Countrywoman from the micro-district / Day

On a delicate fabric, between filigree beads and careful embroidery patterns, the squares of white tiles, peeled off from the facade of a block of flats built during the Soviet era, fit quite organically. Elīza Māra Kamradze-Tūtere has collected and integrated them into textile art projects, giving them a new message and aesthetic value with the help of the profession acquired at the Royal School of Handicrafts in London.

HOBBY BECOME A PROFESSION

Nowadays, embroidery and knitting are no longer just an occupation of Omis people – in recent years there has been a renaissance of needlework. However, while embroidery is just a pleasant hobby for many, Eliza Mara graduated in this profession a couple of years ago from the Royal School of Needlework in London (Royal School of Needlework, RSN). She is the only Latvian who obtained a bachelor’s degree at this educational institution.

“Embroidering was already a great passion for me at the age of primary school. Whenever I got sick and had to live at home, I filled my time by embroidering. From small jobs it grew into bigger projects, growing patience and skills. I studied at the Forms textile department at the Riga Design and Art High School and consciously in my works I emphasize embroidery. I am looking for new challenges, for example, how to technically solve various visual ideas, how to make embroidery a real thing that also has a function,” says Elīza Māra. Looked at the world’s high fashion brands – like Dior, Chanel and etc. – videos depicting the process of creating costumes, how costumes are hand-embroidered, how preparations for fashion shows take place. The film released in 2014 was particularly inspiring Dior and I/Dior and I about the creative career of costume designer Raf Simons Christian Dior in a fashion house. “I watched this film and it was a revelation to me that embroidery can also be a profession and can be done as a full-time job! It was such an “aha!” moment for me,” recalls the needlewoman.

Having graduated from high school in 2018, she managed to jump on the “departing train” right before Brexit, when it was still possible to study in England on more favorable terms. Eliza Mara found out about the British educational institution thanks to social networks, looking for opportunities to learn embroidery directly.

The Royal School of Handicrafts is an educational institution in Great Britain, founded in 1872, but since 1987 it has been located in Hampton Court Palace. Its educational programs are focused directly on learning various embroidery techniques. Eliza Mara jokes that the school in the castle resembles a combination of our Rundale Castle and Hogwarts in the Harry Potter saga. “When I watched the advertising video with an invitation to study at this school and the teacher took me through the premises, it seemed so cool! Of course, I had to think about the practical side as well – how realistic is it to enroll and study there?” She initially entered the competition at St Martin’s College in London to study fashion history, but did not get in, but got an RSN.