5-day Embroidery Residency Workshop in Athens

Greek embroidery is a distinctive style in textile history, a sign language reflecting the cultural background, the trade exchange and the world view of civilizations flourishing in Eastern Mediterranean since time immemorial. Greek embroidery patterns, ideogrammatic motifs, pictorial and tridimensional techniques also illustrate social and spiritual values. They can be seen as story tellers, cultural heritage mirrors, or political messagers in the context of contemporary art. Embroidery emphasizes the human quest to rise above necessity, to create beauty in abundance, to seek hope and joy even under the most adverse conditions, while it manifests the wearer’s social stand, belief system, gender and self perception. The five-day long intensive Greek Embroidery Residency program in Athens with textile artist Loukia Richards addresses artists, designers, crafters, art theorists and researchers, as well as amateur embroiderers who wish to explore the existential force that drove Greek embroiderers to create eloquent masterpieces, and master some of its most refined and rare sculptural techniques.