WEAVING THE TALES OF TIME

WEAVING THE TALES OF TIME

text Claudia Konyalian

photography Dinah Kaprou

Julia Astreou is descended from generations of gifted Cypriot weavers and embroiderers, and today keeps the tradition alive through her work as an artist, researcher and teacher.

Looking into the history of textiles unravels the story of humanity over thousands of years. Julia Astreou is a Cypriot artist, researcher and teacher from a long line of accomplished weavers and embroiderers. Like the remarkable women who came before her, she is not only a keeper of tradition, but a creator of original and contemporary designs that keep this most ancient of human crafts alive and vibrant.

Like the very work she lives and produces, there are many threads that make up Julia Astreou. Multiple colours and textures meet to form the deeply talented, yet unbelievably understated woman you will meet when you visit her workshop in Kaimakli, a traditional quarter of Nicosia. First and foremost, Julia is an artist. Through the medium of weaving – in addition to her paintings – she expresses her interest in the history of Cyprus and of humankind, her observations of the absurd contrasts of the modern world, and her deep concerns over the destruction of the environment.

Weaving as creation and communication

“You must know your medium,” says Julia, “because weaving has its limitations and its freedoms. Knowing them well enables you to express what you want to say.” Her artworks are the result of experimentation and the use of elements from the natural world, such as shells and driftwood. Many of them have travelled the world and represented Cyprus in prestigious events including the International Tapestry Triennal in Łódź, Poland.

Her piece ‘Signs of History’ tells a visual story of humanity from Neolithic times through to modern industrial society. Each line is carefully researched and placed, creating a meditation on human evolution. For Julia, weaving is a form of artistic creation, but also a means of communication. “You try to express your message as clearly as possible, communicate with your audience, while you keep an aesthetic balance,” she says.

International hallmarks of success

Having studied Textiles and Fashion Design in the UK, Julia is also a researcher of Cypriot textiles, regularly writing and lecturing on the subject in Cyprus and internationally. Until 2001 she was the Director of Weaving and Embroidery at the Cyprus Handicrafts Service where she was researching and designing pieces based on local traditions for 21 years. In 2008 her enthusiasm led her to create the Cyprus Textile Route, placing Cyprus on the European Textile Route map, where her workshop is the Cyprus Contact Point. Julia’s expertise also granted her the role of textiles advisor for two films on traditional Cypriot weaving and Lefkara lace (“Weaving Ladies of Cyprus” [2008] and “Lefkara Lace” [2012]). She has designed theatre costumes for the Epidavros Festival in Greece, and in 2010 she was awarded a silver medal from the Sciences, Arts and Letters organization in Paris for her work in textile art and design, as well as her research into traditional textiles.

A keeper of Cypriot woven textile heritage

Julia’s thoughtful and non-egoic manner clearly demonstrates that she does not seek the accolades; rather, she is tirelessly fascinated by the wonder of her chosen medium, quietly delighting in the creative process that she enjoys exploring with her illustrator daughter, with whom she shares her workspace. The 19th century house in Kaimakli is where it all comes together in a coherent living tapestry: the artist, the researcher, the keeper of local heritage, the teacher, and the family tree.

In the historical house in Nicosia, Julia produces her work on four traditional looms, each from a different part of Cyprus. Elements such as copper wire and sheep’s wool capture her own Cypriot heritage.

After extensive renovation works, Julia moved into the space in 2003 and she has worked and shown her pieces there ever since. Itself a fine example of local architectural heritage, the house has been in Julia’s family for six generations, and was always home to women who wove. “I suppose it is in the family genes after all,” she says, with an accepting smile. She refers to her grandmother, her mother a school teacher, and her talented auntie Chrystalleni who would use the house even then as a workshop to teach weaving. Remarkably, Julia discovered her own inherited gift as a weaver and her passion for textiles after she left for her studies, and later found herself becoming the next generation in her family’s long-standing tradition.

The house is home to Julia’s four traditional looms, each from a different part of Cyprus, and each with its own story and journey. She produces her own artworks at these looms, as well as her annual collections of unique functional items such as cushions, handbags, lampshades, shawls and bracelets. “It is a satisfying process, to create new collections that I present each year at Christmas; the artworks are deeper, more challenging,” she says.

Every collection has its own definitive aesthetic and elements, such as copper wire or sheep’s wool that Julia collected herself from a local farm, incorporated as references to her Cypriot heritage. In all her work one recognizes at once an accomplished artist and researcher turning traditional references into fine contemporary designs. Motifs such as the human figure from the Cypriot ‘phytiotiko’ – the most famous Cypriot weave recognizable by its bright colours and geometric designs originating in Phyti village – or the ‘asproploumi’ – a traditional weave reminiscent of ancient Greek designs – are repeated in contemporary form and function in Julia’s work.

In her work Julia makes references to tradition, while she creates new contemporary designs with their own definitive aesthetics, and unique functional items that belong in any modern home.

Evolution of an ancient craft

In the practice of keeping an endangered craft alive and evolving, Julia opens her studio and shares her knowledge through regular workshops and school visits. She teaches the phytiotiko and asproploumi designs to women from all over the world who travel to Cyprus to attend her workshops. She shares her fascination with the medium itself, and how far back it goes in human history, and its role in Cypriot heritage and culture.

“In fact, we don’t know how old weaving really is,” she says. Her research tells us that in Cyprus there is evidence from the Neolithic period – such as spindles and bone needles – that weaving and sewing were common practice among these ancient people. Later the production of textiles developed as an economically vital industry, and during the Lusignan and Venetian periods Cyprus was an important producer of luxurious fabrics driven by the high demand in the western world. The famed ‘or de Chypre’ golden thread was spun on the island, and references to fine Cypriot silks and laces can be found in the accounts of the 14th century French court.

In antiquity, people began weaving fabrics for clothing and decorative purposes according to their local climate, the resources at their disposal, and indeed their migration patterns. Today, the creation of handmade woven fabrics is primarily for the artist and the dedicated craftsperson who finds her calling in this quiet, patient form. Julia believes that modern means of communication and trade, which today are at everyone’s fingertips, allow young artisans to forge a viable living as weavers, just as she does through her teaching and her online shop.

When asked why she does what she does, Julia says: “It is a need; it is a must. I do it because I can’t not do it. Our destiny is made by the talents gifted to us. It is up to us to discover those talents and then apply them, and live them.”