I had the great opportunity to interview Ruta Sepetys, the historical fiction writer that wrote “I Must Betray You'“ novel about communist Romania. Read her thoughtful reflections of the five year research and the labor of love that went into this book that tells, yet, another story that could have been, otherwise, lost.
Washington DC, The Wharf, February 16, 2022
I’ve met Andi in the Fall of 2020, during my tenure as Executive Director of Romanian United Fund. We were working at the time on bringing the ‘Mi-E Dor De Tine’ light art installation to Chicago, its first exhibit in the United States. The team working on the project was spread on three time zones, Midwest, East Coast, Romanian time, on two continents. Andi’s enthusiasm has been the driving force for this project to happen and thrive. After him and I worked together to bring the installation to Washington DC, I asked Andi to virtually ‘sit down’ with me and share his thoughts for the Romanian At Heart readers.
Daniela Kammrath: How did you come up with the idea for this project, Mi-E Dor De Tine?
Andi Daiszler: MI-E DOR DE TINE is the signature artwork created by the Daisler Association for the Lights On Romania light-art festival. We call it a signature artwork because in some form it exists in every project we are handling with the Daisler Association and it is one of our trademarks. The first time MI-E DOR DE TINE was on, people stopped and took pictures of it, pictures that they sent to their loved ones. That is how we understood that it needs to travel and be on display away from Romania so that it comforts those who long for their loved ones.
D.K. What made you go with it to London? Chicago? DC?
A.D.: London was the first destination outside the Romanian borders. Dani Popescu, our artistic director, had a friend organizing the Canary Wharf Winter Lights festival and that is how we approached the project the first time. London has about 300.000 Romanians living in its neighborhoods, so we knew from the start that we wanted to target a large Romanian destination. Chicago came naturally, one of our friends suggested it and connected us with the people from Romanian United Fund. After Chicago, I started talking with you about how crazy it would be to have MI-E DOR DE TINE in Washington D.C. in less than 3 months from the Chicago exhibition. And it was crazy but totally doable and we are glad that we made it here.
Andi & Anca Daiszler , Washington, DC, February 16, 2022
D.K. How is the Romanian Diaspora seen from back home, in Romania?
A.D.: I think that this question has multiple answers depending on who you ask. For those that have loved ones, the Romanian Diaspora has a name, a face, something to miss, and so on. For those seeking to be elected every 4 years, the Romanian Diaspora is a force that cannot be neglected, with almost 25% of the population of Romania currently living abroad. For others, sometimes, the Romanian diaspora represents the people making the news in a very unpleasant way. These are all true and you have to understand the size of the Romanian diaspora in terms before casting any judgment. One thing that has always struck me in regards to the Romanian diaspora is the way they blend in with the local population and adapt to each nation's specifics, be it in Sweden, the United States, or Italy. I found this as a way of natural camouflage because as soon as you leave the Romanian borders, I think it will be very hard to locate the Romanian communities from abroad, not having Community Centers or strong visibility elsewhere.
D.K.: What do you believe is the biggest contribution to Romania that we, the diaspora, could have?
A.D.: I think that everyone should travel outside the Romanian borders at least once in their lifetime, even if it's just for a couple of days. The mere sight of other cities, of other developments made elsewhere, is a transformational experience, one that would allow everyone to understand what progress is all about. Afterward, I would encourage those that can return and help shape the future of Romania. The western way of thinking is the biggest contribution the Romanian diaspora can bring back home, but it needs to be implemented in Romania, therefore some need to come back home.
D.K.: Share with us some of the other projects you’ve worked on with Daisler Association until now.
A.D.: The Daisler Association has the habit of focusing on projects dedicated to the urban landscape around us. We do a very chic Flower Market as a street delivery type of project called Strada Potaissa which won last year the prize for the best community-run project in Cluj. Strada Potaissa is dedicated to reinvigorating a street that is very close to downtown Cluj-Napoca, a street that is often dirty and filled with garbage. We clean it every year and turn it into the biggest street celebration in Cluj.
Another project by the Daisler Association is the Green Center (Centrul Verde). It aims to explain and facilitate the transformation of a certain part of Cluj-Napoca into a western-looking street by giving free flowers to people living on those streets.
The third project is the Blue Monday project, which tries to set up support groups led by psychologists in Cluj-Napoca. This is a first because in Cluj there aren't really support groups for people wanting to meet with other people that go through the same
Next is of course the Lights On Romania project, our biggest one so far. This is a light festival that tries to showcase state-of-the-art works from Romanian and foreign artists in a movement to convert Romanian cities into large outdoor art galleries. Normally we would have about several tens of thousands of people attend an exhibition or a hundred thousand attend a festival edition. We had the first edition in Bucharest in December 2021, right now we are working for the next edition to take place in Cluj and Bucharest together.
D.K.: What’s next?
A.D.: There are many plans in motion, we dedicate a lot of hard work to making our projects take place. I would really like to have another exhibition in the US, maybe in New York or San Francisco, and afterward move it to another city in North America, maybe one from Canada, who knows.
Note for our readers:
The “Mi-E Dor De Tine” art installation was exhibited in Washington, DC between February 14 and March 21st, 2022, at The Wharf. You can read more about the launch and see pictures from the event in the blog dedicated to it here.
More about the Lights on Romania projects here: https://lightsonromania.com/en/home.
More about “Mi-E Dor De Tine” projects here: https://despredor.org.
In my short visit to Paris this fall, I wanted to take a real feel of what the city has to offer, but enjoy the touristic side of it, too. … Thus I wondered about Centre Pompidou, located near the famous quarter Le Marais - arr. 4 and marvelled on the not-so-hidden Parisian gem: Constantin Brancusi's workshop/atelier.
I had the chance to see Jeffrey’s first show with “Exactly 67 minutes” last month and I loved it instantly: I enjoyed the music, I laughed out loud at his jokes, I appreciated his interaction and perfect sync with the three musicians that he has met few hours before the show. This is why I thought I should give Jeff a hand with his show to be more known and to you a chance to attend it, if you are in DC on May 19. But until that, let’s find out more about Jeff:
In the last four years, since I moved to America, I have met some great Romanian born artists living in the Unites States. This year I felt that is even more important to bring together artists to celebrate the annual Europe Day and its already traditional European Union Open House. This is the day when the European Union countries open their Embassies to the public. All the people that want to learn more about these countries are encouraged to visit. And so our exhibit will be in the heart of all these happenings. We will celebrate together unity, the achievements of Romanian Americans in a competitive world that strives for unity in its diversity. This is also my way of celebrating being an European.
Romanian Tiberiu Useriu (44, born in Bistrita Nasaud) won the ultramarathon Arctic Ultra 6633 for third time in row. Regarded by many as the toughest, coldest, windiest ultra distance footrace on the planet, Artic Ultra had 32 participants on the race, out of which 23 in the race of 350+ miles (560+ km). 174 miles (280 km) of them were on the Ice Road, a frozen river with extreme temperatures between -30C (-22F) and -50C (-58F). After the first day of the competition, eight participants dropped, among them 3 Romanians, Avram Iancu, Polgar Levente, and Florentina Iofcea.
I’ve met Andreia after arriving in DC, almost three years ago. We were friends on Facebook and I admired her work and her joie de vivre. When I came up with the idea of organizing and curating a collective exhibit of Romanian born American artists last spring at Artomatic in Crystal City, VA, I reached out to her, as well. I discover a complex woman, a loving mother and gifted art teacher, an artist in love with color and magic.
