The village of Lefkara is famous for its silk. These traditional patterned silk fabrics are an important part of our cultural heritage, and it is important that we preserve such aspects of our culture. After researching traditional patterns, I wondered through what process these patterns were created, what their influences were and how they may have been inspired by nature. Patterns in silk are abstracted representations of real life phenomena and objects.
This made me question whether the border, and the current Cyprus issue, will ever be represented in traditional art. For this experiment, I wanted to focus on the issue of this divide in the island. The border is woven into our urban fabric, and therefore is woven into our culture and our history. I used this thought process as a basis for my piece.
The piece is composed of a mesh-like woven pattern wrapping around buildings. I combined traditional silk patterns from the village of Lefkara with my own patterns which were created using my findings in the previous experiments. The form of the silk takes the shape of a specific portion of the border, and wraps around buildings within and on either side of the border, linking them.
I wanted to challenge this traditional notion of the border as a separating entity between the North and the South of Cyprus, and rather, show that it has the power to connect either side of the border through memories and traditions. Memories can be embedded in our traditions, and someday, maybe the border will simply be a memory.
The goal of the project was to address a currently charged socio-political issue within a chosen city, and develop the project through research but also using different experimental processes each week as a means of artistic expression. The project is thus a culmination of research and work across various disciplines including poetry, film, drawing, and sculpture.
I focused my project on Nicosia, the capital of my home country - Cyprus. Since 1974 the Cyprus Issue continues to be an open wound for the country and its people. The invasion of 1974 left a third of the island illegally occupied, displacing an estimated 210,000 people and resulting in the division of the island to this day. The green line is a physical entity that divides the country and runs through the capital, Nicosia. To this day, Nicosia remains the only divided capital in the world. Walking along the green line, one can see abandoned buildings and homes left untouched since the time of the invasion. Many of them are slowly decaying after being abandoned and exposed to natural elements for decades. These buildings are an integral part, as well as an important reminder, of our history.
This project explores ways in which we can revive these abandoned areas. Over a three month period, interviews were conducted with people who lived through the invasion and who spoke of their memories of the currently occupied region. Traditional Cypriot patterns from craft arts were also looked at for design inspiration, and were reproduced in the context of each week’s delivery.
