethnographic data, I will suggest some implications of this paradigm for the anthropological study of music in general.

Victor A. Stoichita is anthropologist and musician. He worked with Roma musicians in Romania, studying their theories of musical efficiency (Fabricants d'émotion, Nanterre: Société d'ethnologie, 2008). He also designed a handbook of Romani songs taught from an ethnomusicological perspective (Chants tsiganes de Roumanie, Cité de la Musique, 2010 forthcoming). He is presently a post-doctoral fellow of the New Europe College in Bucharest, where he studies the manele, a musical genre associated with post-socialist transition and the figure of the “nouveau riche”.

Conducted by artist Cristi Ferkel, “Find Yourself in Eco Art” is a workshop that challenges its participants to introspect through art and using eco materials.

The main purpose of the workshop is for each participant to build himself/herself a self-portrait in a surprising way. This self-portrait can be presented figuratively, abstractly, full of colour, monochrome or in black and white, depending on the personality and taste of each participant, which should be discovered through this process.

Each participant will receive a cardboard in A4 format and a bag full of unconventional recyclable materials, glue, brushes and colours, pieces of advice and encouragement to learn and discover how to create a portrait.

The workshop encompasses in its unfolding also elements of cultural diversity, supporting creative thinking and freedom of expression.