Dry stone workshop and presentation, 30 September 2012

On Sunday, 30 September 2012, a workshop and presentation on dry stone masonry techniques were organized by EXPEDITIO and the association Dragodid from Croatia. The workshop was held in an olive grove in the village of Tići on Luštica Peninsula. The workshop was led by Filip Bubalo and Grga Frankeš, representatives of the Dragodid association.

The workshop was followed by a public presentation on dry stone masonry techniques and activities of the Dragodid association. The presentation was held at 8.00 p.m. at the Gallery of Solidarity (Flour Square – next to Pima Palace) in the Old Town of Kotor.

The 4 grada Dragodid project began with the recognition that dry-stone masonry techniques are a part of the region’s intangible heritage which is of immense and practical importance for future generations: they produce usable and aesthetic buildings from locally available materials and means. The project is an attempt at transferring knowledge and skills from the old masters to future generations of enthusiasts and heritage professionals, through setting up workshops, printed manuals and the dragodid.org website. It aims at re-establishing dry-stone as an efficient, aesthetic, humane and sustainable option for the construction of simple buildings and structures in the Mediterranean. In 2011, Dragodid received an Europa Nostra award for cultural heritage in the category: Education, training and awareness-raising. Additional information on Dragodid can be found at www.dragodid.org.

This activity was organized as a part of two projects currently implemented by EXPEDITIO: CSEinHeritage - Civil Society Engagement in the preservation of the build cultural heritage of the Western Balkans, implemented within the IPA 2009 – Civil Society Facility – Multi-beneficiary Programmes “Support to partnership Actions between Cultural Organisations” launched by the European Commission; and Valorization of the vernacular heritage in Montenegro , funded by the Headley Trust.

We want to thank to the inhabitants of Tići, especially Moric family, for their hospitality |www.ticci.info|.

We also extend our thanks to the Public Institution “Museums” Kotor for letting us use the Gallery of Solidarity to hold the presentation.