Zora Valentová
This year´s crafts festival in Bratislava (Days of ÚĽUV Masters, 31 August – 02 September 2012) was attended by some two hundred masters and folk-art makers from around Slovakia who offered variety of craft and art products. Six stages hosted numerous music and dancing performances of the top standard of dramaturgy including the Traditional stage, Friendly stage, Folk stage, Art stage, World music stage and Grand folklore stage. Visitors might participate in the school of crafts – for children, and dancing school – for adults. The Design square was a new element with hidden potential and opportunities for the festivals in future. Folk costumes the artisans and members of folk ensembles were wearing in stands and at stages have demonstrated diversity of traditional clothing across regions. More or less stylised, folk costume elements naturally complemented informal clothes performers were wearing at the folk and world music stage, in the school of crafts and the school of dance. Having the young generation as the main target group, the ÚĽUV promoted the modern character of the festival by properly selected visual materials. This year´s promotional material featuring girls wearing folk costumes with punk-style hairdos and dreadlocks and with tattooed waists reflected the slogan of the festival Vykroj sa z davu/Define yourself – not only as a member of folk ensemble wearing folk costume during performance, but as a young self-asserting person.