Last week, we organized a 3-day master class in Idrija, which was attended by as many as 40 participants from Slovenia, Romania, and Slovakia. Thus, for a few days, Idrija practically became the center of heritage events in Slovenia. On the sidelines of the workshops, the Day of Miners' Houses was also held with a round table and a concert.
The master class was held under the title RE:viving Heritage Masterclass: new approaches to old challenges. 30 Slovenian participants, who were selected through a public tender, were joined by participants from Slovakia and Romania. Guests from partner organizations Gotická cesta (Slovakia) and Locus (Romania) also came to Idrija. The master class was also part of the official program of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025.
Lime plasters, digitization, and storytelling
The main part of the program was represented by workshops in three different areas. The participants already chose the module they wanted to attend before the start. At the workshop on traditional construction with lime plaster, under the guidance of experienced academic restorer, researcher, and lime plaster master Klavdi Zalar, part of the wall surface at the Giser house was restored and various techniques of applying lime plaster was learned in practice.
At the second workshop, led by Ajda Bračič and Maša Ogrin, the stories and images of Idrija were in the foreground in the context of the interpretation and promotion of cultural heritage. The stories of Idrija thus came to life anew through mini-cultural routes, poetry, memories, or simple narration. At the end, the participants also presented their work with an occasional exhibition in the Giser mining house.
If the second workshop was mainly characterized by creation in the fantasy or historical world, the third workshop put digitization in the field of cultural heritage in the foreground. The participants thus learned more about 3D digital capture, the most important applications in this field, and useful aspects of the use of digitization in practice. Under the guidance of mentors from Arctur, Matteo Pascal, Luka Vodopivec, and Matevž Straus, they also tried their hand at 3D digital capture.
Many opportunities in the field of heritage
In addition to the workshops, the program was also characterized by other activities. Already on the first day, we went on a guided tour of Idrija, and in the evening, the machine room of the Inzaghi shaft, where part of the program took place, was also opened to external visitors. On the Day of Mining Houses (which was moved from in front of the Giser mining house due to bad weather), we hosted Jernej Hudolin, Director General of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Špela Spanžel, Director General of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, and restorer and craftsman Klavdi Zalar in a round table. Ajda Bračič masterfully connected the conversation. After the round table, the guests had the opportunity to taste dishes from the 100-year-old cookbook found in the Giser mining house, and then there was a concert by Jure Tori and Nika Zora.
Since the master class took place within the project RE: (Bathrooms, Gothic churches, and mining houses: Youth revitalization of the built cultural heritage), which is co-financed by the Creative Europe program, the partner organizations Locus from Romania and Gotická cesta from Slovakia also presented their work. The participants were also impressed by the presentation of the theater-culinary experience O, sonce moje, which we prepared at the Institute ID20. All three presentations will soon be available as webinars.
The workshops ended after 3 days with the presentation of the work by groups and the awarding of participation awards. We were happy to listen to their experiences of Idrija, and at the same time happily noted that heritage continues to connect people and communities.
The master class took place within the framework of the RE : project, which is co-financed by the Creative Europe program. It is part of the official GO! 2025 European capital of culture Nova Gorica - Gorizia.
