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Revitalizing an ancient tradition in Crete

22.09.2017

The Penelope Gandhi Mission is a project carried out by the University of the Mountains, a member of the Mountain Partnership, to support the protection and revitalization of the traditional Greek art of weaving. The University of the Mountains is a voluntary organization that was established in Crete, Greece in 2007 by University of Crete Professor of Ophthalmology Ioannis Pallikaris, along with other academics, intellectuals, artisans, shepherds and farmers from rural Crete, with the aim of preserving and studying the way of life in mountain communities.

The Penelope Gandhi Mission emerged spontaneously from present-day Cretan life. It is based on the exceptional quality of Cretan textiles, the presence of experienced weaving-women, rural life and folk art from the early twentieth century and, above all, on hopes and feelings. The University of the Mountains’ immediate aims for the Mission are to reverse the decline in the art of weaving, to save it from disappearing and to revive the various techniques used in traditional textile production across Crete.

Over the years, the volunteers involved in the Penelope Gandhi Mission have visited the villages of Crete, collecting materials on weaving, tools, textiles, techniques, ornamentation and motifs, taking photographs and videos, getting to know the people and their methods. A huge quantity of material has been collected and archived. The Mission’s members have also engaged in organizing thematic events and interactive exhibitions across Greece. In two cases – at St Mark's Basilica in Heraklion in 2012, and at the Benaki Museum in Athens in 2013 – weavers sat at their looms to demonstrate the art, enchanting visitors. This style of exhibition is different from simply displaying tools and images; the women weaving could speak with the movements of their bodies and fingers to provide a better understanding of their craft. Weaving has also been increasingly re-incorporated into middle and primary school education as an elective activity. This has allowed the Penelope Gandhi Mission to reach out to children.

The members of the Penelope Gandhi Mission aim to create products for today’s world, using a combination of traditional techniques and modern capabilities to make a range of original, quality textiles for international markets. Their greatest achievement has been the revival of two major methods of acquiring raw materials, from flax and silk, which was a technique that had died out. Flax is now sown and harvested each year in association with the School of Agriculture of the Technological Educational Institute of Crete. Silkworms are also farmed. These are among the least visible but most important projects implemented.

The project’s goals for the future are to have skilled, experienced weaving-women teach their art to younger generations and raise the youth’s awareness in general; create handmade textiles for sale on international markets and for museums and private collections; establish weaving faculties, ensuring the incorporation of weaving into modern life; and start cottage industries producing vegetable and mineral dyes.

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News and photo by the University of the Mountains