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Fresh Art InternationalAuthor: Cathy Byrd
Writer/curator Cathy Byrd sparks conversations about todays art, design, and film on the Fresh Art International podcast. Synthesizing interviews and field recordings with critical commentary since 2011, the podcast archives the voices, sounds, and stories of contemporary culture makers from around the world. Language: en Genres: Arts, Design, Visual Arts Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Art and the Struggle for Peace—Reflections from Casa Zemstvei
Episode 206
Wednesday, 29 October, 2025
Today’s episode is a poetic epilogue to the nine Student Edition stories we produced in 2020 with university students from the United States and Canada. The students who produced this fresh story are from Chișinău, capital city of the Republic of Moldova. The tiny Eastern European country declared its independence from the Soviet Union not so long ago, in 1991. In spring 2025, Fresh Art International’s Cathy Byrd introduced podcasting to locals during a 3-day program. They recorded voices and sounds for stories about the independent art scene inside the state-owned architectural monument they call home. At the time of our workshop, the venue was hosting a collection of displays and public conversations exploring the impact of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Emerging podcasters Olga Raileanu, Bogdan Glavan, and Daniel Boldurat sat down with local photographer Mihail Calarașan, Ukrainian artist KAR, and sociologist Vitalie Sprînceană to talk about the role of art in times of war. Note: The original version of this episode premiered on YouTube as #1/ Reflectând Zemstvei / Peace Street. About Casa Zemstvei and the Reflecting Zemstvei Podcast: Since 2013, artists and independent initiatives have rented spaces in a center-city building known as Muzeul Zemstvei. They call their improvisational community “Casa Zemstvei.” Creators and curators, animators and activists, visitors and regulars embrace the crumbling architecture, the arctic cold, the echoey acoustics, and the primitive grandeur of this historic space. Workshop participants became producers by learning to master recording equipment, script stories, collect sounds and voices and shape stories. Recorded on location, episodes in the limited edition Reflecting Zemstvei audio program are influenced by the surrounding sonic landscape and informed by the creative characters that inhabit this “House of Wonders.” Peace Street Producers Olga Raileanu - Moldovan graphic designer with a background in journalism and media production. Bogdan Glavan - Moldovan student with experience in sound design. Daniel Boldurat - Moldovan student with experience in journalism, volunteer at Oberliht Association. Peace Street Guests Mihail Calarașan - Documentary photographer, since 2017 he has been working on personal long-term documentary projects. KAR - Ukrainian artist whose artwork was displayed at the inauguration of the ”Peace Street” at Casa Zemstvei. Vitalie Sprînceană - sociologist, co-founder and co-editor of platzforma.md. Related Episodes: Fresh Art International Student Edition Related Links: Reflecting Zemstvei Podcast on YouTube, with Subtitles Reflecting Zemstvei Podcast on SoundCloud
