Eva Buryakovsky

This was conducted by exploring Eastern and Western European mythology and craft practices. The preliminary focus was on medieval objects and textile artefacts.

However, late 19th-century and contemporary references were also included, enabling me to trace and combine the aesthetic similarities that have emerged on both terrains through time, like using the shape of a 15th-century Russian dress as the medium on which Western and Eastern European medieval symbols were united. 

Tackling the concept of sustainability within the project, it was essential to question the act of designing. I proposed to return to a more mindful way of making encouraged by historic artisan guilds.

By incorporating craft-based techniques preserved and passed on by generations of English and Russian makers, such as traditional embroidery and printing, I delved into a culturally informed outlook on sustainable design, offering centuries-long proven durability through the decorative form. In this way, the costume and the installation back-drop created for the project convey a sign of encouragement towards the intentional study and production of heritage material goods as a means of dismantling our problematic culture of consumption and disposal.