Threads of Nature. On Weaving.
The basic technique of an ancient craft linked to the nature of Thasos
The six-day workshop Threads of Nature: On Weaving took place alongside the second edition of Makryammos A.I.R. from September 25th to September 30th, 2023. It consisted of a series of talks on the history of weaving, the art of natural dyeing, the tradition of weaving and contemporary art, botanical walks, museum visits, and weaving sessions at various locations.
Participants were invited to Thasos to engage in weaving and eco-dyeing within the inspiring environment of the beautifully situated and comfortable Makryammos Bungalows. They listened to lectures by Greek textile archaeologist Sofia Tsourinaki, participated in experimental weaving labs led by Dr. Kalliopi Stara, went on botanic walks to learn about local plants used for natural dyeing, and experimented with natural materials under the guidance of contemporary artist Chiara Camoni. They also attended a lecture by art historian and curator Kim Knoppers on weaving in contemporary art. Throughout the week, participants enjoyed the sun, sea, beach, and delicious food. By the end of the workshop, they returned home fully charged and inspired by the island of Thasos.
Crafting techniques like weaving, pottery, and natural dyeing offer necessary insights into slower and more sustainable modes of production, art making, and community building. Greece, especially the islands, has long-standing weaving traditions and heritage worth preserving and applying in contemporary contexts. The workshop aimed to transform the past of Thasos, adding a unique flair to the cultural and archaeological heritage of the island, into a multi-dimensional experience of the senses. It offered 12 national and international artists/craftspeople, as well as dedicated amateurs, an opportunity to expand the medium of weaving by envisioning new creative and collaborative practices through experimenting with traditional disciplines and organic materials found on-site.
Sophia Tsourinaki is a textile expert. She studied Three-Dimensional design at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design, London and Weaving, Dyeing and History of textiles at the Textile Art Center, Athens. She specialized in the analysis of archaeological textiles. From 1986 - 2017 she worked at several educational institutions as a tutor of Weaving, Dyeing, History and Material culture of textiles. Parallel to her teaching activities she was employed as a research fellow at the Benaki Museum, Athens, analyzing and focusing on the textiles of the Coptic collection for the forthcoming catalogue. From 1996-1999 she established the “Tissus-A European Programme for Textiles” at the Benaki Museum. From 2008 - 2009 she was employed as a textile consultant at the Museum of Silk, Soufli (Thrace, Greece). In 2015 she collaborated with the Archaeological Museum of Thebes (as a Scientific Associate) for the re-exhibition of the Mycenaean textile tools, as well as for the foundation of an educational Textile Workshop and a Learning Programme for the History of Textiles and Clothing. In 2023 she collaborated with the New Museum of Greek Culture for dressing an old horizontal loom and other weaving tools. From 2007 she is the head of the SEN Heritage Looms, a historical complex of buildings built in 1872, which houses a museum of ancient textiles and a weaving community, the only surviving example of its kind in Greece. Following a recent renovation of the buildings, the SEN Heritage Looms is open to the public with a full schedule of educational classes in weaving, fiber-arts and the history of textiles. Her special area of study is the archaeology of textile production, with a special emphasis in combining theoretical analysis with practical knowledge garnered from handicraft processes
Kalliopi Stara lives and works in Ioannina. She is a researcher on issues related to the relationship of people with nature. Since 2012 she has been working as a researcher at the Department of Biological Applications and Technology of the University of Ioannina (UOI). She completed her studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specialization in Psychology (1992), her MSc at Bangor, Wales, U.K., specialization in Ecology (2001), and her doctoral dissertation at the Department of Folklore of the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Ioannina (2009). In 2012 he shared with two other candidates an award for the best doctoral thesis in the field of "Protection and Development of Mountainous Environment and Local European Cultures" from the Metsovion Interdisciplinary Research Center (MIRC), National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).
Her research interests focus on the study of Sacred Natural Sites, Ethnobiology, Environmental History, Cultural Landscapes and Intangible Cultural Heritage. She is a member of the working group on the Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of IUCN (CSVPA), secretary of the Board for the management of the PALASE Research Station in Ano Pedina, Zagori and a member of many national and local scientific societies, NGOs and associations dealing with the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. Since 2013 she has also been working on issues concerning the management of Non Timber Forest Products in Europe participating European working groups. In addition, she belongs to the drafting team of the dossier for the inclusion of Zagori in the UNESCO World Heritage sites, in the category Cultural Landscapes.
Kim
Knoppers
Kim Knoppers (b.1976, The Netherlands) is an art historian working as a writer, independent curator and lecturer. Currently she is working on several projects in Albania, Turkey and Greece. Between 2011 and 2021 she has been curator at Foam, photography museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands where she worked on over seventy group and solo exhibitions at the intersection of photography and other disciplines like sculpture, video, painting and performance. She has contributed to various magazines including Foam Magazine, Unseen and Aperture and has written essays for many catalogues and artist books. She is a lecturer at the MA Photography at ECAL in Lausanne, where she initiated the course Do Not Disturb — Curating in Progress.
Currently her focus is Photography in relation to archaeology, geology and ecology. Next to this she is working on a contemporary embroidery and weaving exhibition for a museum in The Netherlands. She is based between Selçuk, Turkey and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For the Makryammos Ephemeral Art Residency she has the role of curator.
Chiara Camoni
Chiara Camoni (b. 1974, Piacenza) lives and works in Fabbiano in the Apuan Alps of Alta Versilia, Tuscany.
Her practice consists of drawing, vegetal prints, video, and sculpting, particularly with ceramics. Her works often derive from collaboration with friends and family, impromptu associations, organized seminars and workshops. The “Centro di Sperimentazione” has appeared at the artist’s side for a few years now as a container for the various forms of shared authorship. Together with other artists, she founded the MAGra, Contemporary Art Museum of Granara and the Vladivostok group. With Cecilia Canziani she has been developing for some years the cycle of seminars "La Giusta Misura".
The programme is hosted by Makryammos Bungalows. This year's edition is made with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, the support of the Municipality of Thassos and the Cultural Association "The Castle"
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