Paper short abstract:

The study tries to highlight the relation between heritage and audiovisual methodology regarding the vernacular architecture of nowadays Romanian villages as it can be traced in different regions. Questioning people regarding the cultural value of this architecture can reveal original recordings.

Paper long abstract:

Researching everyday life in Romanian rural areas can reveal valuable results regarding the changes produced regarding the material culture and the mentalities of people. This becomes obvious when we look these days to some of old houses from the village that still keep intact some vernacular elements of the courtyard. Few of these constructions seem to belong to Village Museum, they are still alive in a contemporary courtyard, they are well conserved and functional, and some of them, even they are still functional, they are in a bad shape. The images of the courtyard "speak" about people's life, about the changes that happen - improved dwellings or changes that didn't happen or delay to happen - vernacular constructions of the past. There are very important the narratives of the people, how do they relate with this vernacular architecture? they received it from the ancestors as it is and it still respond to contemporary demands. These vernacular elements are so fragile that make you ask questions regarding the socio-cultural aspects of the landscape they provide and the necessity to safeguard them, to record them visually, to record the narratives of people. It's a kind of "private" heritage that needs to be kept alive, conserved in situ, only its image can be collected but in connection with everyday changes of rural areas. The study presents audiovisual material (interviews, images) about particularities from different ethno-folkloric regions of Romania: the well known Maramureș, Oltenia and Moldova.