UNESCO-TSAA project ‘Textile Manufacturing Workshops in the Regions for Developing Creative Industries’ » Tbilisi Art Academy Portal

UNESCO-TSAA project ‘Textile Manufacturing Workshops in the Regions for Developing Creative Industries’

24 / 01 / 2023

Tbilisi State Academy of Art initiated a project ‘Textile Manufacturing Workshops in the Regions for Developing Creative Industries’, which was realised within the frames of the ‘UNESCO Participation Program 2022/2023’ , was based on and continued the TSAA project "Traditional Blue Cloth for Developing Creative Industries", successfuly realized within the frames of the ‘UNESCO Participation Program 2020/2021’.

The present project aimed implementation of an outcome, achieved during the noted above former project, maintaining the textile manufacturing workshops in the regions, supporting their operation with high artistic standard, contributing in development of creative industries.

Two regions of Georgia were selected for the project:

· Pankisi - municipality of Akhmeta, considering its multicultural context (the region is inhabited with ethnic minorities)

· Gori - municipality of Gori, Shida Kartli region. The region’s special cultural landmarks and historic significance, and thus, the high touristic interest, should be noted, too.

The reason for selecting the regions were the following: wool processing and the felt production has profound historic traditions in Pankisi area. The Pankisi workshop has been existing within the framework of the Akhmeta municipality, and operating in this direction. The Gori workshop has been existing within the framework of the Gori municipality and the Ethnographic- historic museum of Gori, and operated in the textile design development direction, as well. The project involved the teachers of the Tbilisi State Academy of Art, and also the students.

The project started with formal opening of the workshops in Pankisi and Gori, in collaboration with the Akhmeta municipality and Gori municipality. The project’s each realization phase were accompanied by the products showcases in the regions-Pankisi and Gori. The project was concluded with the final exhibition of the manufactured products, at the TSAA exhibition venue, and attended by the project’s regional participants.

During the project first phase the following results were fulfilled in the regional studios:

Textile studio in the Mejvriskhevi village, Gori region (12 working days)

1. Creation of classic shibori fabrics and accessories (scarf and shirt fabric, scarf ‘mandili’, ‘khabalakhi’, Tashali, Bendena)

• Making a palette

• Creating an ornamental composition with a thread on fabric and preparing it for dyeing

• The fabric dyeing process, for the stability of the obtained color, acid treatment of the dye for further use

2. To make a creative shibori, choosing the material, dyeing different fabrics for the palette and preparing stencils

• Making a palette by dyeing single additional fabrics (cotton).

• Creating a composition and preparing stencils

• Dyeing process and evaporation

3. Creation of textiles, using the wool wet felting technique.

• Using wool of different colors according to the composition, creating a pattern by free felting (making a semi-felted fabric for cutting out the figures in the composition)

• Preparation of fabric background with wet felting technique and arrangement of composition with already cut figures

• Getting the final look of the fabric by wet felting technique

4. Designing and sewing, manufacturing products ready for sale.

• Constructing a jacket, coat, scarf, scarf-‘mandili’, ‘Khabalakhi’ from the fabrics created as a result of the work mentioned above.

• Cutting and sewing according to the pattern

• Giving the finished look to the product, labeling, packaging

Technologies applied in the project (4 regional participants worked in the studio):

Silk fabric painting (cold batik technique);

• artistic dying (shibori);

• dry and wet felting using wool(felt);

• Quilting (creating a full-fledged fabric using small pieces of fabric);

• Application (fabric decoration with figures cut out of different fabrics);

• Embroidery (simple gold imbroidery technique).

The following products were manufactured basing on the hand crafted textiles:

· Coat from the felt and silk synthesis fabric, using the Georgian ornaments, 1pcs.

· Jackets from the felt and silk synthesis fabric, using the Georgian ornaments, 3 pcs

· Silk scarfs ‘Mandili’ (Shibori technology) from the felt and silk synthesis fabric, using the Georgian carpet, Blue Table Cloth, historical fabric motifs, preserved in Georgian museums, 6 pcs.

· ‘Khabalakhi’s (National Georgian head-scarf) (Shibori technology) from the felt and silk synthesis fabric, using the Georgian carpet, Blue Table Cloth, historical fabric motifs, preserved in Georgian museums, 7 pcs.

· Silk head-scarfs, using the Georgian carpet, Blue Table Cloth, historical fabric motifs, preserved in Georgian museums, 4 pcs

· Silk handkerchiefs, using the Georgian carpet, Blue Table Cloth, historical fabric motifs, preserved in Georgian museums, 12 pcs

Textile studio within the frames of Women’s Center in the Duisi village in the Akhmeta Municipality (3 regional participants worked in the studio):

Silk fabric painting (cold batik technique);

• artistic painting (shibori);

• dry and wet felting (felt) using wool;

• Quilting (creating a full-fledged fabric using small pieces of fabric);

• Application (fabric decoration with figures cut from different fabrics);

• embroidery (simple gold chest technique);

• Use of a new type of fabric made with different types of fabric material to create a product (threading of fabric using thread).

The following products were manufactured basing on the hand crafted textiles:

· Coat from the Felt and silk synthesis fabric, using the Georgian ornaments, 3 pcs

· Jackets from the Felt and silk synthesis fabric, using the Georgian ornaments, 4 pcs

· Scarfs from the felt and silk synthesis fabric, using the Georgian carpet, Blue Table Cloth, historical fabric motifs, preserved in Georgian museums, 4 pcs.

· ‘Khabalakhi’s from the felt and silk synthesis fabric, using the Georgian carpet, Blue Table Cloth, historical fabric motifs, preserved in Georgian museums, 4 pcs.

· Kids toys from felt. Museum exhibits imitations, 10 pcs

· Silk handkerchiefs, using the Georgian carpet, Blue Table Cloth, historical fabric motifs, preserved in Georgian museums, 10 pcs.