ARMENIAN EMBROIDERY & CERAMICS (April 2018)
Armenian needlework (and embroidery) is a very ancient craft that has pretty much lost all its popularity, like in other countries, such as Spain. Once used not only as pure needlework, but also applied to woodwork or stone, now one could say young people wouldn’t even touch it with a barge pole.
A three-week course during which students looked inwards and outwards. We experimented with two ancient crafts: ceramics and embroidery. And by combining them, we gave full rein to our creativity, as well as explored our heritage, traditions and identity.
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How can we keep traditions alive in the current modern world we live in?
What can we make that not only expresses who we are and how we understand the world, but also moves others?
What can I design that makes something ‘old’ more appealing to younger generations, while keeping a tradition alive?
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‘History is no longer visible, but is still there’ (Ai Weiwei)
‘To confront, accept and know our past, to shake off the shame and negativism – this seems to be the only way to move on.’ (Mila Chorbadzhieva)
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"I think this is an example of a successful workshop during which you were able to combine all three of our expectations in a workshop setting: design, technique, and product.
I think the structure of the workshop was well thought, focusing on technique the first week and letting the students release their design ideas to later channel them towards a more cohesive collection. Considering the nature of the craft itself, I understand that it's difficult and time consuming to get the expected results from one go, but I believe we have a good percentage of quality design products that we will reproduce." Maral Mikirditsian, Tumo Studios Manager
