The multimedia fashion show Sanctuaries and Springs was the debut performance of avant-garde designers Dilian Ivanova, Yulian Tabakov, Iva Petkova and Borika Maleva. On Tuesday it brought Sofia's former Public Baths to life.

The performance's premier created an ethnic base that will be the starting point for a series of shows with various designers taking part in the future. It took place around the female swimming pool at the public baths, which added to the atmosphere of excitement and innovation, according to Nadia Vuleva, the show's producer.

The event was dedicated to Bulgaria's Independence Day (September 22) and organizers plan to perform it agin in the future on various days of celebration. The creator's basic concept came from the origins of Bulgaria's ethnic communities. According to the designers, the country contains a variety of people and nationalities, from the Roman Empire to the present day.

They see water as life-giving and as the source of all beginnings, irrespective of differences. Their task was to display the similarities between ethnic groups.

The 40-minute show offered a taste of 26 costumes presented by amateur models. "Each of the show's participants was picked exclusively for the event with the sole idea of demonstrating the costumes' culture," said Vuleva.

Journalists from the National television station Eurocom and actors from the Satirical Theatre and the Tear and Laughter Theatre manifested the spirit's trip towards the eternal truth, according to the producer.

The plot of the performance traced time and covered three basic topics. The stage around the swimming pool united three groups of costumes - paganism, Christianity and Islam. A birth in the water served as the beginning of the Rome topic. And three live horses (from Boyana Cinema centre) referred to the traditions of old Bulgaria. The Islamic theme was introduced with authentic prayers around the waters.

Spectators were invited to enjoy the show from above, on the bath's balcony. "Our main vision about the audience's position up there was connected to the eternal journey. We simply wanted everyone to see features of past centuries," added Vuleva.

The various ethnic rituals accompanying the show were an expression of the designers' wish to provoke deeper thinking and to realize it, said Vuleva. The semi-darkness around the pool was in harmony with the various rare instruments played and put the audience in the position of intimate onlookers of sacred rituals. This was enhanced by the 400 candles lit around the whole stage. "We used candles to replace the abundance of light usually associated with conventional fashion shows," said Vuleva.

Music was chosen to fit in with the ritualistic event and represented a wide range of instruments characteristic of many nationalities. Unique sounds originated from Omar Fayuk's compilation of waterfall noises. In the background a huge screen illustrated the Saint George Rotunda and the Madara Rock Complex.