„Longing for SENSE” - a photo album which leads you to introspection in search of sense and identity

Although left Romania in 1979, Răzvan Voiculescu, one of the most famous photographers, returns in 1990 with the desire to find "his purpose" in his country. He graduated from the „Academy of Fine Arts” in Copenhagen, he has specialized in graphic, design and photography at the „ School of Visual Arts” in New York, and had exhibitions in Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Paris.

At his return home, he published several photo albums with different themes, with a great public impact. One of the albums, „SENSE - Romanian essences and tastes”, was published in 2013 and two years later, Răzvan Voiculescu is back, with the second part, entitled suggestively „Longing for SENSE”, which completes a series dedicated to the traditional Romanian village. The launch took place on 23 November 2015 at the Marriott Hotel, in an atmosphere charged with a „Romanian lode” accompanied by a film and traditional music. After the event I had the joy to interview Răzvan Voiculescu for the newspaper Imperial Transylvania:  

  - Mr Voiculescu, after you have searched the purpose in "Sense - Romanian essences and tastes" now you have a feeling of „Longing for SENSE”. What prompted you to keep searching?  

We thought to cover other areas of the country, to discover other villages, especially old crafts and craftsmen that keep alive and unaltered the local spirit. We often hear about “the last farrier”, „the last blacksmith”, „the last rhapsodists”. These people who know their handicraft and keep it alive - in line with the ancient sense, often tangent with the magic - do not have anyone to follow them. This happens due to lack of interest, both of the youth, local authorities and the public, but also for lack of information and involvement. Thus, a socio-cultural heritage of great value is in danger of disappearing without ever being able to be recovered. The idea of ​​„Longing for SENSE” which represents these craftsmen, artists, or conservatives of tradition, little known or even forgotten, in one day may cease to exist.  

  - What do you propose with this large project which is not only reduced to photography?  

Our project aims to draw attention to „The keepers of the Romanian Sense”, bringing their stories in front of the public. Besides this album we focus on a national information campaign but also on a social participation through which the "Keepers of the sense" will become known to different audiences and, even more, they will become nuclei of interest for development of the communities to which they belong (awareness of the patterns they represent, attracting a certain type of tourism in their areas of origin, their involvement in various projects of education, revitalization and preservation of the crafts, arts, rituals and traditional habits).  

 - I saw that the event of the photograph album launch includes film, music and charity.  

Yes, we thought to bring added value through film and music, of course all integrated in the same concept: “Sense - tradition – identity”. At the launch of the first album I had invited Tudor Gheorghe and now, at the launch of  "Longing for Sense" we invited Grigore Leșe - both known „rhapsodists”, searchers and singers of Romanian traditional songs. Regarding the charity comes inevitably on the spiritual pathway of the „humanity”, recognized feature of the Romanian people.