[EN]

The decision of the Romanian authorities to close the markets during the second pandemic lockdown, made us wonder what would happen to the florists and to the flowers in the markets, and what would be the fate of plants and flowers in these unfortunate times when not only people suffer, but also animals and, here you are, plants.

We gave each other flowers. Gifting flowers is both a personal and social thing and to do it you need a functional chain of human and plant connections. To gift flowers you need people, flowers, you need markets, you need florists, you need gardeners.
Every time you gift flowers you establish, preserve and honour a connection, not only between people, but also between people and plants.

We decided to go to the nearest market, on the last day they were open, to buy flowers from independent florists and met halfway to swap them. We gifted each other flowers and we documented it.

So we went along to two local markets, Matache Square and Minis Square in Bucharest, bought flowers from local florists, who sell flowers produced by local gardeners. Many of them live with / through flowers and, in November 2020, they were at the end of a year in which they had seen their gardens abandoned, their flowers unsold, thrown away, wasted.
Halfway, as google maps calculated, happened to be on Labirint Street, a winding street, like a maze, a street partially disfigured by demolition and reconstruction, with an extensive and documented history.

We met, therefore, on Labirint Street and we exchanged flowers on November 8, 2020, at noon, in Bucharest, the last day when the Romanian markets were opened.
People and plants, we always suffer connected.
We wanted to talk about it this. We performed. People, plants, together.

Labyrinth Halfway, a performance by Roxana Donaldson, Ana-Cristina Irian and Cristina Bodnarescu and produced by 24/7 art and Omnia Photo

Labyrinth halfway was entirely filmed by smartphone. Labyrinth Halfway was submitted and presented during VKRS Festival, in Bucharest, November 2020.

[RO]

Decizia autoritatilor romane de a inchide pietele in timpul celui de-al doilea lockdown pandemic ne-a facut sa ne intrebam ce se va intampla cu florarii din piete, ce se va intampla cu florile din piete, care va fi soarta florilor in aceste vremuri nefericite in care nu doar oamenii sufera, ci si animalele si, iata, plantele.

Ne-am daruit, reciproc, flori. Este un obicei vechi, este un gest incarcat de semnificatii personale si sociale si care presupune un intreg lant functinal de conexiuni umane si vegetale. Pentru a darui flori ai nevoie de oameni, de flori, ai nevoie de piete, ai nevoie de florari si de gradinari.

A darui flori inseamna a forma, a pastra si a onora o conexiune, nu doar intre oameni, ci si intre oameni si plante.

Am decis sa mergem fiecare din noi in piata cea mai apropiata, in ultima zi de piata libera, sa cumparam flori de la tarabe si sa ne intalnim apoi la mijlocul drumului dintre aceste piete, sa schimbam florile si sa documentam totul foto-video.

Am mers in doua piete locale, Piata Matache si Piata Minis din Bucuresti, am cumparat flori de la florari locali, care la randul lor comercializeaza flori produse de gradinari locali. Pandemia a afectat nu doar aceste bresle ci si gradinile, impreuna cu plantele cultivate. Multi dintre ei traiesc alaturi de/prin flori si, in noiembrie 2020, erau la capatul unui an in care isi vazusera gradinile abandonate, florile nevandute, aruncate, irosite.

Jumatatea drumului, asa cum ne-a aratat-o google maps, s-a nimerit pe strada Labirint, o strada serpuita, desfigurata partial de demolari si reconstruiri, cu o istorie veche si ampla.

Ne-am intalnit, deci, pe strada Labirint si am schimbat intre noi flori, pe 8 noiembrie 2020, la ora pranzului, in Bucuresti, ultima zi in care pietele din Romania au fost deschise.

Filmarile au fost facute integral cu smartphone-ul; Labyrinth Halfway a fost submis si prezentat in cadrul VKRS Bucuresti, 2020.