Soul of a Nation
Dimensions
Materials
Skirt, collar, gloves and wrist bands: stripping, knotting, rolling, needle lace, buttonhole stitch, darning, and crochet using raffia
Artist statement
‘I was born in the small village of Gornji Bogicevci in Croatia, where art imitated life. The villagers wore exquisite homespun and richly embellished folk dress, whilst engaging in toiling the soil and ploughing the fields, singing and weaving or darning homespun socks.
The cottages were filled with exquisite homespun linen and woollen objects, lovingly embellished by master artisans. Each object was imbued with symbolic significance and permeated every aspect of life and death. I absorbed this rich cultural heritage watching my grandmother spinning and weaving, embroidering and lace-making.
For Soul of a Nation I was inspired by Croatian folk dresses — embellished with hand-embroidered gold, silver and homespun silk threads — and festive caps and silk embroidered head scarves. I also recalled jewellery made from golden wheat, long loom-woven deeply fringed red sashes, and deeply fringed floral shawls.’
Soul of a Nation
Vishna Collins
Dimensions
Materials
Skirt, collar, gloves and wrist bands: stripping, knotting, rolling, needle lace, buttonhole stitch, darning, and crochet using raffia
Artist statement
‘I was born in the small village of Gornji Bogicevci in Croatia, where art imitated life. The villagers wore exquisite homespun and richly embellished folk dress, whilst engaging in toiling the soil and ploughing the fields, singing and weaving or darning homespun socks.
The cottages were filled with exquisite homespun linen and woollen objects, lovingly embellished by master artisans. Each object was imbued with symbolic significance and permeated every aspect of life and death. I absorbed this rich cultural heritage watching my grandmother spinning and weaving, embroidering and lace-making.
For Soul of a Nation I was inspired by Croatian folk dresses — embellished with hand-embroidered gold, silver and homespun silk threads — and festive caps and silk embroidered head scarves. I also recalled jewellery made from golden wheat, long loom-woven deeply fringed red sashes, and deeply fringed floral shawls.’