Hidden Letters

The Hidden Letters began in 2018, when twelve original benches in the shape of letters from the Cyrillic alphabet that have no graphic counterpart in the Latin and Greek alphabets – Б, Д, З, Ж, И, Й, Ч, Ш, Щ, Ъ, ь, Ю, Я – were deployed in Sofia for the first time. Each bench had a poem by a contemporary Bulgarian poet, written exclusively for the project. The poets who participated in the project were Anna Lazarova, Galina Nikolova, Georgi Gospodinov, Ivan Langev, Krasimira Dzhisova, Marin Bodakov, Maria Kalinova, Mirela Ivanova, Nadezhda Radulova, Nikola Petrov, Petar Chukhov, Silvia Choleva, Stefan Ivanov and Tsocho Boyadzhiev.

The idea for Hidden Letters actually came to the artist, illustrator and typography lecturer Kiril Zlatkov back in 2012. After many peculiarities and permutations, the concept changed significantly and thus the idea of the bench letters appeared.

In 2019, the bench letters began to travel the world under the title Bulgarian Letters. So far, the art installation has visited Paris, Rabat, Berlin, Plovdiv, Budapest, Brussels, Edinburgh, Munster, Notuln, Ghent, Breznik, Seoul, Prague, Velechrad. During their “tours” abroad, The Hidden Letters became true ambassadors of Bulgarian poetry. They tell the story of the Cyrillic alphabet and include translated poems by Bulgarian poets.

In 2021, Reading Sofia Foundation produced a massive 3D mapping on the façade of the National Library Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Created by Polina Gerasimova (Poliforma), the visual narrative was dedicated to language as home, the nuances of communication, identity and understanding others. The main characters were the letters included in the project from the very beginning. The poetry for the 3D mapping was written by Stefan Ikoga and the music was by Kan Wakan. The poetry anthology “The Hidden Letters” was also presented during these days, which includes 10 poems from each of the poets who were part of the project.

In the same year, a brand new series of benches was created, along with a new visual identity for Hidden Letters, created by Kostadin Kokalanov of Studio FRANK. A boutique series of representative materials such as notebooks, t-shirts, bags and cards was also designed and made.

In 2023, the bench in the shape of the letter Ш was restored in memory of the poet Marin Bodakov. It is located in the park of the Military Academy, where most of the new bench letters are currently located. Some of the older benches can be seen in the courtyard of the House of Literature and Translation, the State Cultural Institute and the courtyard of the Foreign Ministry, as well as in front of the OKI “Krasno Selo”.