In 2021 half of our sister duo received an artistic scholarship from the Marshall of Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship.
The scholarship was purposed to a project ‘Masurian weaves’. Six kilims inspired by Jadwiga Tressenberg’s stories from the book “Masurian tales” were woven.
Technique: plain weave, kilims handwoven on a floor loom. Warp: Polish linen. Weft: recycled wool.
Each kilim is 80 cm x 80 cm (plus fringe: 2 x 10 cm) / 31.5 “ x 31.5 “ (plus 2 x 4 “).
Discover the tales below.
The winter night of Naderek
That year, the winter in Możdżany is exceptionally harsh. The whole village suffers from famine; it is no different for Naderek.
Black Yacht
Evil does not spare even the hard-working fishermen. Karol and August are friends, close as brothers. They have the misfortune of meeting the Black Yacht on the Żywe Lake when they are out fishing from their boat at night.
Topnik from the Wolisko Lake
People living near the Borecka Forest know it very well and are afraid of the creatures that inhabit it. The woodcutters claim that there is a drowner, Topnik, living in the lake.
Like it’s alive…
The land around Sołtmańskie Lake is divided, just as the settlers on its banks are divided. Wealth and prosperity on one side; on the other – poverty and hunger.
The heart devourer’s island
In Jakunówka one funeral after the other is held. The unknown plague is killing the villagers. The ones still alive are afraid of the return of the souls of the dead.
Secrets of the Golden Mountain
In Pozezdrze, a noise can be heard from deep beneath the ground. Metallic sounds come from under a hill on top of which a pine grows, its old branches twisted.
About Jadwiga Tressenberg, the legends she wrote down, and Masurian kilims
Jadwiga Tressenberg chose Masuria as her place to live. In love with the stories of the locals about all the weird things around, she wrote down the legends she heard in her book entitled: “Masurian Stories”. Beautiful nostalgic fables are a great reflection of the atmosphere of the region. Masuria as shown in them is wonderful, but also a difficult place to live in. Here the soil and water share their abundance with those who live well and bravely. Hunger, cold and death await the greedy and careless.
Jadwiga Tressenberg weaves her stories, taking us with her into the thick woods and to the lake shores. In the unusual, Masurian landscapes, the unearthly scenes play out.
To bring back these places and emotions, the Masurian stories were told once again. Human fears and joys were woven with a woollen thread. In the form of kilims, they can warm our (not only Masurian) interiors.
