ELUSIVE BEAUTY

ELUSIVE BEAUTY

text EMILY MILLETT

photography DEC AUDIOVISUAL

Cyprus has an illustrious past as a hub of traditional folk art; dig deep and you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of silkworm cocoon embroidery, now a rare and fading art that is as beautiful as it is elusive.

THE TRADITIONAL DESIGNS are based mainly on daisies, vases and baskets, stitched on scarlet red or pitch-black backgrounds.

Once a widespread skill passed down the maternal line of generation upon generation of Cypriot womenfolk, the practise of crafting silkworm cocoons into decorative pieces of art is now fading into near obscurity; to stumble upon these rare artefacts in Cyprus today is a unique and unusual privilege.

REFLECTIONS OF THE PAST

Indeed, the younger generation in Cyprus is quite unaware of this art and will be surprised to hear that there was a time in the early 1900’s and even earlier, when the walls of many a home were adorned with cocoon embroidery, especially in the mountain villages of Moutoullas, Marathasa, Omodos, and others around Nicosia and Larnaca.

“I learnt from my mother, she learnt from her mother, and so on,” says one of the last remaining silkworm cocoon artists, Kyriakou Kyratzi. Her wizened hands knotted around a cup of steaming mountain tea are proof of a life spent meticulously cutting, flattening and shaping delicate plum-sized cocoons into intricate shapes, to create ornate designs.

Also fluent in cocoon embroidery is Ellie Rodosthenous, who hails from Geroskipou. This village in the district of Paphos was once a centre of silk production thanks to the presence of one of the largest silk factories in the area. Ellie says, “In the old times, silkworm cocoons were used to make frames for photographs of loved ones, especially of brides and bridegrooms. It was customary to give these creations as presents from family to family, as gifts for friends and loved-ones. Today they are a unique souvenir from Cyprus.” Like a few others, Ellie sells her work to tourists and locals who recognise the beauty and creativity that is stitched into each dainty cocoon slice.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Learning the art from her mother and grandmother, Ellie has been practising since she was a schoolgirl, some 60 years ago. With an almost undetectable twinkle of pride in her eyes, Ellie explains that as she learnt to draw and became proficient at art, her silkworm cocoon designs improved, incorporating both traditional floral decorations, as well as more challenging and intricate symbols such as birds and peacocks, animals, grapes and geometric shapes.

“The early designs were much simpler – daisies with small stems, vases and baskets,” says Ellie. “Now I can make many different motifs,” triggered by her imagination and ability to transform a mental image into a silky mosaic of sorts, one cocoon at a time.

According to Ellie, the peacock motif was a symbol of good luck and was usually given to newlyweds to wish them a happy marriage, while grapes were also a symbol of good luck, and were a popular design because they grew everywhere on the island. In addition to these almost standard motifs, another common denominator was the inscription of the Greek phrase ‘To Pepromeno Figin Adynaton’ – which translates into ‘You Can Never Escape Your Destiny’.

Apart from drawing skills, silkworm cocoon artists also need steady hands to shape the small cocoons, good eyesight to cut the often-ornate pieces, and plenty of patience. A piece can take up to two or three days to finish, depending on the size and complexity of the design. Kyriakou likens the process to meditation. She says: “Making these pieces is very relaxing; I am focused and concentrated, so it takes my mind off the worries of daily life.”

While global modernisation prompted island-wide development, for the most part, the techniques and materials used to produce these quintessentially Cypriot creations remain little changed since their inception. “The patterns and designs are almost identical to those we have been doing for years. They do change a little according to the preference of the artist,” says Kyriakou, who can date her first piece back to the 1920’s. “The cutting and application techniques are the same as they’ve always been.”

DRAWING SKILLS, steady hands, good eyesight and endless patience are required in order to carefully empty, cut, flatten and shape the delicate cocoons.

Just as in days gone by, artists use scissors to carefully extract the silkworm, then cut the remaining white and creamy yellow cocoons into shapes, before using needles or glue to attach them to the scarlet red, pitch-black or less frequently used dark blue or brown backgrounds. Today, beads and sequins often embellish designs, showing that even this relatively unchanged art form hasn’t been totally immune to evolution.

GEROSKIPOU, a village in the district of Paphos, was once home to one of the largest silk factories in the area.

TRACING THE ROOTS

But where did it all start, and how did the silkworm first find its ways to this tiny Mediterranean island?

Silk production – or sericulture as it is officially known – first originated in China around 2,700 BC. Kept a secret for centuries, the knowledge eventually spread to the rest of the world, when silkworm eggs were smuggled from Asia, leading to the gradual proliferation of silk production along the infamous silk route and further afield.

Little is known about the exact dates that these precious little insects first arrived in Cyprus, although according to cultural anthropologist, Dr. Eleni Papademetriou, the first known appearance dates back to the Byzantine period, with production becoming more prevalent and widespread during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. And while these charming works of art are inextricably linked to Cyprus history, they can be surprisingly difficult to track down. Almost more seductive because of this veil of elusive mystery, silkworm cocoon frames are a rare find and those lucky enough to catch a glimpse are witnessing an almost vanishing sliver of folk tradition that may one day exist only in the annals of history.

SILKWORM COCOON ART ON DISPLAY Limassol Handicraft Centre, Themidos Street 25. Open from 7:30am-5:30pm all week and 8am-1pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays. (The Nicosia Handicraft Centre often holds presentations and workshops to show the process.) The Place art gallery and handicraft centre, Kanari 56. The Limassol Museum of Folk Art, Agiou Andreou 253. Open Monday to Friday from 7:45am-2:45pm.