Between August 29 and 31, the Perlovska River in South Park became an inspiring stage where more than 28,000 residents and visitors experienced over 200 events. The sixth edition of the festival once again proved that art and community action can work wonders.
As in previous years, the festival’s visual impact was exceptionally strong, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. This year’s artistic program was enriched by five art installations supported by the National Culture Fund, each interpreting in its own way the themes of water’s memory, climate change, the connection between past and future, and the living voice of rivers.
The exhibition consisted of site-specific interventions united by their focus on the river — its role in the dynamics of urban life and the visible and hidden stories that flow along its banks. Five installations, supported by the National Culture Fund through a competition, and three additional creative interventions formed a unique open-air gallery. From the memory of water and messages about climate to light compositions and kinetic structures — artists Teodora Rumenova, Daniela Solueva, Ekaterina Leondieva, Julien Clabecq, Anna Bacheva, Ivo Ivanov, Marta Moskova, arch. Ani Dosheva, Ivan Vulev, and Denis Ivanov reshaped our perception of the river as a space.
RE:ка – The River that Remembers / Teodora Rumenova
RE:ka is an installation made from waste collected along the riverbed, serving as a reminder that everything that ends up in the river becomes part of it. Its columns create a space for reflection — on the memory of water and the need for change.
The Rivers Speak / Anna Bacheva & Ivo Ivanov
Rivers speak through people. An audio-visual installation seeking the inner river within each person through portraits, monologues, stories, prose, and mysticism.
HLAD / Daniela Solueva
HLAD is a sculptural water tower made from 3D-printed ceramics, using clay as a natural cooling agent. The rotating modules are marked with the rivers flowing through central Sofia. The project combines traditional materials with contemporary technologies to remind us of the cooling power of water in the urban environment.
Museum from the Future / Ekaterina Leondieva & Julien Clabecq
Museum from the Future is a series of installations created by an imagined future civilization exploring the traces of an ecological collapse. Brought into the present, the museum draws attention to human intervention in nature and its impact. Each installation reveals a fragment of a possible future and poses questions to our present.
SIPHONOPHORA / STUDIO TASH
SIPHONOPHORA is an interactive light installation inspired by siphonophores — complex underwater organisms that often remain invisible to the human eye. The project draws attention to the connection between rivers and the city as parts of a single organism, in which balance is essential for survival.
Serpentine Breath / arch. Ani Dosheva
Serpentine Breath is a kinetic installation made of 30,000 ribbons swirling like a dragon — guardian of the waters. Their wind-driven movement blends protection and elemental force, echoing Bulgarian myths. Passing beneath them immerses visitors in a space where reality and legend merge.
Cycle of Purification / Ivan Vulev
Cycle of Purification explores the relationship between humans and nature through the symbolism of water — an element that has turned from source to victim. Four transparent cubes above the Perlovska River visualize the stages of the water cycle, reminding us that “purity” today is not just a state but a shared responsibility.
River in a Box / Denis Ivanov
River in a Box combines nature, science, and design through a transparent bioreactor containing microalgae from the Perlovska River that purify the air in real time. Around it are zones for relaxation and creativity, where visitors create postcards using pigments derived from algae. The installation demonstrates how natural processes can inspire sustainable solutions for urban environments.
In addition to this open-air gallery — where the river became a living canvas carrying both poetic messages and a critical look at the city’s relationship with nature — visitors during the three festival days could choose from over 200 events spread across five stages and eight activity zones. The program offered a vibrant mix of music, workshops, interactive performances, and discussions.
The art installation competition was implemented as part of the project “Rivers of Sofia 2025 – Time Machine”, under the “Festivals” 2024 program of the National Culture Fund.
