Nadia Policarpova (Moldavia)
NADIA POLICARPOVA
Biography:
I'm a textile jewelry crafter from Moldova, interested in working with traditional textile techniques, preserving and enriching the cultural heritage of my country by interpreting it in my own unique way, thus creating modern and unconventional pieces of wearable art.
Being raised in Moldovan countryside, I got acquainted with various types of traditional textile craftsmanship from early childhood, some of my earliest memories being watching my grandmother spinning the wool to knit stockings afterwards and a beautiful piece of tapestry handwoven and embroidered by my grandmother's sister and given to her for her wedding, hanging on the wall next to my bed, which I used to imagine being a beautiful labyrinth made of bushes of roses, between which I would take a walk every time I laid on the bed.
Being a Fashion Design student at "George Enescu" University of Art has taught me to explore and experiment, trying to find my unique form of expression, which led to me to rekindle my passion for traditional textile craft, lit up the desire to spread its beauty, but at the same time to push it further, approach it from a different perspective, use it in an unexpected way. That's how I got to develop my own technique and play adding unconventional industrial materials, trying to find a balance between old and new, craft and technology, intricate and simple, decorative and clean.
Collection Concept: Secret Garden
The "Secret Garden" collection explores the theme of growth and evolution through having the courage to experiment, the patience to master one's craft and the persistence to walk one's path, however slow it may seem, carefully observing, setting a direction, fearlessly exploring, avidly learning and trying out different things and, then building on those experiences, pursuing some things and further elaborating on them, while discarding others, acquiring the wisdom and the intuition to distinguish between those and meticulously tailoring a beautiful unfolding, just like nature does.
It is inspired by vegetal shapes, colors and textures, evoking the continuous seasonal life/death cycle in which most plants engage as a metaphor for human experience of life and numerous crisis someone encounters and has to draw conclusions on previous exposures and lay a further course, to reinvent oneself as a sort of rebirth process, regarding crisis as a place of growth; as well as describing an artist process of finding her/his voice and continuously developing her/his craft.
Brooch, polyester threads, open cell foam, acrylics, beads, stainless steel
Necklace, polyester threads, nylon mesh, acrylics
Necklace, polyester threads, nylon mesh, acrylics, bronze
Pendant, polyester threads