site.btaAntarctica's Inaccessible Territories on Display at Exhibition in Burgas

An exhibition of 24 photographs by researcher from the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and photographer Oleg Vasilev in Burgas shows part of the inaccessible territories of Antarctica and the work of Bulgarian polar explorers. The photographs are arranged in the open space in front of the NHK Cultural Center in Burgas. The "Bulgaria's Contribution to the Exploration of Global Science" exhibit is on display at the Black Sea city until April 20. The event is organized in partnership with the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and polar researcher Prof. Christo Pimpirev.

Curious stories are hidden behind some of the shots, journalist Blagoy Tsitselkov, part of the first voyage of the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) in 2022, and creator of the exhibit said during the official opening of the exhibition. Tsitselkov said that one day while filming, for example, Vasilev came across whales and while photographing them, he found that when they feed, they arrange themselves in an order similar to a Fibonacci sequence.

“The photos were shot with a drone. Thus, the exhibition presents a unique perspective of hard-to-reach territories on the icy continent. Thanks to Oleg’s skills, we can see places that are inaccessible to people. There is not only beauty in these photos, but also a lot of science,” Tsitselkov said and recalled other important discoveries by Bulgarian researchers, including the gold discovered by Sofia University geologist Ralica Sabeva just a few meters from the Bulgarian base on Livingstone Island, the contribution to climate change research, and others.

“On the other side of the world, there is another Bulgaria. With peaks that speak of our khans, and this is truly impressive,” added Blagoy Tsitselkov.

“When we started organizing the festival, we chose the theme Dive. With this exhibition, we want to connect, on the one hand, Bulgarian scientists who are doing real research and the children who will come for the festival. It is expected that 30 teams from all over the country will participate in the competition,” Tsitselkov said.

“Each year this robotics festival has a different theme – this year it is focused on diving into the depths of the sea. Together with our co-organizers from the Center for Creative Training, we decided to take a different approach. The robotics competition itself will be only part of the entire festival. We want to include significant events that will focus on the oceans and seas. In addition to the exhibit that we are opening today, there is also a film festival coming up, in which nature and robotics lovers will get acquainted with interesting documentaries revealing the secrets of the underwater world,” Mihail Nenov, Deputy Mayor for Education, Health, Social Activities and Youth Policies in the Municipality of Burgas announced.

The exhibit of Oleg Vasilev’s photos in Burgas is part of the accompanying program of the First LEGO League robotics festival. As previously reported by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), the third edition of the competition in Bulgaria will take place on April 12 and 13 at the Congress Center under the motto Dive.

In the format’s first visit to the seaside city, in 2024, nearly 200 children from all over Bulgaria participated in the competition.

The First LEGO League is a global educational program that introduces children aged 4-16 to the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through fun and exciting hands-on learning. Participants gain experience in solving real-world problems through a guided robotics program.