Pamiętam, jak sam nie tkałem pereborów przez dwa lata. Kiedy wróciłem do tego, myślałem: „Jak ja to ro- biłem?” Zastanawiałem się nad każdym ruchem, a nawet dzwoniłem do mojej uczennicy, żeby mi przypo- mniała, co i jak. Ale wystarczyło, że zacząłem tkać, i ręce same odnalazły rytm.
EUGENIUSZ MARKIEWICZ Eugeniusz Markiewicz — a doctor by profession and a weaver by passion, continues his family’s weaving traditions. He runs his workshop in Masuria, in the town of Mrągowo. In his youth, he had the opportunity to learn and explore the weaving traditions of the Grodno and Vilnius regions. He collaborates with the Podlasie Institute of Culture, where he conducts workshops on the interwoven weaving technique and provides training on interpreting patterns from textiles. He also regularly participates in Weaving Festivals organized by PIK. In 2023, he won first prize in the XXI Double-Weave Textile Competition in Janów. The awarded textiles were titled “The Goat Came to Janów” and “Tree of Life”. In 2024, he received an award for his work at the XXI National Review of Amateur Unique Textiles in Bydgoszcz.
As part of the National Center for Culture program EtnoPolska. Edition 2024, he implemented the project “Weav- ing Masurian Stories – Traditional Weaving Workshops at the Masurian Manufactory in Kętrzyn. Stage I”.
Magdalena Kozioł: Where does your interest in weaving come from? Eugeniusz Markiewicz: My interest in weaving originates from my family, specifically my grandmothers. I remember their wardrobes always being full of woven materials — tablecloths, towels, and bedspreads. Even in the early 2000s, in our city home, the beds were covered with woven covers from my grandmother, often adorned with rose patterns. As a child, I didn’t realize that all these items were woven — they simply existed to me. At my other grandmother’s house near Lida, I often saw a loom. I was always fascinated by it, but the moment I truly became interested in the weaving process itself stands out the most. I was about ten years old when I found out that my school’s museum needed a weaving loom. My first thought was to ask my grandmother. Unfortunately, she had already burned parts of the loom, assuming she wouldn’t weave anymore. She directed me to my grandfather’s sister, who “never threw anything away”. And indeed, I found true treasures at her place. In her attic, I discovered reeds, shafts, and loom parts. Everything was ready — each reed was set up for four shafts. There were also herringbone-patterned fabrics and others. By analyzing how they were threaded, I began teaching myself how to plan a warp. I received all those items and decided to learn weaving instead of giving them away to a museum. At that time, I didn’t have a complete loom, but I gradually added the missing parts. My grandmother, trying to discourage me, said, “Before you start weaving, you have to learn how to spin”. That winter, I began learning how to spin, and by spring, I had my first threads and set up the loom.
30
Woven Heritage Interviews
Tkane Dziedzictwo Wywiady
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online