Souvenirs of Dobrich

The art studio of Ivaylo Marinov is located in Stariya Dobrich. The souvenirs of the art designer are made of natural leather, in combination with ceramics. In his studio, handmade artistic plastic works with a unique design are exhibited. Participated in a number of exhibitions and festivals in the USA, Canada, Germany. His kinetic plasticity is also of interest.

Ivaylo Marinov organized a workshop on making Dobruja souvenirs. He has made various prototypes containing the typical symbols of the Dobrudja region, such as the sun, sunflower, ear of wheat, etc. It uses natural materials such as leather and ceramics. Under his guidance, participants will be able to make their own souvenir. In addition to visitors and guests of the city, children and young people from drawing schools will participate in the events, who will be stimulated to develop their ideas and prepare an exhibition on the theme "Symbols of Dobrudja". The goal is to preserve the memory of Dobrudja through classic symbols reminding of the old Dobruja traditions, folk and artistic crafts, creativity, nature, culture. Souvenirs and their multiplied forms will provoke an interest in continuity and inheritance, as well as in implying the memory of "classical, traditional Dobrudja" in modern times. The way of presentation, promotion and demonstration of the product implies innovation by including the following elements: Old Dobrich is the main tourist attraction of the city. It is frequented by both local residents and tourists and guests of the city. Craftsmen work on its territory, who can take up the idea and get involved in making a souvenir of Dobrudja with the expressive means of their craft and the material they work with. The product "Souvenirs of Dobrudja" will intrigue teenagers to become participants in the creation of a symbol of Dobrudja themselves. Through a live presentation and narration by the author of the product, a direct connection will be created between the author-artisan and other artisans, which will bring them together as a community working for a sustainable future of traditional Old Dobrich. Preserving and spreading the knowledge about Old Dobrich and the classic idea of traditional Dobruja. Several prototypes of souvenirs will be made to be presented to the citizens of Dobrich. The souvenirs will reflect characteristic elements of the nature and heritage of Dobruja, for example sun, sunflower, ear of wheat, clock tower of Old Dobrich, etc. In addition to the local community, the products of local artisans will also be promoted to the tourism business. This will be a prerequisite for the promotion of the region and the formation of a symbol, why not a future brand of Dobrich as a tourist destination. The tourist product "Souvenirs of Dobrudja" focuses on the production of a prototype of a "Sun" souvenir, incorporating the characteristic elements of the nature and cultural heritage of Dobrudja. It is the work of the art designer Ivaylo Marinov, it is made of natural leather, using a traditional technique, in combination with ceramics. The Bulgarian folklore heritage is extremely rich in data about the ancient luminary. The preserved tradition of placing solar symbols (cross, swastika, circle, rosette, etc.) on ritual breads and clothes speaks of the cult of the sun. There was a connection between the solar deity and pregnancy, childbirth and childcare. The most important and solemn holidays of the Bulgarian national calendar are dedicated to the Sun. Christmas Eve - the winter solstice; Christmas; Blagovets - spring equinox; Midsummer - summer solstice; Midsummer - autumnal equinox. From the found and described about 1337 Proto-Bulgarian signs on buildings, inscriptions, tablets, graves, etc. 21% are solar. They can also be seen in religious and ruler symbolism, in embroidery, in carpets and household items from all ethnographic regions of Bulgaria. In the craft tradition, on the doors of houses and churches, on the windows, iconostasis, church vestments, wedding chests, carts, sofras, gages, candlesticks, etc. The most universal magical tool in our folk culture remains the ritual bread, an expression of the bloodless sacrifice, and its round shape symbolizes the Sun God. From the preserved archival documents at the end of the 19th century, leatherworking is a craft related to animal husbandry in Dobrudja. The following trades deal with the processing of skins and the production of leather products: leather, fur, cotton, kundurji, kalpakchi, sarachestvo. Leather is used for different purposes and depending on this is the processing itself. The simplest processing of hides is to make bags, cheese sacks, bagpipes and tinfoil. In Dobrudja, kaplamy linings for outerwear, various types of men's fur coats and caps were made. The master saddlers produced the horse ammunition /saddles, straps, halters, bridles/. The appearance of the sarash craft is connected with the use of the horse as a load, riding and harness animal. With the old Arab breed of horses bred in Dobrudja, bigger horses called Bessarabian also appeared. They haul a bigger load and the hides for their harnesses now have to be better processed to be stronger. The main types of skins were: ox, buffalo, sheep, goat and horse. Before the introduction of the sewing machine at the beginning of the 20th century, the Sarachi in Dobrudja sewed the yokes entirely by hand. In addition to horse and donkey ammunition, Dobrudzhan Saraci make tservuli, leather tulums for water and leather ropes for wells. Tannery and the related production and processing of hides is an exclusively Bulgarian craft. It is an art and cultural heritage that comes from the time of the proto-Bulgarians, part of a centuries-old Bulgarian tradition that should be preserved and inherited.