Great productive crit with Daniella, Claire and Tracie. I like having crits and conversations with women, hearing their perspectives makes me feel calm and challenged in a positive way, there is a lot of great powerful energy in an all female group. I think when I’m in a mixed group I find it a bit difficult to just be myself, I often become annoyed, defensive or and up trying to please someone. I found it very interesting that my giant crazy puppet had so many positive reactions, especially the idea of connecting through the local poslish crafts, wanting to find the origins of where I came from, after years of women in my family moving from small villages to bigger towns, then to cities, then me moving out of Poland and living abroad for over 20 years, now somehow desperately seeking that connection to the women who came before us, to the ancestors, to the origins and the power that lies in “the village” and women working together, supporting one another. And then thinking how, through hand work such as knitting, crocheting, lacemaking, how all of that connects us and makes us stronger, how without that connection we struggle to find our place in the world.
Then Tracie mentioned the work of Sheila Hicks and as I was checking it out I immediately loved it, how organic it is and the chaotic yet harmonious mix of colours and wrapping/weaving/knotting techniques she uses and then I found out her piece will be shown in Warsaw during Warsaw Craft Days. My friend went to see it and photographed it for me and I was immediately mesmerised by it’s powerful softness and immediately felt grateful to Tracie for mentioning her.
Interview with Sheila Hicks: Tate. (n.d.) Artist Sheila Hicks: We’re Crying for Softness [YouTube video]. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNv_24tFM5s (Accessed: 5 June 2026).
Then I thought there is something crazy in the fact that I got so fascinated by theknotting and the tying and the wicker and then suddenly found out In December of last year, Polish basket weaving was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
I want to write down the comments from post its before I forget:
-organic, folk, looks raw, scared(makes me feel?), looks posessed, mysterious, strong
-The straight lines contrast with the round feminine shapes
-protection, fear, inner light, weighty, community
-The mix of human and nature is lovely
-veil makes me think of village women who take care of everything and everyone
-curiosity, intrigue, nostalgia, also looks haunted, looks ghostly, looks otherworldly, mythic
-perfect for a festival installation
-kind, relaxing, nature, comfy, haunting
-bound(binding, feels like restriction) but there’s hope
-love the lights
-lots of green
-Mother Nature
– When nature takes back control
– interested, curious
So interesting to see other peoples thoughts when they see my work, things that I never thought about or maybe did in the back of my head but couldn’t put into words
As the crit continues…
