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KODALA-Social Enterprise
By Tika Bujiashvili
Coming across wooden puzzle-toys-funny rabbits, donkeys and even The Bremen Town Musicians at the toy-shop Super and already at Mtatsminda Park at the weekends, you may not imagine that in Tbilisi, on Rustaveli Avenue there is a small social enterprise “Kodala” where these hand-made, well -wrapped toys are made.
Kodala, established in 2013, operates a social enterprise woodworking business which fabricates wooden assemble toys, which develops imagination and memory of children and helps them exercise their eyes and mind.
People employed here are people with limited abilities, minor probationers, social insecure young people and even former prisoners. They don’t rely on grants or donations, but instead earn their income through selling their hand-made products. Here you will meet a cheerful, blue-eyed old man who likes posing and taking photos very much. He doesn’t have a hand but still works to make ecologically pure toys for young generation.
People, employing at Kodala, acquire new professions through different innovation techniques. They can also study artistic processing of wood.
Today the organization produces more than 50 kinds of wooden toys and different miniature wooden products puzzles, mechanical toys and souvenirs.
As Kontstantine Svanadze, The General Director of the Social Enterprises “Kodala” said, the aim of the organizations is an integration of the people with limited abilities. Since employing people with limited abilities has a positive impact on employers, increases in customized and supported employment will not only help individuals with disabilities, but also benefit the workforce and society as a whole.
One thing is that Kodala is ready to host people not only locals, but guests who are interested in such kind of social enterprise. They can give masterclasses and show how children’s favorite puzzles or toys are made. It will be a good encouragement and motivation for the people employed here.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Masterclasses from Mr. George Tatulashvili, Gori, Georgia
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Georgian Traditional Crafts from George Tatulashvili
By Tika Bujiashvili
In the XIX –XX centuries Gori was famous with glazed ceramics, which was distinguished with its diversity style. Yellow glazed ceramics had green ornaments and light purple ones had green.
Mr. George Tatulashvili, who lives in Gori, Georgia, continues the old traditions, which run from the family. His grandfather and father, worked on folk art ceramics. Visiting him he proudly shows articles where his father, uncle and grandfather’s work of arts are written about. The Tatulashvili ceramics and workshop was so famous that honored guests of Gori would be taken to the studio. Today you can find some souvenirs to be given to his ancestors by the honored people of the time. He said that at the age of 8 his grandfather had met Nickolas Tikhonov, a Russian poet and Mikolo Bajiani, an Ukranian poet.
As Mr. George says he started working on folk art ceramics in the 90s. In his workshop you can find a XIX century fireplace, which belonged to his grandfather, though today he prefers to use modern technology.
Mr. George makes different kinds of vessels-bowls, jugs, triple-qvevris, cups, special jars for Matsoni and special vessels for wine. His white glazed pottery with light blues ornaments of plants is the most outstanding. He makes copies of old Georgian traditional ornaments. In his craft shop you can find the copy of the fresco of Khintsvisi Archangel and paintings of Pirosmani, an eminent Georgian self-taught artist.
Mr. Tatulashvili is ready to receive tourists at his museum. Soon he is going to open a special exhibition hall for his works of arts where tourists will have a comfort to buy souvenirs.
Other things are surprise! Visit and discover yourselves…
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )The Amazing Art Of A Disable Artist
By Tika Bujiashvili
He paints with his left hand sitting on a wheelchair. He started painting at the age of 29. He has painted more than 100 pictures, has painted frescoes of the church. It was then when he became paralyzed. Since then he deals with disabilities in his everyday life, but still can’t live without art. It is the best way to communicate with the word.
The self-taught artist’s name is Rezo Mekvabishvili. Still, despite his limited resources he is focused on helping others. At the exhibition, organized by Charity Organization Nakvalevi, at National Library of Georgia, he raised the money from selling his paintings to help Saba a 22-year-old student, who needs rehabilitation. There was the first buyer – a pupil – Lasha Kharaishvili.
Despite his today’s condition he is going to continue his charitable activities to help others.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )New Year’s Celebration At GNM The National Gallery
By Tika Bujiashvili
Georgia celebrates Christmas on January 7, instead of December 25, due to two –week difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar. So New Year’s celebration takes place on January 14, but not as widely as on January 1.
The National Gallery invited people to celebrate New Year’s Day together on January 13 from 9 pm till 12.30am, where Niko Priosmani’s, an eminent Georgian painter, newly restored painting SVIRI was exhibited. Visitors could also view all the permanent exhibitions by Davit Kakabadze, Lado Gudiashvili and Sculptures by Iakob Nikoladze.
Visitors could enjoy live music and a glass of glintwine.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Christmas Celebration & Alilo, Tbilisi, Georgia
By Tika Bujiashvili
Georgia celebrates Christmas on January 7, instead of December 25, due to two –week difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar. On Christmas night people light candles and place them on the window-sill, so that it should be seen from outside. It means that they can give a shelter to Mary to give a birth to Jesus.
The special liturgy starts at 11 pm on Christmas Eve and lasts until morning next day. The midnight service is traditionally followed by a march called Alilo from Rose Square to The Holy Trinity Church. During the march some food, sweets, clothes and even toys are gathered by population to give to Orphanage or people in need .
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Mandala Therapy
By Tika Bujiashvili
Trainer: Ether Filipovich
“Premonition of a center of personality, a kind of central point within the psyche, to which everything is related, by which everything is arranged, and which is itself a source of energy. The energy of the central point is manifested in the almost irresistible compulsion and urge to become what one is, just as every organism is driven to assume the form that is characteristic of its nature, no matter what the circumstances” Carl Jung
The word Mandala comes from the ancient Sanskrit language and means “sacred circle” or “center.” It’s a simple geometric shape that has no beginning or end. Mandalas represent life as we know it, but they also represent a larger ecosystem and universe that exceeds our consciousness.
Carl Jung is thought to create mandalas as a form of self-expression and exploration of his internal world.
To create a mandala you simply start with a circle and then fill in the circle with colors. According to Jung, “The Self is the true center of personality, but we are much more familiar with the ego, that which we know as “I.” The ego seems to us to be of central importance because we can know it directly with our conscious mind”.
Mandalas can be used as intervention to explore the inner life versus the outer life:”When inside the circle represent what is going on inside of you, outside the circle represent what is going in your life around you.
The mandala has the power to promote relaxation, balance the body’s energies, enhance your creativity, and support healing. And you can achieve all of these benefits while having fun. It’s about the journey. When you reach your destination, you will have a representation of something meaningful and personal.You’re also acknowledging and declaring your own unlimited potential.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Art Therapy For Everybody. Tbilisi, Georgia
By Tika Bujiashvili
Life causes us to encounter change after change. These changes cause encounters with transitions that alters who we are. It means we have always been in transition. In this case Art therapy is the best tool to apply.
‘Art is a way of knowing the life of the soul’, says M.C. Richard. Art is a way of non-intellectual knowing through emotion and body. It evokes in the soul and intuition of self-hood. And again M.C. Richard’s words: “art-making carries us free of conscious thinking and judging. It accesses another part of oneself, where the mysteries of pain and release, grief and anger and despair, longing and hope are present.’
On November 11, 2016 a training course- Art Therapy For Everybody was held. Everybody could attend for free, though most of the participants still were MA psychologists. The trainer was Ether Philipovich-a well-qualified therapist.
Participants made art in a peaceful environment, with a therapist who gave them the right questions, guided along the way and allowed them to discover more about their deep inner landscape. It was the landscape which was even hidden from their mental awareness, but which could change and control them beyond their understanding.
In the end of the training participants achieved a state of peace when the answers which they were looking for were answered out of true clarity.
See photos here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9nSbTt5bVNRM01qSER5MGl2R0k
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The Vine And The Bible
By Elza Asabashvili
Georgia is a country of a rich history created by our great ancestors. In this regard, the first thing we should mention is vine, the result of industriousness of the Georgian people, who were the first to cultivate various species of vine.
Grape – a plant domesticated in Georgia in the distant past and used to make a pleasant drink – wine, that conquered the world (of course, in a good sense), contributed to the friendship among the peoples and by and by acquired a wide range of connotations: religious, political, and economic, because since the ancient times, wine has been a commodity of international trade.
According to the Bible, Noah, the God’s favorite built the ark in the Caucasus (Giorgi Ionta Hyperioni, the researcher, has comprehensive information from the time of the Deluge to the present, i.e. from the 7th to the 8th Noah), planted a vineyard, built an altar, and sacrificed wine and a couple of turtledoves to God, got drunk and stripped himself naked. Mount Ararat, which is mentioned in the Bible, is one of the coordinates of the Ark in the Caucasus. The vine species Noah used to make wine, which he sacrificed still grows in Georgia and it is of three colors: red, black and golden.
In the ancient times, wine was upgraded to the national level; the Bible says that Melchizedek, the King of Salem blessed Abraham with bread and wine. Abraham received the first Kosher wine (in Georgian – Zedashe or holy wine) from Melchizedek. The Hebrews are blessed with Kosher wine. That was when Abraham pledged that 1/10 of everything he possessed would be offered to Melchizedek.
Wine, as a part of the national culture, dates back to the ancient times in Georgia. To the Europeans, the history of Georgia as a civilized country begins with the King Aeëtes (XVII-XVI BC) – the time when the majority of European countries did not exist. “Argonautica” by Apollonius Rhodius relates that in the Palace of the King Aeëtes, Argonauts saw vine tendrils entwined around the columns and wine fountains (pp. 3,220-224).
In Georgia, there was a tradition of Zedashe and a wine cellar cult. Special attention was paid to the winemaking technologies, which subsequently came to be used in medicine. Along with “Golden Fleece”, Medea took to Greece preparations made from wine. As is well known, 50:50 mixture of spring water and black wine (grapes are black, wine made from it is ruby color) prolongs life, and removes toxins from body.
During the vintage time, Vindemiatrix – the star of vineyard care, grape-harvesting and storage looks upon our homeland. Georgian viticulturists called the star the “Star of Qvevri (a large clay wine jar)”.
Wine fermented in a vine barrel was called “angelic wine”. According to the Bible, when Abraham and Melchizedek met, Melchizedek gave Abraham the “angelic wine” to drink.
When Georgians wanted to transform the vine into I, II, III, IV … IX heaven wine, the vine / heaven relationship depended on the depth of vine root in the soil. The ancient Georgians were aware of nine heavens. There are Georgian folk songs about the heavens. Numbering of the Heavens depended on the planting depth of the vine root: the 1sttHeaven -1×49, the 2nd Heaven -2×49,……9th heaven – 9×49; Vineyard root was measured by the king’s cubits (49 cm), the 9th heaven vine root was 4 meters deep in the ground, and was therefore the 9th heaven wine came out.
For the wine to obtain healing properties, copper nails were used, which were driven in the land to a span depth from the vine roots (nail was of span length too) – five nails on five sides of vine, so that five-pointed star was formed allowing vineyard to absorb excess amount of copper. Wine produced from copper-rich black grapes was used for strengthening the health of premature children and treatment of anemia.
In paganism, the elders used the alchemical secrets of winemaking. The technology was called “alchemical marriage”. Certain plants were added to grape juice (machari). One of such plants, which is from the family of elderberry called “Pera-pera”, was added to machari in secret doses. The mixture was fermented and medicinal wine came out, which was used for 40 day treatment of severe liver diseases, gall bladder and gastrointestinal illness.
In the Georgian paganism, viticulturists defended themselves by going to the sanctuary, isolating themselves, keeping silence, only singing, talking and pronouncing incantations to vine plants. A vine seedling was watered with two bowls: a silver bowl was used when planting vines in the evening, while a gold bowl early in the morning. Jukhra Nadiradze, archeologist found these bowls during the excavations in the village of Sairkhe.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Tbilisoba 2016
By Tika Bujiashvili
On October 15-16 Georgians celebrated Tbilisoba at Rike Park (Tbilisi-capital city of Georgia). There were different activities for people to entertain. Georgian Wine Association released a new edition of the book Georgian Wine Tourism Guide. The book is about the history of wine, grape varieties, wine cellars and what is important is that each cellar has its unique QR code, which is the easiest way to reach any cellar using google map.
In the frame of festival different wine companies gave chance to visitors taste their wines.
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