LONDON, April 23,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Over two days of April 22 and 23, the Centre of Visual Arts and
Research in Nicosia welcomed 160
schoolchildren from Cyprus public
schools who took part in the educational sessions organized by BE
OPEN Foundation dedicated to Cyprus Handcrafted
Heritage.
This initiative was devised with the aim of popularization and
preservation of traditional Cyprus
fabric production techniques. Each session consisted of a lecture
on craft-related entrepreneurship and a master-class of traditional
Cypriot weaving.
The lecture was prepared by a young entrepreneur Andreani
Panayide, who shared her own journey from starting to explore her
cultural heritage to establishing a fashion brand that trades in
accessories and clothes internationally. She said, "I am glad to
be part of this project, and I thank BE OPEN and Mrs Baturina for
the opportunity to share my fascination with Cyprus's traditional fabrics, as well as my
experience of building a contemporary fashion brand with love and
respect for the craftsmanship that embodies an important part of
our cultural heritage.
It is vital to teach children that these traditions still exist,
and that exploring them can be as exciting and rewarding as
ever."
Elli Filokyprou, a weaver of over 20 years of experience, who
runs her weaving workshop in the village of Gourri, taught the
children master classes of actual weaving on small transportable
looms, and helped them create their own pieces of fabric with
colourful patterns.
The classes titled Cyprus Handcrafted Heritage - Classes with
BE OPEN and CVAR were supported and inaugurated by
representatives of Cyprus's
cultural and educational authorities and institutions. The Deputy
Minister of Culture Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou commented: "I
strongly believe that the promotion of traditional crafts is one of
the most important ways to preserve cultural heritage. All
hand-crafted objects are a tangible link to our past and our
ancestry; they represent the traditions, history and values of the
people of Cyprus. By keeping
traditional crafts alive, and inviting young people to explore
their beauty and variety, we ensure that future generations have
access to these essential aspects of their heritage."
On behalf of the Minister of Education, Sport and Youth of
Cyprus, Permanent Secretary Dr.
Marina Ioannou Hasapi took the floor to thank all of those who have
worked to prepare the workshop and come to appreciate and preserve
Cyprus's rich cultural heritage.
She added that in order to do so, the Ministry "welcomes
collaborations with institutions like BE OPEN who are already
making a deep impact with this initiative. I congratulate all the
students who have and will come to participate, and hope that they
will come to an understanding of our past, so as to better shape
our future."
Mayor of Nicosia Constantinos Yiorkadjis congratulated everyone
on the "wonderful opportunity to learn our traditions, and learn
them by practice which is the best way." I believe it will be
great," he added, "assuming that you like these classes, if some of
you actually create some of the future wear for us."
After words of encouragement from Anna Zavou Christoforou,
the Internal Audit Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, CVAR Founder Dr. Rita C. Severis expressed her joy to be
able to offer children the chance to learn about their traditional
handicrafts, "much appreciated and many thanks to BE
OPEN for making this possible and bringing so many children
together," she concluded.
Finally, Founder of BE OPEN Elena Baturina welcomed the
children, thanked the project supporters and explained why keeping
the handcraft traditions alive is so important for people of all
ages: "Craft is about connection – to one's history, culture,
nature, to one's place and to oneself. While surrounded by
mass-produced items that lack individuality, to keep us grounded in
our heritage we long for handmade things with unique character that
help us build and preserve our own individuality. And it is our
duty to share this connection with new generations, because for
them it's the perfect gateway into their own history and culture,
the geography and nature of their homeland, and an exciting
opportunity to explore their artistic talents."
After the speeches were over, BE OPEN announced that both the
professional transportable looms used for demonstration in the
master classes would be passed over to the authors of the workshop
as a gift from Elena Baturina, to
"help them continue doing what they love, and get even more
creative and inventive."
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SOURCE BE OPEN Foundation