The Maria Nobrega Foundation and the International Traditional Knowledge Institute, U.S. Chapter (ITKI US), on 3rd August, 2019, was held in Archita, Mures, Romania the “Archita Traditional Knowledge Festival.

This event wanted to honour Colonel’s Michael Rodney Carrington legacy, the Founder of the Maria Nobrega Foundation and International Traditional Knowledge Institute.

The event was including in a wider project, “Creative Textile”, which has the main aim of preserving, narrating and sharing textile traditions and the ancient techniques used through the Creative Knowledge Platform methodology. Thanks to the Creative Knowledge Platform and to the Archita’s Event, artisans of the world can exchange ideas and establish new forms of collaboration. This exchange is a cross-pollination of knowledges and ideas between artisans from Como and Romania, and not a cultural appropriation.

One example of a creative textile cross-pollination has already taken place in Creative City of San Cristóbal de Las Casas with the city of Como, Candidate 2019 UNESCO Creative City of Craft & Folk Art, on April 3rd, 2019 (for more info click here). The idea is to replicate this cross-pollination, among the artisans of Romania, Como and San Cristobal de Las Casas. The event in Archita has the main aim to lay the foundation to a new and more extensive version of the project “Creative Textile”, with the idea to create a wider event the next year, opening it to textile artisans from all over the world, creating a physical and virtual hub of collaboration.

More details about the event here

Below: pictures about the traditional “IE” blouse, an ancient garment typical of the Romanian culture, which has become famous throughout the world. Prestigious international designers were inspired by the “IE” patterns to make garments from their collections.